OBITUARY, Geoff Fitzpatrick OAM, LFDIA, 29 June 2025
*Professor Emeritus Robert ‘Bob’ Miller-Smith
26-06-1933- 13-06-2025
*
Professor Emeritus Robert ‘Bob’ Miller-Smith died on 13th June. His passing saw the end of a sparkling career in design and education, and the end of a life well lived.
Miller-Smith was born in Clydebank in Scotland in the nineteen thirties, and he attended no less than four primary schools in his youth, due to the irritating interference of the Luftwaffe. His early career was to study stock broking, but he soon enrolled in the Stowe College of Printing, and eventually ended up at the Glasgow School of Art.
It was in 1955 that he joined the Royal Air Force as a conscript, and served for two years, ending up in Port Swetthenham in Malaysia. Upon his discharge he applied for and was accepted into the London College of Printing to do post graduate studies. During his time here he started his freelance career, and he was conscripted by Ian Bradbury to do work for the likes of Mary Quant and Terrance Conan. Upon graduation he accepted a role as Lecturer in Graphic Design at the Leeds College of Art, eventually moving back to the London College of Printing before moving to Duncan of Ironstone in Dundee in Scotland, the biggest Art, Design and Film School in Scotland.
But Australia beckoned in 1978. The Torrens College of Advanced Education, which was to become Adelaide College of Arts and Education, approached him to establish a design degree for the School of Design, which he successfully did. After this he was called back to Scotland to Duncan of Jordanstone to take on the role of Principal. But in 1989 the Vice Chancellor of Swinburne University, Ian Wallace, offered him the role of Professor of Design at Swinburne, which he accepted, and in 1993 he eventually became Dean of the School of Design.
At this time of his career he re-engaged with the Design Institute of Australia, playing an active role as a councillor on the Victorian chapter, and hosted many meeting at Swinburne.
He returned to Adelaide in later years and was quoted “You can pull on Adelaide like an old jacket that fits perfectly”. He was recently recognised at a Design Institute of Australia function for ‘Design Legends’, held in Adelaide, along with designers Lyndon Whaite and Brian Smyth.
Miller Smith was awarded a Fellowship of the Design Institute of Australia, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, and awarded the title of Design Legend in recent years.
He will be sorely missed by his former wife Mary, his sons Iain and Bruce and his daughter Fiona, and their partners Rose, Carol and Darien, and his nieces Pam and Carol, together with his grand daughters Meg, Phoebe and Olivia.
Geoff Fitzpatrick OAM, LFDIA, 29 June 2025
- Writers:
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- Date written:
- 2025
- Last updated:
- 2025
