https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/faculties-and-schools/arts-humanities/schools/art-and-design/people/academic-staff/con-kennedy.php

Entrepreneurship, Creative Entrepreneurship, Graphic Design, Communication Design, Government Policy, Design Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Process, Business Models, Creative Economy

Fellow and Member of the Institute of Designers in Ireland

3rd Year Tutor B.A. (Hons) in Design - Visual Communication

Chairperson TU Dublin Faculty of Arts & Humanities Student Enrolments and Growth Committee

I am a communication designer, researcher, and educator from the Liberties in Dublin, Ireland, with over two decades of combined experience in the industry and academia. Grounded in a constructivist research philosophy, my work views knowledge as something created through active experience, reflection, and engagement with real-world contexts. This approach informs both my research on entrepreneurship processes within the creative industries and my student-centred teaching practice.

Following graduation with a BA (Hons) in Visual Communication Design from Dublin Institute of Technology in 1995, I worked in senior creative roles across Ireland’s leading design agencies before establishing my own studio in 2008. My industry practice has been internationally recognised, with features in publications such as Creative Review (UK), Graphic Design (USA), Page (Germany), and Logo Lounge. I’ve also contributed to books such as Work for Money, Design for Love, and the Logo Lounge Master Library.

My transition into academia began with an MA in Professional Design Practice, where I explored continuing professional development (CPD) in the design sector. This paved the way for my PhD in Design Entrepreneurship, completed at TU Dublin’s School of Marketing and Entrepreneurship. My doctoral research developed a business model framework tailored to communication design enterprises, contributing to both academic knowledge and professional practice.

I have presented my research at international design conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals, and contributed to national policy initiatives, including the Irish Government’s Policy Framework for Design in Enterprise and Forfás’s Winning by Design report on future design skills.

Today, I lecture in Visual Communication Design and Design Entrepreneurship at TU Dublin’s School of Art and Design. I combine practice-based research, constructivist pedagogy, and industry insight to prepare students for careers in the dynamic creative industries.

Research Philosophy and Interests

My research is underpinned by constructivist epistemology, where knowledge is actively built through engagement with professional, policy, and enterprise contexts. I use practice-based and reflective research methodologies to explore how designers make sense of and navigate entrepreneurship within the creative industries.

Research interests include:

• Creative entrepreneurship and business models for designers
• Design and enterprise policy
• Professional practice and reflective learning in design education
• Knowledge transfer between the design industry and higher education

Current Research Projects

• Development of entrepreneurship process frameworks for design enterprises
• Investigating creative business models in communication design
• Editorial leadership for Iterations: Design Research and Practice Review
• Postgraduate supervision in creative enterprise and design entrepreneurship topics

Academic Qualifications

• PhD in Design Entrepreneurship – TU Dublin (2023)
• MA in Professional Design Practice – DIT (2009)
• BA (Hons) in Visual Communication Design – DIT (1995)

Selected Research Outputs

• Kennedy, C. (2024). A Business Model for Communication Design Enterprises. Design Management Journal
• Kennedy, C. (2023). The Entrepreneurship Process in Design Enterprises. PhD Thesis, TU Dublin
• Consultant: Winning by Design (Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, 2017)
• Contributor: Policy Framework for Design in Enterprise (DJEI, 2016)

Teaching & Supervision

My teaching practice is constructivist in approach, fostering active, reflective, and experiential learning. I encourage students to develop their understanding of professional and enterprise contexts through project work, industry engagement, and research-informed practice.

Teaching areas include:

• BA and MA modules in Design Entrepreneurship, Professional Design Practice, Communication Design, and Research Methods
• Supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research projects in design entrepreneurship and professional practice

Academic Leadership

• Co-founder and Design Editor, Iterations: Design Research and Practice Review
• Member, TU Dublin Academic Council
• Chair, TU Dublin Faculty of Arts and Humanities Student Growth and Engagement Committee
• External Examiner, SETU
• Former External Examiner, MTU
• Adjunct Professor, Beijing University of Technology

Engagement & Public Impact

• Fellow, Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI)
• Longest-serving IDI Council Member (former Awards Chairperson and Honorary Treasurer)
• Sectoral leadership roles in IDI, DesignWeek, and national design policy initiatives
• Led student-public engagement projects, including “Hidden Scientists / Hidden Creatives” (2024–present)
• Ongoing contributor to industry-academic knowledge exchange and public-facing design research

International Recognition

• Design work featured in Creative Review (UK), Graphic Design (USA), Page Magazine (Germany)
• Design work featured in Logo Lounge and other design books
• Speaker and presenter at international design conferences
• Published in leading design research journals

Personal Motivation

Combining creative industry expertise, academic leadership, and a commitment to constructivist learning, I remain dedicated to nurturing the next generation of design professionals, shaping design entrepreneurship education, and contributing to the advancement of design as both a practice and a research discipline.