Current Australian government policy promotes the country as an ‘Innovation Nation.’ This policy focuses on the areas of culture and capital, collaboration, skills and talent, with the ultimate goal of “inspiring people to be more creative” and thus creating an “ideas boom” with valuable IP and inventions that will effectively set Australia apart as a creative economy leader in the ‘Asian Century’ (Osborne, 2016). The discipline areas of Graphic (GD) and Industrial design (ID) are both areas that deal with creative concepts and innovation. They have become more and more aligned in recent years such that industry knowledge in both areas is highly beneficial for future employment. Graphic Design (GD), an area traditionally associated with the knowledge of the visual communication of signs, symbols and visual systems whereas Industrial Design (ID) is traditionally an area associated with the production of material objects. In contemporary practice, particularly in the design of new technologies and design thinking for business, the areas are interconnected. According to Buchanan (2001, p.6), “In fact, signs, things, actions, and thoughts are not only interconnected, they also interpenetrate and merge in contemporary design thinking with surprising consequences for innovation.” This paper explores the roles, overlaps and collaborations of ID and GD in professional practice and how these can be implemented in both ID and GD education, especially in cross-disciplinary, work-integrated learning projects. Through an overview of previous professional practice experiences by the authors, a brief literature review, and case studies of multidisciplinary projects the authors aim to show how interdisciplinary collaboration in GD and ID are essential for employability in the current climate.