Graham Powell

Associate Tutor

About

Specialising in Creativity, Design, Engineering & Education, Graham is a graduate of the Royal College of Art and Imperial College (MA & Dip.IC Industrial Design Engineering).

He’s particularly passionate about challenging conventions to turn creative ideas into reality, through strategic thinking and the successful management of a broad range of conceptual and commercial design-based projects.

Graham has also worked within a wide range of design ­related Higher Education, including the creation, accreditation and realisation of new academic design programmes, modules, lectures, workshops, industry collaborations, student exhibitions and their resultant career opportunities.

www.graham-powell.com

Industry

A broad-based 15 year career in Design & Engineering - beginning with a traditional Engineering Apprenticeship and progressing up to Head of Product Design & Development management positions. His experience has encompassed strategic thinking, creative design & development, model-making, prototyping, testing, standards, intellectual property, project management, manufacture, quality, launch and then subsequent marketing of a range of industry and consumer products - including GEC (meters & relays), Dyson (cyclonic vacuum cleaners), Babysphere (innovative pushchair) and Mathmos (domestic lighting).

Design Practice

Graham’s own design practice has been driven by creative opportunities, successful funding applications and commercial consultancy invitations, producing a broad range of physical design outcomes - including Guinea Pig Design (speculative product proposals), Whippet Bicycle (an innovative new retracting bicycle supported by an Innovate UK Smart grant) and Graham Powell Design (creative proposals developed through to physical outcomes for clients such as BCU, Grand Designs, Joseph Joseph and WGSN).

Teaching

Graham has over 20 years teaching experience in Higher Education at BA, BSc, MA & MSc levels on a wide breadth of design-based programmes as a Tutor, Lecturer, Senior lecturer, Assistant Professor and Programme Director at a range of academic institutions - including Aston University, Central Saint Martins, Royal College of Art, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, Birmingham City University and Coventry University.

Collaborations

He has also organised and managed a multitude of creative student facing projects aimed at challenging industry with alternative concepts, typically then presented in the format of stand-up student pitches to Design Managers and CEOs, along with physical exhibitions of their new design proposals - including Aedas Architects, AGA Rangemaster, British Design Shop, Cadbury, Coventry Transport Museum, Denby Potteries, Faraday bags, Ferrari Logic3, Forest Garden, Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer, Pashley Cycles, Richard Burbidge, The Cube Concept, Triumph Motorcycles and Vitra.

Publications

Contributions to:

• The Design Book (Phaidon, 2020)
• 999 Design Classics (Phaidon, 2006)
• Design Magic (Design Transformation Group, 2003)
• Design and Emotion (Routledge, 2019)
• Notes: Changing Energy into Form (DTG, Ellipses, 1999)
• Closing the Gap between Subject and Object (DTG, 1997)

Exhibitions

• Bespoked - Whippet Bicycle launch at the UK Handmade Bicycle show - Bristol (2017)
• Midlands Design Archives - of 14 Midlands-based industries at Birmingham Made Me Design Expo (2012)
• Make//Shift - trends-based product collaboration between Obsessionistas & WGSN at the National Museum of Science and Technology, Salon de Mobile - Milan (2012)
• Interiors Birmingham - conceptual electronic products by Guinea Pig Design at Birmingham city centre Design Pavilion and NEC (2007 & 2008)
• Boxed In - conceptual electronic products by Guinea Pig Design at Designers Block, London Design Festival (2006)
• HearWear - conceptual hearing aid product proposal by Guinea Pig Design at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2005)
• Looking for an Argument - conceptual product by Guinea Pig Design at the Space Gallery - International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York (2005)
• Inside the Box - conceptual electronic products by Guinea Pig Design - solo show at the Royal Pump Rooms Art Gallery, Leamington Spa (2004)
• Product Placement - conceptual products by Guinea Pig Design, solo show at Waterloo Art Gallery, London Design Festival (2001)
• Millenium Products - Apollo pushchair exhibited in the Houses of Parliament, London (1999)
• The Human Factor - Apollo pushchair exhibited in the Science Museum, London (1999)
• Kid Size - Apollo pushchair exhibited in the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany and Kunsthall (Rotterdam, Netherlands) (1998)
• MA Graduation show - Royal College of Art (1995)
• Ideal Home Exhibition - winner of the House of the Future Competition, Earls Court, London (1994)
• Smith Gallery - Covent Garden, London (1990)
• New Designers - Islington, London (1990)