Log in
Design research at the Royal College of Art (RCA) has pioneered projects and studies developing a design-led, systems-based approach to improve patient safety in hospital and mobile healthcare. It has led a multidisciplinary culture in which designers, clinicians, psychologists and business specialists collaborate in development projects. This new approach to Design for Patient Safety has had a profound impact on understanding public service provision, on practice and policy, and has realised commercial benefit.
`Cold War Modern. Design 1945-1970' (CWM) was a four-year research project exploring the impact of the cold war on modern art, architecture and design. Conceived, researched and curated as a major exhibition by Professors David Crowley and Jane Pavitt, it provided new interpretations of the history of design in the second half of the 20th century for a wide public, international audience. The exhibition was reviewed around the world and was acquired — as a `package' of concept, exhibits and publications — by venues abroad. We are claiming impact in the fields of public and media understanding of post-Second World War cultural history and on the curatorial and collecting activities of museums around the world.
Dunne, Raby, and their colleagues' research into Critical Design at the Royal College of Art (RCA) since 1997 has influenced the methods and ideas of design practice through inclusion in major design exhibitions, conferences, expert collaboration with companies, and coverage in the press, TV and film. Moreover, it has had impact on cultural life and public discourse, by enhancing public understanding of major issues and challenges posed by science and technology for individuals and society, through design research and exhibitions in major international museums, and inclusion in public museum collections.
Vehicle and mobility design research carried out at the Royal College of Art (RCA) since 1993 has resulted in industrial innovation in vehicles and transport, both nationally and internationally, enhancing industry's ability to provide commercial, societal and environmental benefits between 2008 and 2013. The areas in which we are claiming impact include accessible, user-centred transport (Impact 1); future visions of public service vehicles and systems (Impact 2); and innovation in vehicle design for changing technologies (Impact 3). These impacts are produced through design and consultancy. Corroboration of impact takes the form of public records of achievements, and authentication by manufacturers.
Research into properties of scale and surface undertaken by ceramicist Felicity Aylieff has achieved substantial national and international impact in cultural life and education since 1996. The research leads to significant innovations in ceramics, especially in the areas of monumental sculptures and translation of traditional techniques to contemporary use. These are realised in a body of work and dissemination by public speaking, exhibitions and publications. Through innovative international collaborative projects, the established separation between studio ceramics and industry has been bridged globally.
A sustained programme of research at the Royal College of Art (RCA) since 1994, led by Coleman, Myerson and Bichard, has played a leading role in the emergence of Inclusive Design within design, industry and education, defining its theoretical principles and developing relevant real-world practice tools and business case studies. This research had made an impact in four key areas: it has influenced the public discourse and the ethics and methods of the design profession; contributed to national policymaking for older and disabled people; enabled economic prosperity through development of new products and services; and supported advances in design education.
Peter Kennard at the Royal College of Art (RCA) is a leading exponent of the art of photomontage. An avowedly political artist, his research since the 1970s has explored and critiqued the circulation of mass-media images, particularly those produced in relation to war and conflict. This case study shows that Kennard's research has achieved significant impact on public opinion and sustained impact on the operations of the media in representing war and conflict.