Kate Christman

Senior Lecturer

Kate is a Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design within the School of Communication at Falmouth University, having previously taught in the School of Architecture, Design and Interiors in Product design. She has also taught as a Visiting Lecturer and Associate Lecturer on various Foundation, BA and MA courses at institutions across the UK including the University of the Arts, London, University of the West of England and Bath Spa University. Kate Christman is a designer and educator with over 20 years of creative industry experience. She has worked as an art director for a number of multinational organisations including BMW, Mini, Diageo and Dyson. Her multidisciplinary approach across print, branding and product design has been recognised through design awards such as Blueprint, FX Design awards, Grand Design’s Green Hero award and the Soil Association’s Innovation award, and featured in various publications including Blueprint, Design week and 1000 New Eco Designs, as well as exhibitions at The Design Museum, The Conran store and The London Design Festival.

Kate is co-founder and creative director at Green&Blue, a product design company that creates habitat for species displaced by the construction processes within urban and suburban communities. Green&Blue design and manufacture Beebrick® an award winning integrated nest site for solitary bees. Made in Cornwall, UK from 75% waste material from the Cornish China clay industry the Beebrick® is easy to install and is specifically designed to be an integral part of a build. Green&Blue are a B-Corporation® and work with a range of partners and collaborators across disciplines, between industries and universities alongside bioscientists, architects, planners, ecologists, developers, surveyors, designers and manufacturers. Beebrick’s® are sold nationally and internationally and can be found in developments across the UK with construction companies such as Legacy, The Duchy of Cornwall, Wainhomes and Kier integrating them in new builds.

External websites

Green&Blue

Email	kate.christman@falmouth.ac.uk
Telephone	01326 213725

a dark grey wall with a yellow bricks with holes

Cardboard with green and blue written on it

Red and pink brick with holes in the face

Research Interests

Research interests and expertise

Kate's research interests are multidisciplinary and include graphic design, communication design, sustainable product design, design process, circular entrepreneurship and circular economies, collaborating actively with researchers in the areas of biodiversity, circular entrepreneurship and designing for a circular economy. Her research is focused on design within the circular economy, sustainable design practices, product design, design education and design within the built environment; adapting and rethinking how existing building components are used and how they can better cater for a variety of species. Her research investigates how design can be used to create environmental change on a large scale. She has influenced policy, worked with government and cultural organisations both locally and nationally and spoken widely at conferences and events. collaborators include The Wildlife trust, The Soil Association, The Eden Project, Cornwall Council, Duchy and the University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute.
Current projects explore how design can be used to promote biodiversity within the built environment,
specifically through the design of new construction materials intended to be inhabited by species under-threat.

Sustainable design strategies: cradle-to-cradle, dematerialisation, service design.
Design process
Life Cycle Assessment
Eco materials.
Product design.
Exhibition design.
Manufacturing production detailing.
Typography
Branding

Research topics

biomimicry
Circular economy
Circular Entrepreneurhsip
design process
Digital Design and Production
Sustainable Design

Research Outputs

Publications and research outputs

Device or Product

Christman, Kate and Christman, Gavin (2014) Bee Brick. [Device or Product] Item availability may be restricted.

+7 more...

Teaching

Areas of teaching

Product Design; Graphic Design; Communication design

Courses taught

Graphic Design BA(Hons)
Communication Design MA

Policy engagement within Cornwall

Engagement with organisations which contribute to the development of educational, cultural or socio-economic policies in Cornwal

Kate has influenced policy, worked with government and cultural organisations both locally and nationally and spoken widely at conferences and events. collaborators include The Wildlife Trust, The Soil Association, The Eden Project, Cornwall Council, Duchy and the University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute.

Related courses

Course

Graphic Design BA(Hons)

With an emphasis on design thinking and crafting big ideas beautifully, this course is your springboard to a career in the creative industries. You’...

Course

Communication Design MA

Carve your path in a rapidly changing media world, where creating and communicating meaningful and effective ideas is paramount. You’ll benefit from...