News
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Design Principles and Practices; Design Tolerances 2027
26th January 2026
The Twenty-First Common Ground Research Networks International Conference on Design Principles & Practices will be hosted by TU Dublin School of Art and Design, 10-12 March 2027.
The theme of the conference is Design Tolerances, reflecting Ireland’s enduring commitment to dialogue and diversity. Design Tolerances will examine this delicate balance seen across the entire design landscape, from an idea to materiality, from systems to trust, from information to collective space through social and cultural contexts, and from the crafted to the technical or conceptual design interventions. Design Tolerances 2027 reflects Ireland’s enduring commitment to dialogue and diversity. Here, tolerance is not only a social value but a creative principle; visible in how communities balance heritage with innovation, information and language, and craft with technology.
Dr Kennedy is part of the organising committee along with Dr Aija Freimane (Chair), Ceri Almrot, Brenda Dermody, Brenda Duggan, and Benjamin Readman.
You can find out more about the conference here, and the call for papers here.
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TU Dublin Learning, Teaching and Assessment Showcase 2026
23rd January 2026
Dr Con Kennedy will participate in a teaching practitioner panel discussion at the TU Dublin LTA Showcase 2026. The theme for this year’s showcase is “Teaching that Connects”. Dr Kennedy will be discussing the continued importance of retaining relational teaching through studio-based learning and the connection between student learning and emergent technologies.
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Design Management Institute ADMC Reviewer
18th January 2026
Dr Con Kennedy has been appointed as a reviewer for the 2026 DMI Academic Design Management Conference (ADMC), to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from August 11-12, 2026.
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Centre for Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Inclusion and Innovation
19th November 2025
Dr Con Kennedy has joined the Centre for Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Inclusion and Innovation (CEBII), a new research centre at TU Dublin, founded by Professor Thomas Cooney. CEBII's purpose is to enhance the entrepreneurial and innovative capabilities of individuals, organisations and countries through excellence in research, dissemination and advocacy.
The CEBII will advance academic research across the fields of entrepreneurial behaviour, inclusion in entrepreneurship, innovation in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship policy and ecosystem development, education and training, global and comparative studies and impact measurement and evaluation.
CEBII have developed the following terms of reference:
Entrepreneurship Education and Training
Research Excellence and Visibility
Global Partnerships and Recognition
PhD Development
Funding and Sustainability
Entrepreneurship Events and Conferences
The CEBII prioritises the dissemination of research to wide-ranging audiences and the advocacy of regulatory and legislative changes to support entrepreneurship. The goals of the CEBII are supported by a globally networked, cross-disciplinary body of researchers from TU Dublin.
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Dr Con Kennedy Appointed Reviewer for Elevate at IADT
10th November 2025
Dr Con Kennedy will review IADT Elevate Post-Doctoral research grant applications delivered through the TU RISE Programme.
Elevate is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27.
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TU Dublin School of Art and Design Celebrates Outstanding Success at the 2025 IDI Graduate Awards
17th October 2025
TU Dublin School of Art and Design students have once again demonstrated exceptional creativity and innovation at this year’s IDI Graduate Awards, held at MTU. They earned recognition across multiple disciplines and took home several major prizes, including the prestigious Grand Prix Award.
Visual Communications Design graduate Ruby Aron won the overall Grand Prix Award, in addition to receiving top honours for her typography project Tree Text and a Highly Commended for Cneasú don Gaeilge.
In the digital and experimental categories, Nicole Preece secured two category wins for her project Automated Affection, while Dan Kinlay’s Lissajous: An Audiovisual Experience received Highly Commended in Experimental Design and Commended in Design for Moving Image.
Recognition also went to Tom Whitfield, who won Product Design for his project Synapse Socket 1, and to students Genevieve Carolan and Sarah Marica, who both achieved Highly Commended in Design Research – Written.
Further commendations were awarded to Lenny Sanches, Aoife Roche, Nicole Preece, Oisín McPhillips, Katie Condren, Praise Akintokun, and Niamh Fanning, reflecting the depth and diversity of talent across the TU Dublin School of Art and Design’s creative programmes.
This year’s results underline TU Dublin’s continued strength in design education and celebrate the university’s commitment to fostering critical, socially engaged design practices.
