Biography
Dr Meghan Kelly is a visual communication designer whose experience includes working in the advertising and design industry and running her own design studio. Meghan has worked on large, high profile campaigns for a range of corporate companies, amongst other organizations, during her time as a practicing designer.
In addition to her professional work, Meghan is currently serving as the Associate Head of School (Teaching and Learning) and senior lecturer in the Design undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the School of Communication and Creative Arts. She has completed her PhD examining Cross-Cultural Visual Communication Design (2013). Her interests are in exploring issues surrounding identity creation and representation in a cross-cultural context. Research areas including place branding, community building, engagement and the global impact of design. Meghan's research currently takes its focus on issues of identity and representation and the process to achieve a respectful, culturally owned, agreed outcome in professional design practice. Her passion for a global understanding of design extends into her teaching practice and continues to be explored in research projects and design opportunities.
Meghan has worked with Dr Russell Kennedy to co-author the Australian Indigenous Design Charter, winner of the Good Design Award (Indigenous Design) 2018 and the International Indigenous Design Charter (winner of the Premier Design Award (Design Strategy) and Premier Design Award of the Year 2018. This research continues to be realised through industry analysis of designers working with the Charter to create ethical, collaborative design outcomes when working with Indigenous knowledges.
In addition, Meghan co-authored with Dr Jonathan Sweet the book Museum Development and Cultural Representation: Developing the Kelabit Highlands Community Museum (2019). This research interrogates the five-year process of creating a community museum in the Highlands of Borneo and the challenges of developing a visual representation from intangible and verbal cultural heritage. The research examines the self-determination of the Kelabit community to identify and navigate their outgoing representation their way and to suit the community's needs.
Research interests
Cross-cultural visual communication design, Indigenous knowledge in commercial design practices, collaborations, place branding, design, identity creation and representation.
Affiliations
Member Design Institute of Australia (DIA)
Member International Council of Design (ico-D)
Teaching interests
Meghan has taught many units from first year to Masters level. Her particular focus is on global design strategies, place branding, identity creation and representation.
Conferences
Chatfield, E., Kennedy, R., & Kelly, M. (2018). Past – International Indigenous Design Charter. In Go back to where you came from : The Indigenous Design Symposium. Melbourne, Vic.: Melbourne University. Retrieved from https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/indigenous-design-symposium/program/day-2
Kennedy, R., Kelly, M., Greenaway, J., & Chatfield, E. (2017). International Indigenous Design Charter: Communication Design. In Proceedings of the 2017 World Design Summit Congress (pp. 1). Montreal, Quebec: World Design Summit Organisation.
Kennedy, R., & Kelly, M. (2017). Was.Is.Always: South to North. On Route to an International Indigenous Design Charter: Greenland Workshop. In Was.Is.Always: South to North. On Route to an International Indigenous Design Charter: Greenland Workshop (pp. 1-17). Nuuk, Greenaland: INDIGO, International Indigenous Design Network (ico-D).
Kelly, M., & Kennedy, R. (2017). The Australian Indigenous Design Charter: A ten-step best practice protocol document essential for design educators and practitioners. In ACUADS 2017 : Proceedings of Australia Council of University Art and Design Schools 2017 Conference (pp. 1-10). Canberra, A.C.T.: ACUADS. Retrieved from https://acuads.com.au/conference/article/the-australian-indigenous-design-charter-a-ten-step-best-practice-protocol-document-essential-for-design-educators-and-practitioners/
Kennedy, R., & Kelly, M. (2017). Building a case for an International Design Centre in Geelong. In P. Collins, & I. Gibson (Eds.), DesTech 2016 : Proceedings of the 2016 The International Conference on Design and Technology (pp. 66-72). [Geelong, Vic.]: DesTech. doi:10.18502/keg.v2i2.597
Kelly, M. (2014). The unique inter-disciplinary requirements of a museum development : a case study of the Kelabit Highland community museum development project.. In A. Stephen (Ed.), AAANZ 2013 : Proceedings of the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference 2013 (pp. 1-12). [Melbourne, Vic.]: AAANZ.
Sweet, J., & Kelly, M. (2014). Dynamics of cultural heritage development in Sarawak. In IIAS 2014 : Proceedings of the Conference on State Policy and the Cultural Politics of Heritage-Making in East and Southeast Asia (pp. 1-16). [Singapore]: [Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)]. Retrieved from http://www.iias.nl/event/state-policy-and-cultural-politics-heritage-making-east-and-southeast-asia
Kelly, M. (2010). Place branding and cross-cultural visual communication : how do the theories and practices of place branding inform our understanding of cross-cultural visual communication design?. In K. Friedman (Ed.), Proceedings of Cumulus 38º South Conference (can not locate details) (pp. 1-18). Aalto, Finland: Cumulus.
Projects
Dr Meghan Kelly and Dr Russell Kennedy co-authored both the Australian Indigenous Design Charter (2016) and the International Indigenous Design Charter (2017). This research will continue to examine a range of case studies where designers, stakeholders in design, buyers of design and Indigenous communities follow the ten steps in commercial design projects to create ethical, collaborative and self-determined design outcomes.
The Kelabit Highlands Community Museum development project, a museum development situated in the remote Highlands of Borneo, Sarawak was a collaborative project including academics and students from museology and cultural heritage management, architecture, film and digital media and visual communication design. The project, five years in duration, culminated in the construction of the built environment (2016), an inaugural exhibition (2016) and a book publication co-authored by Dr Meghan Kelly and Dr Jonathan Sweet (2019).
