Iain Macdonald
Iain Macdonald

Dr Iain Macdonald

Associate Professor

  I.Macdonald@napier.ac.uk

  

Biography

I have over 25 years of creative industry experience as an award winning television graphic designer at BBC Television, and as a film and commercials director at The Moving Picture Company.
I entered academia in 2010 joining Napier on the BDes Graphic Design programme. I was made Associate Professor in 2015. Between 2014-17 I was Programme Leader of MSc Creative Advertising and 2016-17 Head of Design Photography Advertising.

Between 2017 - 2018 I was an Associate Dean at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. My role spanned a large portfolio of responsibilities at LCC and the Design School, then latterly the Screen School. The role exploited my industry expertise in VFX and animation to help develop the new programme portfolio in the Screen School. I was Creative Director of the Screen School public engagement programme in January 2018, ‘Beyond 2001: New Horizons’ that celebrated the Stanley Kubrick Archive at LCC. I was involved in curriculum development of Design courses, as well as cross-College initiatives for recruitment and progression, particularly courses that prepare students for under-graduate and post-graduate entry.

School

Research Groups

Research Areas

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Curriculum Board of the National Society for Art & Design Education (NSEAD).

 

External Examining/Validations

  • MA Motion Graphics, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Ireland
  • MA Graphic Moving Image, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • BAFTA Nomination ‘People’s Century’
  • Fellow of Royal Society of Arts
  • International Broadcast Designers Association Bronze ‘TV Dinners’
  • International Broadcast Designers Association Silvers ‘Taking Liberties’, ‘Arena’
  • Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy

 

Invited Speaker

  • ‘Shining the Light on the Cultural Aspects of Student Mobility: reflections on a cross-faculty collaborative project’. With Foster, M. and Firth, R. Teaching Fellows Conference, Edinburgh Napier University
  • ‘Shifting the Focus’, with Ash, A. International Journal of Art & Design Education Conference, Liverpool
  • ‘The New Television Graphic Designer: a new bricoleur?’ Transformations in Broadcasting Conference, Leeds
  • ‘The Changing Technological and Commercial Environment for BBC Graphic Design’, Film and Media Conference, London
  • ‘Interdisciplinary Methodologies in Different Cultures of Learning: Apples and Pears?’, with Firth, R., International Journal of Art & Design Education Conference, Liverpool
  • ‘How can design education develop intercultural competencies for professional practice and global citizenship?’ With MacLeod, M. DRS CUMULUS International Conference for Design Educators Conference, Milan, Italy
  • ‘Shifting the Focus: Listening to Students’, with Ash, A. International Journal of Art & Design Education Conference, Liverpool
  • ‘How can design education develop intercultural competencies using critical approaches to global consumerism?’ With MacLeod, M. AIGA Design Educators Conference, York University, Toronto, Canada
  • ‘Hyperrealism to Metamedium: how can television audience engagement be affected by different production techniques in channel and programme branding?’ Titles, Teasers and Trailers Conference, University of Edinburgh
  • ‘Looking East, learning through Art and Design processes’ with Firth R. International Journal of Art & Design Education Conference, Chester
  • ‘Digital gardens with real toads in them: the place of heritage media in a digital art and design education’. DRS CUMULUS International Conference for Design Education Researchers, Oslo, Norway
  • ‘Re-constructing “Culture of Learning” – International Student Experiences in China and the UK’, with Firth, R., Foster, M. and Zhou, V. HEA Annual Conference, Aston University
  • ‘Exploring the Benefits and Challenges to Student Mobility – What do we Know About our Students’ Perceptions of Their Own and Host Culture of Learning’. With Foster, M. Learning, Teaching and Assessment Conference, Edinburgh Napier University
  • ‘Five go to Mozambique: a film of how design students develop intercultural competencies for professional practice and global citizenship.’ Society of Research in Higher Education Conference, Newport, Wales

 

Filter by

Date


27 results

Book review of 'Communication Design: Insights from the Creative Industries' (Yates and Price 2015)

Journal Article
Macdonald, I. (2015)
Book review of 'Communication Design: Insights from the Creative Industries' (Yates and Price 2015). AD, 33-33
Derek Yates and Jessie Price’s book Communication Design: Insights from the Creative Industries is about designers who make a difference in the world. Its aim is to bridge the...

Mossuril - an international study project.

Digital Artefact
Macdonald, I. (2014)
Mossuril - an international study project
This study examines the student experience of a third sector graphic design project in an international context. Inspired by a Humanist and socially conscious perspective that...

Interdisciplinary methodologies in different cultures of learning: Apples and Pears?

Conference Proceeding
Macdonald, I., Firth, R., Foster, M., & Zhou, V. (2014)
Interdisciplinary methodologies in different cultures of learning: Apples and Pears?
This paper explores the reception and analysis of different methodologies in an inter-disciplinary pedagogical collaboration involving Design and Business academics and their ...

Re-constructing “culture of learning” – international student experiences in China and the UK.

Conference Proceeding
Foster, M., Macdonald, I., Firth, R., & Zhou, V. (2014)
Re-constructing “culture of learning” – international student experiences in China and the UK
Following previous Teaching Fellows funding to undertake a joint research project between Business School and the School of Arts & Creative Industries we would like to present...

Journal of Design Practice and Research, Volume 3, 2014

Book
Lambert, I., Firth, R., MacLeod, M., Forster, S., Innes, M., Winton, E., …Titley, W. (2014)
Journal of Design Practice and Research, Volume 3, 2014. Edinburgh Napier University
Editorial -Welcome to the third issue of the Journal for Design Practice & Research. The last 18 months has been an extremely busy time for us. We have continued to grow as a ...

Digital And Paper Sketchbooks: Learning New Ways Of Drawing And Designing

Journal Article
Macdonald, I. (2014)
Digital And Paper Sketchbooks: Learning New Ways Of Drawing And Designing. TRACEY,
Since the introduction of the portable mobile tablet device in 2010 there has been a surge of interest in how these might enhance technology-based learning. The advantages of ...

CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE: a study of art & design and the impact on Higher Education.

Journal Article
Macdonald, I. (2014)
CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE: a study of art & design and the impact on Higher Education. AD, 24-25
This small study was undertaken in two secondary schools in Edinburgh where art and design teachers were willing to be interviewed on video following a semi-structured questio...

Cultural Change in the Creative Industries: a case study of BBC Graphic Design from 1990-2011

Journal Article
Macdonald, I. (2014)
Cultural Change in the Creative Industries: a case study of BBC Graphic Design from 1990-2011. Visual Communication, 13(1), 31-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357213507510
Using his own experience as a witness and participant in the convulsion that the BBC, and specifically the BBC Graphic Design department underwent, the author aims to illumina...

Challenges and benefits of student mobility: what do we know about our students’ perceptions of own and host culture of learning.

Presentation / Conference
Foster, M., Macdonald, I. & Firth, R. (2014, January)
Challenges and benefits of student mobility: what do we know about our students’ perceptions of own and host culture of learning. Paper presented at Edinburgh Napier Staff Conference, Edinburgh
No abstract available.

Digital gardens with real toads in them: the place of heritage media in a digital art and design education.

Conference Proceeding
Macdonald, I. (2013)
Digital gardens with real toads in them: the place of heritage media in a digital art and design education. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference for Design Education Researchers, 577-589. ISBN 978-82-93298-01-4
At a time when digital media is regarded as orthodoxy in education, in advanced global economies there is a pressing argument to review the lessons of the past and reflect on ...

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