My friend and colleague Tim Moscovitch, who has died suddenly aged 68 with suspected heart problems, was a leading figure in the design community of the north of England. He was head of design at Huddersfield University from 1994 until his retirement in 2007, when he was appointed honorary professor at the Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts in Yekaterinburg, where his flair and charisma cut through the bureaucracy.
Tim was born in Leicester, son of Norah (nee Sullivan), a nurse, and Morris, a machine technologist. He was educated at Kibworth Beauchamp grammar school, then studied textile design at Loughborough University, where he met his future wife, Jan Reid. He graduated with a first in 1969 and was awarded a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London two years later. Jan and Tim married in 1971, and established a design consultancy together in Huddersfield.
In the same year Tim joined Huddersfield Polytechnic (later University) as lecturer. He was appointed senior lecturer in 1979, professor of textiles in 1993, and professor and head of design the following year. He was a pioneer in developing links between design departments and business schools, seeking a shift towards entrepreneurship, innovation and marketing.
Between 1989 and 1992 he acted as design and marketing director to the West Yorkshire textile company Moygashel Plc. The fusion of creativity and technology was a feature of his approach, and he was both a member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen and fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Unlike many academics, Tim knew how to manufacture the designs that flowed so freely from his mind. He was an effective advocate for the creative industries in West Yorkshire, serving on government quangos, where his colourful attire set him apart.
Among Tim’s other passions were Italy, opera and choral music. He sang in, and acted as patron of, the Montegiorgio community choir in the Marche region of Italy, where he had a holiday home, and the Holme Valley Singers, based near his home in Yorkshire, and organised exchanges between the two choirs from 2010 onwards. He was also a member of the Huddersfield Choral Society for 22 years until 2008.
Tim is survived by Jan, their sons, Nicholas and Alex, and their three grandchildren.
