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Russell Kennedy to speak on representing Indigenous culture in communication design and branding

19.07.2012 News

Carlton (Australia) - On 9 August 2012, , Icograda Past-President 2011-2013, will speak on representing Indigenous culture in communication design and branding at the Melbourne Museum.

Russell will speak on the need for the design profession to establish a framework of engagement with Indigenous knowledge, which will educate and inform practitioners on issues relating to cultural ownership and respectful development processes.

"Respectful depiction and referencing of Indigenous visual iconography has become an important issue around the world Â– especially when designers and their clients choose to visually represent national identity. This new emphasis on cultural authenticity raises ethical issues of appropriate engagement and knowledge ownership"
- Russell Kennedy, 2012

Russell believes a dedicated policy in this area will help facilitate the transition to an authentic national identity, one that celebrates Australia as the home of the world's oldest continuous living culture. Russell Kennedy is a Research Fellow at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (RSA) and a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia (DIA). He was Chair of the International Design Alliance (2009- 2011) and is currently serving as immediate Past President (2011-2013) of Icograda, the International Council of Communication Design and is Co-Chair of INDIGO, the International Network of Indigenous Design.