{"id":11702,"date":"2022-03-02T09:36:17","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T08:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aluo.uni-lj.si\/sodelavke-sodelavci\/predan-barbara\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T17:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T16:31:22","slug":"predan-barbara","status":"publish","type":"sodelavke-sodelavci","link":"https:\/\/www.aluo.uni-lj.si\/en\/sodelavke-sodelavci\/predan-barbara\/","title":{"rendered":"Predan Barbara"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr <\/strong>Barbara Predan <\/strong>is an assistant professor, theoretician, researcher, designer and author. She received a bachelor\u2019s degree in industrial design, and then a master\u2019s degree in the theory and development of design from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana. In 2012, she received her doctoral degree from the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts and the University of Nova Gorica. She currently heads the ALUO Research Institute, leads the Visual Literacy research program (P5-0452), and serves as dean of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana.<\/p>\n

Predan is the co-author of the books Back to Design: An Anthological Survey of the Theory of Design in Slovenia<\/em> (2007) and Sustainable Alternatives in Design: It\u2019s High Time We Start Losing Time<\/em> (2009). She is the (co-)author (or editor) of the books and exhibitions Iskra: Non-Aligned Design 1946\u20131990<\/em> (2009), Niko Kralj: The Unknown Famous Designer<\/em> (2011), Design education: what do you see? What do you think about it? What do you make of it? \u2013 30 years of design at ALUO<\/em> (2015), Design as the Capacity for Change: Slovenia Design Showroom Milano<\/em> (2017), Death in Design<\/em> (2017), Thinking the Conditions of Our Time<\/em> (2019); Papiro-log\u00eda: circular design and the use of paper in interior design<\/em> (2019), The Questions Raised by Design<\/em> (2020); and is the author of the exhibitions Gorenje with Vision<\/em> (2012), Wood25<\/sup><\/em> (2016\u201319); and is the co-author of the exhibitions Past Future Perfect <\/em>(2014\u201315), Marx After Marx: Kunst-Marx<\/em> (2019). Since 2010, with Petra \u010cerne Oven, she has been co-editing Zbirka 42, a series of books on design, under the auspices of the Pekinpah Association. She has also participated as author or editor in the following seven volumes: Service and Information Design: Examples of Good Practice<\/em> (2010), The Utopian Seminar<\/em> (2011), Designing an Agenda, or, How to Avoid Solving Problems That Aren\u2019t <\/em>(2013), The Public Sector: Agent of Progress? <\/em>(2015), R. Buckminster Fuller: The Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth <\/em>(2016), Death in Design<\/em> (2017, 2020), and Edvard Ravnikar:<\/em> Design<\/em> (2017).<\/p>\n

Predan has published professional and scholarly articles in Design Issues<\/em>, Design Principles and Practices<\/em>, The international journal of design in society<\/em>, Filozofski vestnik, Dialogi,<\/em> \u010cKZ<\/em>, 2+3D<\/em>, Oris<\/em>, and Piranesi<\/em>, among others. In 2014, she and Petra \u010cerne Oven contributed the chapter \u201cInformation design as a (r)evolutionary educational tool\u201d to the Routledge\u2019s Information Design: Research and Practice <\/em>edited by Alison Black, Paul Luna, Ole Lund, Sue Walker. She prepared the texts for the scientific monograph Information design: research and practice<\/em> (Routledge, New York 2017) together with Dr. Petra \u010cerne Oven. In 2019\u20132020, together with Tevfik Balc\u0131o\u011flu and at the invitation of the organisers, she co-edited and co-chaired the section entitled \u201cPolitics and Design: Past, Present, Future\u201d at the international conference International Committee for Design History and Design Studies (ICDHS 12) in Zagreb, October 2020. Received an invitation together with Dr. Petra \u010cerne Oven to prepare a chapter on the history of Slovene design for the period 1945\u20132000 for Victor Margolin and Bloomsbury Press. They prepared the chapter for the book World History of Design, Volume III (Bloomsbury Press, 2026).<\/p>\n

As an assistant professor, she teaches Development and Theory of Design and the elective course Service Design at the Department of Industrial and Unique Design of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana.<\/p>\n

Predan is a co-founder and leader of the department of design theory at the Pekinpah Association, and, since 2014, the director of the Institute of Design, an academic research organisation. She teaches a course in the history and theory of design and an elective subject in service design at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana. Under the auspices of various institutions and events in Slovenia, \u010cerne Oven and Predan have hosted over thirty world-renowned experts in the field of design. She regularly lectures at international academic and professional conferences, and, with \u010cerne Oven, leads a number of Slovenian and international workshops in the field of service and information design.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Awards:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2020 \u2013 Design Principles & Practices International Award for Excellence: Award Winner for Volume 13<\/p>\n

