Peter Barker

Peter Barker is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an MA in Industrial Design graduate from the Royal College of Art and former Head of Industrial & Communication Design at Design School Kolding. His role at Plymouth College of Art saw him return to England after three years in Denmark at Design School Kolding, which is regularly ranked as one of Europe’s top 50 design schools. During his time there Peter created opportunities for students to work with global brands such as NASA and provided design consultancy for brands including LEGO Group.

With over thirty years of international experience in industrial design practice and design teaching, including working with the LEGO Foundation to create a new MA Design for Play programme, Peter joined Design School Kolding in August 2015, first as Head of Industrial Design, then as Director of Education, and finally as Head of Industrial & Communication Design.

Prior to this Peter was BA (Hons) Product Design Course Leader at Central Saint Martins, UAL, Assistant Professor in Industrial Design at California State University, Long Beach, and Programme Manager for Coventry University Industrial Design courses. Before switching to design education, he spent over a decade working first as a designer at the Moulton Bicycle Company, and then as a design consultant in London and the Midlands across a range of disciplines.

As an educator, Peter has facilitated opportunities for students to work with international brands including Oakley, Jaguar Land Rover, Rodial Cosmetics, Flying Tiger Copenhagen, Razor USA, and Sebastian Conran.

As the Head of School, Design + Communication here at Plymouth College of Art, Peter has worked closely with their Academic Dean to develop their new School of Design + Communication. As Head of School, Peter brings new ideas and expertise to bear on the consolidation, development, and innovation of the programmes that we offer, supporting the college’s commitment to creative pedagogy, interdisciplinary exchange, collaboration, and social impact.