This research serves as a strong model for other cultural identity creation projects internationally and has led to the development of a new project examining how post industrial cities can turn
Publications
A career ecosystem approach to developing student agency through ePortfolio storymaking
Karen Le Rossignol, Karen Le Rossignol, Meghan Kelly, Meghan Kelly
(2023), pp. 158-175, Establishing and Maintaining Sustainable Career Ecosystems for University Students and Graduates, B1
Understanding the Social Value of Geelong's Design and Manufacturing Heritage for Extended Reality
Kaja Antlej, Steven Cooke, Meghan Kelly, Russell Kennedy, Lauren Pikó, Ben Horan
(2023), Vol. 6, pp. 3043-3062, Heritage, Basel, Switzerland, C1
M Rigo, M Mohebbi, R Keast, P Harrison, M Kelly, A Olsen, W Bredie, C Russell
(2023), Vol. 111, Food Quality and Preference, C1
M Kelly
(2022), Vol. 19, pp. 253-263, New Writing, C1
Meghan Kelly
(2022), Vol. 35, pp. 168-183, Journal of Design History, Oxford, Eng., C1
When Digital Doesn't Work: Experiences of Co-Designing an Indigenous Community Museum
Meghan Kelly, Simone Taffe
(2022), Vol. 6, pp. 1-11, Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, Basel, Switzerland, C1
Professional transitions: The eportfolio as a curated digital narrative
Meghan Kelly, Karen Le Rossignol
(2022), Vol. 36, pp. 784-794, Industry and Higher Education, London, Eng., C1
Transfamily: Australian stories from loved ones of trans and gender diverse people. Volume 2.
Meghan Kelly
(2022), JO3
Transformative eLearning and Portfolio Careers in Higher Education
Karen Le Rossignol, Meghan Kelly
(2021), pp. 263-278, eLearning engagement in a transformative social learning environment, Hershey, Pa., B1
S Taffe, M Kelly
(2020), Vol. 23, pp. 715-734, Design Journal, C1
Jayne Pitard, Meghan Kelly
(2020), Vol. 21, pp. 1-19, Forum: qualitative social research, Bonn, Germany, C1
Jondi Keane, Rea Dennis, Meghan Kelly
(2020), Vol. 17, pp. 13-31, idea journal, Perth, W.A., C1
Whiteness in design practice: the need to prioritize process over artefact.
Meghan Kelly
(2020), pp. 288-298, DRS2020 Synergy : Proceedings of the 2020 Design Research Society Conference, Brisbane, Queensland, E1
TransFamily: Australian stories from loved ones of trans and gender diverse people
Sally Goldner, Linda Langley, Hugh Chachia, Louise Klein, Danielle Chaselin, Ruby Dawson, Nanna Malcolm, Lyn Worcester, Robert Howse, Megan Malcolm, Tracey Howse, Sarah Clarke, Andrea Videion
(2019), Victoria, A6
Museum development and cultural representation: developing the Kelabit Highlands Community Museum
J Sweet, M Kelly
(2018), Abingdon, Eng., A1
Russell Kennedy, Meghan Kelly, Brian Martin, Jefa Greenaway
(2018), Geelong, Vic., JO3
Analysing the complex relationship between logo and brand
M Kelly
(2017), Vol. 13, pp. 18-33, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, C1
Recognizing appropriate representation of Indigenous knowledge in professional design practice
M Kelly, R Kennedy
(2016), Vol. 50, pp. 153-173, Visible language, Cincinnati, Ohio, C1
M Kelly
(2016), Vol. 1, pp. 6-17, Journal of public pedagogies, Melbourne, Vic., C1
Visual communication design as a form of public pedagogy
M Kelly
(2015), Vol. 55, pp. 390-407, Australian journal of adult learning, Melbourne, Vic., C1
R Kennedy, M Kelly
(2015), pp. 1-22, https://www.design.org.au/services/practice-notes, [Melbourne, Vic.], A6
M Kelly
(2014), pp. 1-12, AAANZ 2013 : Proceedings of the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference 2013, Melbourne, Vic., E1
Dynamics of cultural heritage development in Sarawak
J Sweet, M Kelly
(2014), pp. 1-16, IIAS 2014 : Proceedings of the Conference on State Policy and the Cultural Politics of Heritage-Making in East and Southeast Asia, Singapore, E1
M Kelly
(2010), pp. 1-18, Proceedings of Cumulus 38º South Conference (can not locate details), Melbourne, Vic., E1-1
Transgender Transitioning Flip Book
Meghan Kelly
(), JO2
Funded Projects at Deakin
Australian Competitive Grants
Protocols for Indigenous-led creative practice
Dr Brian Martin, A/Prof Meghan Kelly, Dr Russell Kennedy, Mr Jefa Greenaway
ARC Discovery Indigenous
- 2023: $35,401
- 2022: $32,479
Other Public Sector Funding
Kelabit Highlands Community Museum (KHCM) Implementation
A/Prof Meghan Kelly
DFAT - Australia Malaysia Institute
- 2014: $15,000
ACDGP051 - Developing the International Indigenous Design Charter: International Forum
A/Prof Meghan Kelly, Dr Russell Kennedy, Prof Brian Martin
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade DFAT
- 2016: $30,000
Industry and Other Funding
Kardinia Park Stadium Trust - Visual Identity Research Project
Dr Russell Kennedy, A/Prof Meghan Kelly
Kardinia Park Stadium Trust
- 2016: $25,000
Other Funding Sources
INDIGO WEBSITE
A/Prof Meghan Kelly, Dr Russell Kennedy
The Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS)
- 2017: $3,000
Supervisions
Jessica Byrne
Thesis entitled: Yarning in Motion: Relationally responsive processes in filmmaking practice
Doctor of Philosophy, NIKERI Institute
Karen Le Rossignol
Thesis entitled: Leaps of Experience: Building Digital Storyworlds for Contemporary Tertiary Learners
Doctor of Philosophy (Education), School of Education