Education: David is the Program Director of the Bachelor of Design (Illustration and Animation) program which he founded in 2018 at the School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia (UniSA). He lectures in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Illustration, Animation and Graphic Design courses within the School of Art, Architecture and Design at University of South Australia. David is a nationally recognized teacher with a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACAUDS) and a Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning from the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching.
Research: David is currently undertaking Doctoral study focusing on the nature of expertise in Illustration professional practice at the School of Creative Industries (UniSA). Specific to the Illustration and Animation fields, his research interests span, expertise in professional practice, visual narrative structures, cultural communication and social advocacy.
Practice: As a practicing professional David has broad design and creative industry experience spanning 30 years. His work as an artist/illustrator and designer has been internationally recognized through international and national design awards and invited exhibitions, including, 1st International Poster Festival of Shenzhen, China, University of Maryland, Questioning the Bomb, History and Non – Proliferation Invitational Poster Exhibition, USA International Eco-poster Triennial "the 4th Block", Ukraine, Graphic Advocacy: International Posters for a Digital World, USA, Hong Kong International Poster Triennial (2010), awarded Gold and Bronze, Winner Adelaide Fringe 2009 National Poster Competition and 2006 Australian Poster Annual.
The terms, 'Illustrators' and 'Animators' refer to highly skilled design professionals who provides innovative communication solutions to diverse industries such as education, communication media and entertainment. It is a creative field underpinned by entrepreneurial practice which requires the innnovative expertise, high level technical skills and deep understaning of design processes. In recent years Illustration and Animation professions have experienced a renaissance in conjunction with substantial shifts and consequent advancements in communication technology. Industry increasingly utilizes pictures in communication and information systems particularly within entertainment industries, enabling global audiences to effortlessly connect and absorb content. As a consequence this has fueled a growing demand for intelligent, innovative and motivated picture making specialists who are often referred to as 'Illustrators', Animators' and Artists'.  David Blaiklock