In 2026, after nearly 90 years, the Institute of Design was folded into Illinois Tech's School of Design & Society.
This website is an archive of the impactful and inspirational work produced by the ID community before that transition.

László Moholy-Nagy opened the New Bauhaus in Chicago in 1937, treating design as a discipline that was teachable, testable, and consequential. Nine decades on, its scope had widened from the things people use to the systems they depend on: hospitals, government agencies, classrooms, supply chains, digital platforms. Along the way, ID community members developed the published research, methods, and frameworks that designers rely on every day.

Chief among them is human-centered design: close attention to how people actually live, and advocacy for what that research reveals. It shaped designers who are comfortable with complexity and ambiguity: curious, rigorous, inclusive, and stubbornly optimistic about design's ability to change the systems that shape our lives.

To every one of them, who taught, studied, built, critiqued, and stayed late in the studio: thank you, and keep designing.

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Introduction to Objects & Artifacts

Introduction to Objects & Artifacts

Creates the foundation of knowledge and skills for three-dimensional design.

“
Through a series of sketch exercises, designing physical objects out of chipboards, and valuable feedback, this class let me overcome the fear of communicating my ideas with drawings and prototypes.
—Ran Konaka, MDes/MBA 2023

Objective & Outcomes

This course provides foundational knowledge and skills for three-dimensional design. Students will explore, create, and communicate design directions for simple products and environments, considering design principles, human factors, technology, and business issues. Students are taught through a series of product design projects and the theory of the design process. These include methods to analyze, explore, express, and critique design concepts. Students become familiar with and gain a vocabulary for development, design issues, and form. Core principles for design are introduced through a series of increasingly difficult problem spaces.

Upon completing this course, students will be able to ideate using prototyping to explore their thinking and represent their solutions.

Typical Schedule

  • Session 1: Introduction & Starting Out Exercises
  • Session 2: Introduction & Starting Out Exercises
  • Session 3: File Folder Project
  • Session 4: File Folder Project
  • Session 5: File Folder Project
  • Session 6: Line Plane Volume Form Study
  • Session 7: Line Plane Volume Form Study
  • Session 8: Line Plane Volume Form Study
  • Session 9: “Future of Work” Project
  • Session 10: “Future of Work” Project
  • Session 11: “Future of Work” Project
  • Session 12: Lighting Charette
  • Session 13: Lighting Charette
  • Session 14: Lighting Charette

See all MDes Courses