Kristian Fredrikson trained at the Wellington School of Design in New Zealand. He has become one of Australia's most prolific designers. For eight years he was Resident Designer for The Melbourne Theatre Company and has also designed a large number of productions for The Australian Ballet including "Aurora's Wedding", "Cinderella" and "Coppelia". Designs for the Sydney Dance Company include "Scherezade", "Daphnis and Chloe", "An Evening Poppy" and "After Venice". He has also designed Graeme Murphy's "Orpheus", "The Firebird", and "Swan Lake" for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Designs for opera include designs for the Australian Opera's "Il Seraglio", "Lucrezia Borgia", "The Merry Widow", "Don Giovanni", "Falstaff", "Manon Lescaut" and "Manon", and The Victoria State Opera's "Don Carlos".

His film credits include "Undercover", "Sky Pirates", and "Short-changes". Designs for television include "Vietnam", "The Shiralee", and "Dirtwater Dynasty".