The UAL Design Histories Research Network is a new community of practice at UAL, bringing together researchers, staff, and students interested in exploring design history in all its forms. Launched with the symposium The Design of History and the History of Design, the network makes visible the diverse work happening across UAL while fostering exchange, collaboration, and support.
Open to all across the university, the network aims to connect those researching, teaching, or practicing at the intersections of design and history.
If you’d like to be more closely involved in organising or shaping upcoming activities, please get in touch with the convenors:
Rujana Rebernjak
r.rebernjak@lcc.arts.ac.uk
Tai Cossich
t.cossich@lcc.arts.ac.uk
Please also sign up for the UAL Design Histories Newsletter .
New:
WiP Lunchtime Seminar Series
The lunchtime seminar series is a space to share work in progress projects in an informal and collegiate setting.
The seminars are run online from 2–3pm every third Wednesday of the month. Structured as an informal presentation of 20-30mins, followed by discussion, these seminars are an opportunity to get feedback from colleagues on projects that engage with design history.
Check out the programme below for confirmed speakers (link to join the session will be published here near each one of the dates). And if you would like to share your own work-in-progress at one of the upcoming sessions (available dates below), please get in touch.
Programme
2025
26 November 2–3pm
◆ Rujana Rebernjak ◆ will share work about her monograph titled Designing Modern Yugoslavia: Everyday Life and the Material Culture of Self-Management, 1945–1990.
▶▶ Sign up for the event online (via Teams) ◀◀
17 December 2–3pm
◆ J.P. Hartnett ◆ will share an update from the research project What’s a (Typographic) World?, originally presented at the symposium.
▶▶ Sign up for the event online (via Teams) ◀◀
2026
21 January — date available
18 February 2–3pm
◆ Christin Yu ◆ will share her talk Designing Metaphors: Patchwork as Method, originally planned for the symposium.
▶▶ Sign up for the event online (via Teams) ◀◀
18 March — date available
15 April — date available
20 May — date available
17 June — date available
Past events
Visit the symposium webpage for more information and to view selected presentation slides.