Liam McComish

Liam McComish serves as a Senior Lecturer in Graphic & Advertising Design within the Belfast School of Art at Ulster University. His academic appointment follows a professional career spanning the 1980s and 1990s with notable organizations including Remus Uomo, British Coal, Consumer Council, Scottish Curriculum Council, and BBC, before transitioning to academia in 2000.

McComish's research centers on typographic communication—examining how meaning is constructed and communicated through graphical and typographical means across physical, digital, and other environments. His work investigates the semantic and semiotic intentions in designed communication and how audiences perceive these, along with exploring the relationship between graphic design and identity within commercial and cultural discourse. His approach integrates field research, archival investigation, and practice-based methods.

His research output reveals consistent engagement with interdisciplinary urban design, particularly focusing on how visual communication functions within urban environments. The thematic pattern across his publications demonstrates a sustained interest in experiential learning through design, the investigation of urban spaces, and the pedagogical applications of graphic design principles in understanding place and identity.

McComish has received recognition as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and maintains active professional engagement as a member and international assessor for the International Society of Typographic Designers.

He has contributed significantly to academic supervision and assessment, having served as external examiner for Bolton University's BA Graphic Design and BA Animation and Illustration programs, assessed MA Design Master's Theses at IADT Dublin, and co-supervised two successful PhD students. His conference participation includes prestigious venues such as the Nordic Design Conference (Copenhagen), Design&Emotion Conference (Gothenburg), and Association Typographique Internationale Conference (Dublin).