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Russell Kennedy |
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Adjunct Research Fellow |
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Media Release: 16 February 2011
Icograda President joins Swinburne University
The Faculty of Design at Swinburne University of Technology announces the appointment of Icograda President, Russell Kennedy as an adjunct research fellow.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Russell Kennedy back to Swinburne," says Ken Friedman, Dean of the Faculty of Design. "As a Swinburne graduate and a leading figure in the design profession, we're proud to bring him home."
"We're delighted to have Russell Kennedy here for two important reasons. As an adjunct research fellow, Russell will deepen his interest and his skills in research. At a time when business and the public sector call on designers to solve larger and more challenging problems than ever before, research is a key factor in professional excellence. As President of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), Russell is a global spokesman for the design profession. As a researcher, he is leading the way in professional development.”
"Beyond this, the growing importance of design in private and public sector functions is leading to a global interest in design policy. Russell has been a pioneer in this field and acts as a key advisor to the Australian Design Alliance. Joining Prof. Per Mollerup and Prof. Dori Tunstall, Mr. Kennedy strengthens our position as a global center of excellence for research and development in design policy."
Russell’s background is in both communication design and filmmaking. Prior to joining Swinburne University, Russell was a Senior Lecturer of Visual Communication at Monash University. He has also been a director of both Russell Kennedy Design Pty Ltd, a corporate identity consultancy, and Onset Productions Pty Ltd, a motion picture and documentary company. Russell was elected to the Executive Board of Icograda as Vice President in 2003 and became President in 2009.
Russell is also undertaking a PhD candidature at Swinburne. His research focus will be in the area of design advocacy and government policy. Russell says, “Swinburne’s commitment to design research and leadership is outstanding. The Faculty of Design is endowed with remarkable research talent from Australia and around the world. I’m looking forward to working for Swinburne, a University that clearly understands design research and the vital role design plays in improving every aspect of society.”
Russell brings a wealth of experience - he is a Fellow of London’s Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (RSA). He is an active member and advisor to both the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) and the Design Institute of Australia (DIA). Russell is a member of the international advisory board to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. He is a Regional Ambassador to INDEX: ‘Design to Improve life’, the Danish Government’s International Award program. In 2009, Russell was a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Government advisory board for the Seoul Design Olympiad and in 2010 sat on the advisory board of the World Design Capital™ Seoul. Russell is an advisor to Design Victoria and has worked closely with the Victorian and Queensland Governments on Icograda events and projects. In 2008, Russell was recognised as a ‘Club Melbourne Ambassador’ by the Premier of Victoria, the Hon. John Brumby, MP for his ongoing efforts in promoting Victoria’s design capabilities internationally as well as Melbourne as a convention and events destination.
In his capacity as Icograda President, Russell works closely with the “World Design Survey™, a research project to establish and maintain an international framework measuring the contribution of the design economy and the level of strategic engagement by government in using design as a socio-economic and cultural developmental enabler. The World Design Survey™ is an Icograda project, which operates under a partnership agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Russell is the founder of INDIGO, Icograda’s International Indigenous Design Network, which was launched in October 2007 at the Icograda General Assembly in Havana, Cuba. INDIGO was developed as a research project under his leadership at Monash University. In July 2007, Russell assigned the intellectual property generated from this project to Icograda. Icograda has headquartered the INDIGO Secretariat in Montreal, Canada and continued to develop the initiative under the title of INDIGO.
During the first year of his Presidency, Russell initiated Iridescent, the Icograda Journal of Design Research. Iridescent is an online journal established to advance Icograda's strategic aim to support the development of design education (theory, practice, and research). Launched March 2010, this peer-reviewed publication invites researchers and scholars worldwide to submit innovative design research in any of the six official languages of the United Nations (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic). One of Iridescent's goals is to make emerging work available to a broad international audience, establishing a benchmark for design research in the process.
NOTE: Swinburne has been a member of the Icograda Education Network (IEN) since 2003. Icograda, the International Council of Graphic Design Associations is based in Montreal, Canada. Icograda is the world body for professional communication design and a partner of the International Design Alliance (IDA). The IDA is a strategic venture between the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) and the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI).