Prof. Roger Coleman & Dr Paul Ewing

Royal College of Art / Imperial College, London

Roger Coleman is renowned for his work in raising the consciousness of designers and manufacturers concerning the issues and opportunities of designing products for an ageing population.
 
Through both the Design Age programme at the Royal College of Art (RCA) and as Co-Director of the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre at the Royal College of Art, he raised issues which are, in the words of one of his supporters, “the most socially worthwhile enterprise of the whole design profession”.
 
Coleman continually promoted the idea that designs which recognise the needs of those regarded as ‘disabled’ can better meet the needs of the ‘able bodied’ and that we all share the same needs as our physical capacities change.
 
He also played a leading role in conferences and other events such as the European Year of Older People (1993), which in turn led to the creation of the European Design for Ageing Network, and has researched, lectured, and published widely on the subject.
 
Through his work at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (ICSTM), London, Paul Ewing introduced design teaching to the curriculum of engineering students.
 
Pioneering the integration of Engineering and Industrial Design not only at ICSTM but also in colleges and universities throughout the United Kingdom and internationally, Ewing introduced Art and Design project teaching into the undergraduate curriculum as well as building a teaching collection of products by well-known designers.
 
His experience and research led him to teach and examine at other institutions where his passion and knowledge was influential in changing the education of large numbers of engineering students.  He was also instrumental in bringing engineering into the education of design students, “creating a new model for teaching and a new type of professional”.

Sir Misha Black Award

2001