It is with great sadness that I must record the death of my very good friend and colleague Ken Baynes, who died on Saturday 5th October 2019; he was 85. Ken was Professor of Design Education, Exhibition Designer, Writer and also the mastermind of our three Design Matters TV series for Channel 4 in the 1980s. Ken was always incredibly enthusiastic and positive and was an absolute delight to work with. We made a total of 22 Design Matters programmes, which were broadcast from 1983 to 1987, receiving very positive reviews. He was a particular pleasure to work with as a filmmaker, because he was always very articulate, measured his words carefully, and thought and spoke most fluently. But for all his academic scholarship, he always kept the world in perspective and, for example, could appreciate (as I do) that Dennis the Menace is a major cultural icon!
Ken Baynes on location in Newcastle upon Tyne during the filming of the Design Matters series for Channel 4 TV
You can read about Ken’s final book and the culmination of ten years’ work DESIGN: Models of Change here.
