Russell Kerr

Russell Kerr is Program Director of the Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) Honours program and leader of Communication Design for Social Change within the Communication Design program.

Russell’s primary research interests traverse the areas Social Design, graphic activism and design for community. His current PhD research investigates contemporary Social Design practice in the context of design thinking and meaningful engagements with social change. How can Social Design practice have longevity?

Russell’s research explores educational environments that engage with Social Design. His current research project investigates how Design can be practiced with a meaningful connection to Social Change over an extended period of time.

Russell is the research leader for the Advocacy Lab, an interdisciplinary research laboratory in the Media and Communications Honours program.He has had a longstanding community based practice that fosters participatory design solutions and collaboration.

Research grants and projects:
Title: Design For Community

Funding Body: Romania Creative District,

Partners: RMIT University, Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD).

Year: 2011, Forlí Italy

An intensive and organic 2 day workshop that explored the possibilities created by participatory community-centred design. Bernard Canniffe, Chair of Design at MCAD and Russell Kerr, Program Director of The Works, Communication Design for Social Change at RMIT University present new design challenges and opportunities in the face of a socially driven revolution. They lead multidisciplinary design students through a series of immersive exercises that will produce real and transformative outcomes for the local community.

The objective of this workshop is to use participatory Design as a catalyst for community engagement. This workshop is be a transformative experience that facilitates dynamic design interactions between participants and the community; these interactions will produce innovative creative solutions to the theme of Responsible Innovation.

This workshop should be thought of as a creative studio space, part Design studio; part kindergarten; part conversation. As a participant in this workshop you can expect to give a voice to the theme of Responsible Innovation, you will collaborate with team members in a participatory experience.

Outcomes of the workshop will be as diverse as the participants skillsets and experiences, they will be interdisciplinary. Your outcomes will be relevant to the theme of responsible innovation and be appropriate to the groups understanding and exploration the issue. The outcome you create may be different from your own disciplinary practice and will engage with the local community.

Career highlights:
- 2007 The Nuclear Posters, Poster Competion, Winner
- 2007 New York Type Directors Club , Citation of Typographic Excellence
- 2005 University of Ballarat, Lucatro Peace Prize, Highly commended

Conference presentations:
- 2010 Design Principles and Practices Conference, ‘The Human Rights Campaign Studio: A model for Social Design, Work Integrated Learning and meaningful Social Change.’ Chicago, USA
- 2009 RMIT University, School of Applied Communication Graduate Research Conference, ‘The Social Studio’, Melbourne Australia
- 2008 OURMedia Conference, Something Nicer, Accra, Ghana
- 2008 New Views 2, Conversation and dialogue in graphic design, ‘For we are young and free. Design + Manifesto = A new world order’, London, England,
- 2007 AIC Conference, Facilitating meaningful university, industry and community partnerships through WIL, Melbourne, Autsralia
- 2007 Institutions Capitalism and Dissent, Rouge Education Network, Melbourne, Australia
- 2007 YouTube and the impending age of Social Unrest, OurMedia 6, Sydney, Australia
- 2006 Youth Media and culture in the Asia Pacific Region, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- 2005 Design Survival Camp, Wanganui New Zealand
- 2005 Graffiti Management Plan, Community and Culture

Exhibitions:
- 9th Terhran International Poster Biennial of Iran, 2007, Poster Competition, Saba Cultural and Artistic Institute, Iran
- The Second International Biennial of the Islamic World, 2007, Poster Competition, Saba Cultural and Artistic Institute, Iran
- Artery, 2007, Group exhibition, The Artery Fitzroy, Australia
- Neshan Exhibition of the Badge, 2006, Group exhibition, Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide.
- Untitled-1, 2005, Honors - Graphic Design University of Ballarat , Loop, Melbourne, Australia
- Showcase, 2005, Honors - Graphic Design University of Ballarat, Post Office Gallery, Ballarat, Australia