TU Dublin School of Art and Design 2025 IDI Graduate Award Winners and Commended Students:
GRAND PRIX – Winner
Ruby Aron – Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin School of Art and Design)
BOOK DESIGN – Highly Commended
Cneasú don Gaeilge – Ruby Aron
TYPOGRAPHIC DESIGN – Winner
Tree Text – Ruby Aron
TYPOGRAPHIC DESIGN – Highly Commended
Cneasú don Gaeilge – Ruby Aron
TYPOGRAPHIC DESIGN – Commended
The Cacophony Prevents Us From Singing – Niamh Fanning
DESIGN FOR DIGITAL – Winner
Automated Affection – Nicole Preece
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN – Winner
Automated Affection – Nicole Preece
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN – Highly Commended
Lissajous: An Audiovisual Experience – Dan Kinlay
DESIGN FOR MOVING IMAGE – Commended
Lissajous: An Audiovisual Experience – Dan Kinlay
Spiral succession. Selective silence. – Lenny Sanches
Into the Foxgrove – Aoife Roche
PRODUCT DESIGN – Winner
Synapse Socket 1 – Tom Whitfield
GAMES DESIGN – Commended
Chrono Connect – Oisín McPhillips
ILLUSTRATION – Commended
Nocturnal Singers – Nicole Preece
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN – Commended
The Cloisters Kinsale – Luxury Events and Conference Venue – Katie Condren
The L’Oréal Hub: Corporate Headquarters and Experiential Flagship – Praise Akintokun
DESIGN RESEARCH – Written – Highly Commended
Marketing The Imperial Premier League: English Football Jerseys and the Conquering of the Global Everyday – Genevieve Carolan
The ESB Head Office Building Redevelopment: Biophilic Design and Urbanisation in Dublin – Sarah Marica
TYPOGRAPHIC DESIGN – Commended
The Cacophony Prevents Us From Singing – Niamh Fanning
A huge CONGRATULATIONS to the winners and highly commended, commended and shortlisted entries of the IDI Graduate Awards 2025!
Winning TU Dublin School of Art and Design Graduates: Nicole Preece and Ruby Aron.
TU Dublin School of Art and Design Graduate Exhibition 2025
15th May 2025
Opens daily: 30th May – 5th June, 10:00am – 5:00pm (closed Sunday, but will re-open bank holiday Monday)
Location: The East Quad building, TU Dublin, Grangegorman, D07 XFF2.
This is the fourth year that we have hosted our exhibition at the East Quad, the creative and cultural hub in the heart of TU Dublin’s Grangegorman Campus. The East Quad is home to our state-of-the-art new studios, workshops, practice, and performance spaces.
The exhibition is the highlight of the academic year for students and staff. It features an exciting, innovative range of work from over 200 degree students from our programmes in Fine Art, Product Design (in partnership with the School of Mechanical Engineering), Interior and Furniture Design, Visual Merchandising, Visual Communication Design, Creative Industries and Visual Culture, Film and Broadcasting, Game Design, Photography, and Journalism.
This year, we are also joined by the TU Dublin Conservatoire, which will host performances from Music graduates and screenings of Drama and Opera.
The work presented in this exhibition, print publication and on our GradX website represents the culmination of many years of full-time study. It allows our students to showcase the results of their imaginations, hard work and significant creative skills.
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Hidden Scientists/Hidden Creatives Exhibition 2025
6th May 2025
“Hidden Scientists/Hidden Creatives” is an annual poster exhibition highlighting the vital work of underrepresented women in STEM and Graphic Design.
For this exhibition, the second-year TU973 B.A. (hons) Visual Communication Design students have honoured the work of underrepresented and marginalised women in science and the creative fields. By designing original posters by interpreting the style and aesthetics of female designers, the students created a series of posters highlighting the critical work of key female figures in science. The students completed this assignment in their Design and Career Management module.
This year, all the students who participated in this module are Erasmus students from TU Dublin’s international partners. This international cohort joined us from IADE - Universidade Europeia - Faculdade de Design, Tecnologia e Comunicação da Universidade Europeia, Lisbon, Portugal and Escuela de Arte San Telmo, Malaga, Spain.
This project is a collaboration between the TU Dublin School of Art and Design, the School of Biological, Health and Sports Sciences, the Sustainability and Research Hub, and the Research, Ethics, and Integrity Office. It is supported by the Office of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion and the Faculty of Sciences and Health.
This exhibition ran from 6-9 May 2025, East Quad Atrium, TU Dublin, City Campus, Grangegorman.
Click here for the 2025 exhibition.
Posters are permanently displayed in the TU Dublin Greenway Hub.
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Dr Con Kennedy Appointed to the Advisory Board of the Liberties Festival
2nd April 2025
The Liberties Festival is one of Ireland’s oldest festivals. It is an innovative community festival that works with local community members and professional artists to place culture, creativity, and diversity at the heart of The Liberties. Founded in the 1970s, the Liberties Festival has become a highlight of Dublin summers, offering a series of family-friendly, sporting, and community events, as well as an exciting multicultural and arts programme.
Dr Kennedy is intimately connected with the community in Dublin 8, having grown up in Oliver Bond House and attended both primary and secondary schools in the area. Dr Kennedy also has intergenerational connections to the Liberties and family members living in the community. Dr Kennedy’s late father was extensively involved in community work in the area, and he now continues his father’s legacy.
Dr Kennedy will be joined on the festival's first advisory board by Laura Gibbons (StayCity), Michael Quinn (Fáilte Ireland), and Sarah Byrne (MA Student - NCAD).
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Dr Con Kennedy featured in TU Dublin Staff Spotlight
25th March 2025
In this staff profile, Dr Con Kennedy discusses the importance of education and how TU Dublin has always been his first choice for pursuing his career in the graphic design industry.
Click here to read the full article.
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