She’s a former Executive Creative Director of For the People, a former Freelance Creative Director for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and a Creative Venture Partner for LA-based design agency Accept & Proceed — and now, Johanna Roca has been named a Fellow of the University.
UTS Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Andrew Parfitt, Johanna Roca and UTS Pro-Chancellor Dr Jack Steele.
A leading creative force in the global visual communication community, Johanna has built an international design career by harnessing the power of emerging technologies.
“Johanna has a focus on the future of user experience in a screenless era, the voice-first economy and the impact of emerging AI technologies in design,” says Nicola Hardcastle, Senior Lecturer, School of Design.
“She personifies thought leadership and holds a firm dedication to pushing boundaries.”
Johanna’s contributions have connected countless UTS students to real-world professional opportunities, introducing them to the challenges and opportunities of the design profession and preparing them to thrive in their future careers.
During almost eight years with leading branding and design strategy agency For The People, Johanna delivered a series of guest lectures, industry briefs, mentorship opportunities and studio open days for students in the UTS Visual Communication program.
She was instrumental in formulating major assessments in the Design Practice studio subject, which challenges students to harness industry best practice design approaches to deliver on a live brief, and she also established a series of internships and an incubator studio to nurture emerging talent. Many UTS students have since gone on to careers with For The People.
“I always did it because I cared,” says Johanna of her long-term engagement with UTS.
“All these years, all the students, mentees, interns, colleagues, all the talks and lectures and conversations. Teach design and you’ll teach the future.”
If there was ever a pinch-me moment, [being named a Fellow of the University] this is it for me.
In good company
University Fellows are nominated based on their outstanding contributions to business, industry, government, a profession or the arts, as well as their achievements in helping further UTS’s objectives.
Johanna joins a prestigious group that includes Elaine Henry OAM, Chair of the National Breast Cancer Foundation; Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of Business Events Sydney; and Andrew Penfold AM, Executive Director of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.
“Johanna epitomises the UTS vision of industry-connected university education in which students gain both the theoretical skills and practical experience required to make a meaningful contribution to the field,” says Professor Mark Evans, Dean, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building.
“The generosity she has extended to UTS in terms of sharing her time and her formidable skills, as well as her willingness to create vibrant experiential opportunities for our students, is nothing short of remarkable”.
“Her contributions have undoubtedly shaped the next generation of UTS design graduates who will go on to become leaders in the visual communication field.”
Now based in Accept & Proceed’s LA offices, Johanna will continue to bolster the visual communication offering and contribute to the ongoing evolution of UTS Design. She is scheduled to visit the university in late 2024.