The school will bring together RMIT’s strengths in digital, industrial and communication design, enhancing the University’s position as a global leader in design education and research.
Professor Paul Gough, RMIT Pro Vice-Chancellor Design and Social Context and Vice-President, said the School of Designwould maintain a focus on traditional areas of professional practice while working closely with industry partners to support innovative approaches to interdisciplinary work.
“RMIT is dedicated to creating life-changing experiences for our design students, preparing them for life and work as creative practitioners who can play leading roles in supporting Australia’s innovation agenda,” Gough said.
“This is about the future of design and the future of the creative disciplines, ensuring our graduates have both a strong grounding in their fields and the flexibility to adapt their knowledge to the rapidly changing world of work.
“Our new School of Design brings a stronger alignment with the professions and industry, as well as enabling us to embrace new opportunities in emerging areas.
“RMIT’s strong industry relationships play a crucial role in driving interdisciplinary collaboration, and our partnerships with organisations and companies such as ACMIX, Australia Post, NGV, ACCA, Pixar, State Library of Victoria, Deloitte Digital and ANZ will continue to drive the success of our design disciplines.”
Professor Laurene Vaughan has been appointed Dean of the new School following an international search process.
Currently Associate Dean of the Design Games Interaction cluster in RMIT’s School of Media and Communication, Vaughan is an internationally-recognised leader in interdisciplinary and applied design research.
“The School of Design will build on our existing excellence and international recognition, and support the development of programs, research and engagement in the future practice contexts of design,” she said.
“We will be looking at emerging and growing design areas across the digital and human-centred domains, including service design, design for social innovation, UX, virtual and augmented reality, and 3D printing.”
Based at RMIT’s City and Brunswick campuses, the School of Design will encompass the fields of animation, games and interactive design, communication design and industrial design.
As part of the changes, RMIT’s School of Architecture and Design has been renamed the School of Architecture and Urban Design, reflecting its focus on exploring the challenges of our cities and the resilience of landscape through a rich design culture and emerging technologies, using design practice as an agent of cultural change.
RMIT is ranked 17th in the world and 1st in the Asia-Pacific for Art and Design (2017 QS Rankings by Discipline).
For general media enquiries: Gosia Kaszubska, (03) 9925 3176, 0417 510 735 or gosia.kaszubska@rmit.edu.au.
