Dr John Curran
Info
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Area
The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design
Role
Visiting Scholar
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John is a business and design anthropologist with expertise in innovation, human centred design, cultural trends analysis, facilitation, and training. He is the CEO of JC Innovation & Strategy consultancy (JCIS) in London and his professional expertise lies in generating innovative insights, trends and strategies that are generated from using a human centred approach to research and analysis.
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Biography
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As one of the first business anthropologists in the UK to use anthropological thinking in business, design and brand strategy, John brings experience shaping the use of cultural analysis to inform business trends and design and branding strategies for some of the worlds biggest brands, charities and political think tanks. He also consults for advertising, branding and design agencies on human centred insights and trends.
Show moreJohn has specific design anthropology expertise in understanding ageing, medical environments, medical device design, place making and inclusive design and has sat on expert panels at the Design Council UK and Demos Think Tank. He was an award-winning anthropologist while studying social anthropology at the London School of Economics and and gained his PhD at Goldsmiths University.
John has completed the introduction training in Group Analysis at the Institute of Group Analysis and he previously worked as an organisational consultant specialising in facilitating cultural change within organisations.
John regularly gives keynote talks on branding, consumer trends, innovation, marketing and design for global brands and architect and design firms and also has given lectures at the Royal College of Art on design and anthropology, Cass Business School on the MBA marketing course and Central St Martin's on innovation. His thoughts regularly feature in the Financial Times and Dezeen Magazine and also on his blog. Â
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Publications, exhibitions and other outcomes
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Selected Publications
Show moreCurran, J. (2013). ‘Big Data or ‘Big Ethnographic Data’? Positioning Big Data within the ethnographic space’. Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings Volume 2013, Issue 1, pages 62–73, September 2013
Curran, J. (2010). ‘Emotional Interpretation and the ‘Acting’ ethnographer: An Ethical Dilemma?’ Anthropological fieldwork: A Relational Process. Spencer & Davis (eds) 2010
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