2019 – AIAP WOMEN IN DESIGN AWARD 2019, nomination in category: \u201cPhD, Researchers and Teachers\u201d (with Dr. Petra \u010cerne Oven)<\/p>\n

2018 – Recognition of the University of Ljubljana for special achievements and participation in the field of extracurricular activities<\/p>\n

2017 – Award of the Slovenian Designers’ Association: Design excellence of the quarter in the field of \u201cdesign theory and critique and professional journalism\u201d (together with Dr. Petra \u010cerne Oven)<\/p>\n

2017 – Brumen Foundation Award in the category: information design, 6th Biennial of Visual Messages of Slovenia, National Gallery, Ljubljana (several co-authors)<\/p>\n

2013 – Praise of the quarter of the Association of Designers of Slovenia – for a theoretical contribution to design (together with Dr. Petra \u010cerne Oven)<\/p>\n

2013 – Brumen Foundation Award in the category: web and mobile applications, 6th Biennial of Visual Messages of Slovenia, National Gallery, Ljubljana (several co-authors)<\/p>\n

2012 – Award of the Slovenian Designers’ Association: Design excellence of the quarter in the field of \u201cdesign theory and critique and professional journalism\u201d (together with Dr. Petra \u010cerne Oven)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Professional experience:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

University of Ljubljana, Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme in the Arts<\/strong><\/p>\n

2025\u2013present: Member of the University of Ljubljana Senate<\/p>\n

2025\u2013present: Member of the University of Ljubljana Development Fund Committee (RSUL)<\/p>\n

2021\u20132026: Member of the Publishing Council<\/p>\n

2021\u20132025: Member of the Commission for Research and Development at the University of Ljubljana<\/p>\n

2019\u20132024: Chair of the Program Council for the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in ART<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design<\/strong><\/p>\n

2025\u2013until further notice: Dean of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana<\/p>\n

2024\u2013until further notice: Head of the “Visual Literacy” research program<\/p>\n

2023\u20132025: Head of the Sustainability Group at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana<\/p>\n

2022\u2013present: Head of the Research Institute at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana<\/p>\n

2021\u20132025: Vice Dean for Development and Research at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana<\/p>\n

2020\u20132023: Head of the fundamental research project \u201cModels and Practices of International Cultural Exchange in the Non-Aligned Movement: Exploring Spatio-Temporal Cultural Dynamics\u201d<\/p>\n

2019\u20132020: Head of the Department of Industrial and Unique Design<\/p>\n

2018\u20132019: Curator of the Slovenian Pavilion at the XXII Triennale di Milano \u2013 the international exhibition \u201cBroken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hyphen\u2019s Editorial Board<\/strong><\/p>\n

2019\u2013present: Editorial Board Member<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brumen Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n

2018\u2013present: Board Member<\/p>\n

2005-2010: Project Manager<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CODEC: international design network<\/strong><\/p>\n

2016 \u2013 present: Co-founder and board member<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Design for Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n

2015\u20132016: Slovenian Ambassador<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scientific journal The Design Journal,<\/em> Bloomsbury Publishing, London (UK)<\/strong><\/p>\n

2015 \u2013 present: Editorial Manager<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Institute of Design, Ljubljana (an academic research organisation)<\/strong><\/p>\n

2014\u2013present: Co-founder and Director<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cankarjev dom, Culture and Congress Centre<\/strong><\/p>\n

2013-2019: Board Member<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Zbirka 42 (Collection 42 \u2013 a series of books on design)<\/strong><\/p>\n

2010\u2013present: Co-editor<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pekinpah Association (cultural, publishing and production association)<\/strong><\/p>\n

2013\u2013present: Head of Design Theory Section<\/p>\n

2007\u20132013: Head of Pekinpah Association<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean<\/strong><\/p>\n

2007-2018: Expert Committee Member<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Biennial of Industrial Design \u2013 BIO<\/strong><\/p>\n

2006-2010: Expert Committee Member<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Freelancer<\/strong><\/p>\n

2000\u20132017: Theoretician, Critic, Curator, Designer, Educator<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7919,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false},"naziv_zaposlenih":[103,102,112],"class_list":["post-11702","sodelavke-sodelavci","type-sodelavke-sodelavci","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","naziv_zaposlenih-associated-professors","naziv_zaposlenih-dean","naziv_zaposlenih-teaching-and-academic-staff"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aluo.uni-lj.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sodelavke-sodelavci\/11702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aluo.uni-lj.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sodelavke-sodelavci"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aluo.uni-lj.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sodelavke-sodelavci"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aluo.uni-lj.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aluo.uni-lj.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"naziv_zaposlenih","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aluo.uni-lj.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naziv_zaposlenih?post=11702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}