PAUL CLAY
Senior Lecturer – BA (Hons) Graphic Design, BA (Hons) Design & Digital Marketing
Qualifications:
MA
PGCE
BA (Hons)
FHEA
Paul Clay joined The Northern School of Art in 2009, bringing with him over a decade of industry experience as a Senior Graphic Designer. Prior to entering academia, Paul worked with a diverse range of design agencies and high-profile clients across the North East, developing a broad and practical understanding of the design industry.
Currently a Senior Lecturer, Paul teaches across all three undergraduate year groups on both the Graphic Design and Design & Digital Marketing programmes. His teaching journey supports students from their very first introduction to university life during Freshers Week, through to final year preparation for industry, graduation, and beyond. He is deeply committed to student development, offering guidance at every stage of their academic and creative progression.
Paul’s academic practice centres on design research and socially engaged design. His work often explores community history and the role of design in addressing social challenges. Actively collaborating with local charities and grassroots organisations, Paul creates design outcomes that raise awareness, support fundraising, and advocate for social justice.
At the heart of Paul’s teaching philosophy is the belief that design should be a force for positive change. He actively promotes and embeds this ethos within his modules, encouraging students to see design not only as a professional skill but as a tool for social impact and cultural transformation.
Research Interests & Projects / Professional Activity / Publications/ Awards / Exhibitions / Media Coverage:
Paul’s academic research explores design as a powerful tool for social change, with a focus on community engagement, social justice, and design activism. His work explores how visual communication can challenge inequality, amplify the voices of marginalised individuals, and foster positive social impact. Paul collaborates with local charities and community groups to develop design outcomes that raise awareness and inspire action. He is particularly interested in how storytelling, heritage, and place-based design can connect communities and drive civic engagement. Through both practice-based research and teaching, Paul champions design as a meaningful and ethical practice rooted in empathy, responsibility, and real-world relevance.
Practice, 2020 – Typographic installation of over 1000 modular letterforms.
Hallelujah, 2020 – Not-for-profit risograph print for Centrepoint.
Type Buildr, Ongoing – A series of analogue and digital modular-type based workshops.
Noel, 2021, 2022 – Not-for-profit t-shirt projects for Centrepoint.
SAR Conference, 2022 – Design for change
SAR Conference, 2023 – Bringing new tech into our programmes
Keep Warm, 2024 – Not-for-profit experimental type project, exploring the combination of digital 3D type and knitting processes.
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