Dr Danah Abdulla

Biography

I am a designer, educator and researcher interested in new narratives and practices in design that push the disciplinary boundaries and definitions of the subject. Currently, I am a Reader (Associate Professor) in Anti/Post/Decolonial Histories, Theories and Praxes at Decolonising the Arts Institute and in the Design School at Camberwell, Chelsea, and Wimbledon Colleges of Art (CCW) at University of the Arts London (UAL).

In 2024, my work was recognised in Zetteler's 24 for '24: makers and mavericks to watch. My research focuses on decoloniality, possibilities of design education, design culture(s) with a focus on the Arab region, design politics, design over time, publishing, and social design. I am keen to supervise PhD students interested in these areas.

I have presented her research internationally at academic and industry conferences across Europe, South America, North America, Asia, and the Arab region. I am the author of two books Designerly Ways of Knowing: A Working Inventory of Things a Designer Should Know (Onomatopee, 2022), which is now in its third reprint with a new cover by Set Margins, and Design Otherwise: Transforming Design Education in the Arab Region (Bloomsbury, 2025).

From 2020-2024, I was Programme Director of Graphic Design at CCW (UAL), where I was responsible for overseeing the BA Graphic Design, BA Graphic Design Communication, Graduate Diploma Graphic Design, MA Graphic Design Communication and MA Global Collaborative Design Practice programmes. I previously held positions at Brunel University London and London College of Communication (UAL).

I obtained my Ph.D. in Design from Goldsmiths, University of London and I am a founding member of the Decolonising Design platform, and founded Kalimat Magazine (2010-2016), an independent, non-profit publication about Arab thought and culture.

Prior to my academic career, I worked in advertising and marketing for Matchstick, DDB, and Isobar.