Lois Blackwell

Lecturer
Interior Design

After taking an online quiz during her GCSE’s to determine what career she should work towards, the computer told Lois to become a Lawyer. In 2018, Lois graduated from Manchester School of Art with a Degree in Interior Design.

Lois has worked in industry for practices of varying size, including one of the UK’s leading Architectural practices, mainly collaborating with Architects on large scale educational, healthcare and heritage projects. She returned to MSoA as a teaching assistant, obtaining Fellowship of Higher Education status and completing her PGCert whilst also working as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Chester and the University of York.

In 2022, Lois completed a Masters in Design Innovation, linking briefs with her interests in the built environment, digital advancements and speculative futures. Her project ‘Reimagining the Redevelopment’ which looked at innovating the public consultation process in city planning, was Highly Commended by the RSA and won Gold at the Creative Conscience Awards.

Lois’ thesis project ‘Transposing Timelines’ was presented at the Cumulus: Connectivity and Creativity in times of Conflict Conference in, Antwerp. Transposing Timelines speculatively projects the influence of the Metaverse on City Centre's and their contemporary urban challenges.

A Futurist with a strong sense of justice, inclusivity and representation, this is translated into Lois’ practice, teaching and research. Throughout her time at MSoA, Lois has taught across all years, contextualising digital literacy, improving graduate outcomes and building on her industry connections to strengthen students transition between University and life after graduation. This is imbedded through her work as a placement coordinator for the course. Her research explores technologies influence on design and practice, most recently investigating the potential of AI and its role in visual communication, its social impact on representation and in turn how students processes and methodologies will adapt around this in the future.

Lois is now an award winning designer and a Lecturer in Interior Design. She is keen to remind us that the computer, is in fact not always right, and that not all career quizzes are accurate.