Jon Hannan
Associate Dean, MDes + Associate Professor
Education:
Manchester School of Art
Manchester School of Art
University of Huddersfield
Bio
Jon Hannan is Associate Dean of the Master of Design program and Associate Professor of Communication Design. He previously held permanent faculty positions at Manchester School of Art (UK) and Nottingham Trent University (UK). He holds an MA and BA (Hons) in Design & Art Direction from Manchester School of Art and a PGCE from the University of Huddersfield. In 2019, he received the Design Incubation Educators Award for Teaching, and in 2020, the Ian Wallace Award for Teaching Excellence at Emily Carr University.
Websites:
Research Interests
Jon Hannan’s interdisciplinary design-research practice uses participatory and communication design methods to address issues relating to health and social inclusion through community-engaged collaboration. He is a member of the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University, where his work engages design as a relational and inclusive practice within health and care contexts. His research explores how participatory and creative design approaches can support dignity, wellbeing and social connection, particularly in contexts of ageing and long-term care. Through collaborative projects with community partners, his work examines how design pedagogy and practice can operate as forms of social engagement and care. His research and practice have been featured in publications and platforms including the Design Research Society, Design for Health, the Design Research for Change book series, IdN, Computer Arts, The Guardian and CNN. Alongside his academic work, he founded and ran the Manchester-based design studio OWT for six years, which began as an experimental publication before evolving into a fully operating design studio.