Nick Laird

Lecturer in Design Education, Design Strategy, Creativity and Innovation and Design Futures

Curriculum vitae

As founder and long term leader of development of Design Studies curricula and resources at Otago, Nick Laird’s primary research interest is in contemporary design education. His international recognition in this field includes, amongst others, appointment by the National Institute for Design (NID) based in Ahmedabad as an advisor on the strategic direction of design education for India.

Nick’s research activity lies in three specifically linked areas:

• The changing nature, role and assessment of tertiary design programmes.
• The implications and potential of design futures and scenarios.
• The application of strategic and creative tools and methods to design innovation.

Nick has worked within the design professions, as an architect for Ian Jack Architects as well as the New Zealand Forest Service. He has also worked as a product designer and developer for South Pacific Ceramics and ran his own small design business, Krokatile.

As a designer with a social science background, Nick is especially interested in user-centred design and continues to collaborate with cross disciplinary teams to deliver a range of design-driven, systems based solutions. These include urban way finding systems, such as; The Northern Gateway Project, Assessi (an on line design assessment system), and small scale architectural projects.

Current teaching

• Coordinator: DESI 315 – Design Project
• Coordinator: DESI 325 – Design Project
• Coordinator: DESI 419 – Strategic Design
• Coordinator: DESI 429 – Special Topic in Design Studies
• Supervisor: DESI 480/490/495 – Research Project

Current postgraduate supervision

• Machiko Niimi: ‘Design for Sustainable Behaviour’. MDes (ongoing), co-supervisor.
• Joshua Jeffery: ‘Can goal-driven sustainability strategies identify opportunities to significantly shape waste in large-scale social settings?’. MDes (ongoing), co-supervisor.

Recent postgraduate supervision

• Ferester C. BatchBOX A Platform for Cultural Regeneration. In the context of - [i] Prefabricated Housing Concepts 2006-2007 [ii] Conference paper Ferester C, BatchBOX. A Platform for Cultural Regeneration, Design & Politics. Interdisciplinary Design Institute, Design Research Conference, Spokane 2008

Research areas

• Design Education and Design Philosophy
• Design Futures
• Design Strategy, Design Methodologies, Creativity and Innovation

Recent publications

• Laird N.J. (2008) Future Scanning. The Development of a Methodological Toolkit for Innovation Education. Proceedings, Culture and Inspiration, DesignEd Asia Conference, 9–10 December, Hong Kong.
• Laird, N.J & Baxter G. (2008) Mystery to Mastery. The Development of Assessi-an integrated course planning and assessment system designed on the basis of teaching and learning experiences of the design studio. Abstract accepted. The 6th International Conference on Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications: EISTA 2008 In the context of :The 2nd International Multiconference on Society Cybernetics and Infomatics: IMSCI 2008 June 29th–July 2nd Orlando, Florida, USA
• Laird N.J, & Baxter G. (2005) Wicked Problems and Shared Meanings. Evaluating Design Competence. Proceedings, International Conference on Design Education. Tradition and Modernity , National Institute of Design Ahmedabad, India March 2–4. S3P31pdf/ cd publication of papers
• Laird N.J, & Waite, N.W (2005) Proof. New Zealand Print Culture. Collaborative research strategies, Feb 2002 Simile online journal Toronto

Service and memberships

• European Academy of Design, member
• Design Management Institute, academic member
• Asia Pacific Network of Design Education Institutes, foundation committee member
• CHACDS, Council of the Heads of Art Craft and Design Schools, New Zealand
• Film and Electronic Media Industry Training Organisation
• International Television Organisation, associate member
• Community Access Television, trustee
• New Zealand Institute of Architects, associate member
• Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ), associate member
• New Zealand Ergonomics Society, member
• Environmental Policy and Management Research Centre, University of Otago
• Teaching Committee department of Design Studies
• Board of Studies Postgraduate Diploma in Natural History. Foundation member
• Past Head, Design Studies
• CApSc Board of Studies foundation member
• Performing Arts Board of Studies, foundation member