Jeremy Myerson (born 6 August 1956) is a British

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, academic and author, recognized for his contributions to inclusive and workplace design. He co-founded the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It of ...

(RCA), where he served as its director for 16 years, and holds the title of

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

at the

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westin ...

. He is known for his advocacy of designing for diverse human needs in relation to

aging Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...

, healthcare, and the

workplace A workplace is a location where someone works, for their employer or themselves, a place of employment. Such a place can range from a home office to a large office building or factory. For industrialized societies, the workplace is one of ...

. He is also the author of over 20 books and has curated exhibitions on design.

Early life and education

Myerson was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

in 1956 and later studied at the

University of Hull , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 millio ...

and the

, where he earned degrees.

Career

Myerson began his professional career as a journalist in the arts, with notable positions including working for ''The Stage'', ''Design'', and ''

Creative Review ''Creative Review'' is a bimonthly print magazine and website. The magazine focuses on commercial creativity, covering design, advertising, photography, branding, digital products, film, and gaming. The magazine is published bimonthly in print and ...

''. From 1986 to 1989, he was the founding editor of ''

DesignWeek ''Design Week'' is a UK-based website, formerly a magazine for the design industry. It was first published in October 1986 by Centaur Communications. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations primary circulation for 2007 was 8,074. In 2011 ...

'', the world's first weekly news magazine for designers. In 1999, Myerson co-founded the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the

, focusing on

inclusive design Inclusive design is a design process in which a product, service, or environment is designed to be usable for as many people as possible, particularly groups who are traditionally excluded from being able to use an interface or navigate an environm ...

. He served as its director until 2015, leading

interdisciplinary research Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

projects that explored the intersection of

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

and societal issues. During his tenure, the Centre introduced various design innovations and participatory processes for marginalized groups. He was instrumental in establishing several initiatives at the RCA, including the InnovationRCA

incubator An incubator is anything that performs or facilitates various forms of incubation, and may refer to: Biology and medicine * Incubator (culture), a device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures or cell cultures * Incubator (egg), a de ...

, the Helix Centre at St Mary's Hospital (a joint venture with

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a ...

), and the Design Age Institute. In addition to his role at the Helen Hamlyn Centre, Myerson has been involved with design and research organizations.He is a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and the academic chair of the Healthy City Design Congress. Myerson also chairs the Learning and Research Committee at the Design Museum. In 2016, he became the inaugural director of WORKTECH Academy, an online knowledge-sharing platform that examines the future of work and workplace design. Myerson is the author of more than twenty books covering a wide range of design, architecture, and technology topics. His notable works include ''Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office'' (2022), ''Designing a World for Everyone: 30 Years of Inclusive Design'' (2021), ''New Old: Design for Our Future Selves'' (2017), and ''Time & Motion: Redefining Working Life'' (2014). He has curated design exhibitions, such as ''Doing a Dyson'' (1996) and ''New Old'' (2017) at the

Design Museum The Design Museum in Kensington, London exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generate ...

and ''Rewind: 40 Years of Design and Advertising'' (2002) at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and ...

. Myerson's work often explores the role of design in shaping the built environment and improving quality of life.As an advocate for

, he has focused on designing with marginalized groups, including the older and

disabled people Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

, and those affected by

cognitive Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought ...

conditions such as

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

.He has led several projects addressing the needs of underrepresented groups, including workplace design for aging workers. His activism extends to

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...

, where he has advocated for

principles in

housing Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and housing authority, assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of Shelter (building), shelter. Housing ensures that members of so ...

and

city planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

, and education.

Selected publications

* * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Myerson's profile
at

Myerson's articles
at WORKTECH Academy
biography
at

London Design Festival London Design Festival is a citywide design event that takes place over nine days every September across London. It was conceived by Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans CBE in 2003 and celebrated its 20th edition in September 2022. In an article by ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myerson, Jeremy 1956 births Living people Academics from Liverpool 21st-century British journalists 20th-century British journalists 21st-century English journalists 20th-century English journalists Journalists from Liverpool Writers from Liverpool Alumni of the University of Hull Alumni of the Royal College of Art Academics of the Royal College of Art Design researchers