Immersions | Institute of Design

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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institute
of desiGn

Tailored Immersions explore the latest in innovation.

Every semester, MS-SDL (formerly MDM) students join peers, ID faculty, and other design leaders in three-day Immersions that focus on rapidly evolving, design-adjacent topics, like AI, climate, and the public interest.

As an MS-SDL student and working professional, you tour businesses and design studios to see—and hear—how today’s design leaders are tackling critical issues. Through MS-SDL Immersions, you’ll nurture your network, forming valuable connections and sharing experiences across a range of industries.

AI + Design Immersion | Fall 2023

In fall 2023, ID partnered with Politecnico di Milano’s Graduate School of Management and School of Design for an extended, 6-day Immersion. Students from ID and Politecnico di Milano toured Chicago, exploring the role of design in the age of AI.

The ID-PoliMi partnership will continue into 2024, with a spring Immersion hosted in Milan.

Design + Climate Change | Spring 2022

ID Professor Weslynne Ashton led the Spring 2022 Immersion on Climate Change + Design.

Design + AI | Fall 2021

ID Dean Anijo Mathew led the Fall 2021 Immersion on AI + Design.

By the Numbers

55

55 ID Faculty & Immersion Leads to Date

19

19 Keynote Speakers to Date

7

7 Fall 2023 Immersion Site Visits

Our Latest Immersion

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ID Students Explore AI’s Impact on Design Practice Through Milan Immersion

Institute of Design / Mur Mur Ring Immersion

ID Students Envision Civic Possibilities in Chicago Immersion

Master of Science in Strategic Design Leadership (MS-SDL, formerly MDM)

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Note: A limited number of spots may be available for non-ID students.

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