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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Sam Farber Fellowship

Sam Farber Fellowship

The Sam Farber Fellowship celebrates the legacy of Sam Farber (1924–2013), whose commitment to inclusive design transformed how we think about products that serve all users.

This fellowship is made possible by Smart Design and supports ID students who demonstrate merit, prioritizing those with a commitment to using design to improve consumers’ lives, integrate design with business practices, or pursue entrepreneurship.

Sam Farber’s legacy lives in millions of homes worldwide. His iconic OXO peeler redefined what household tools could be, proving that when designers prioritize human needs over convention, the results benefit everyone, not just those with specific challenges.

Learn more about Sam Farber.

Sam Farber in black and white

Featured Recipients

Master of Design

Audrey Gordon (MDes 2020)

“My time at ID helped me deepen my understanding of why designers make certain decisions and how systems operate.”

 

Project: From Paper to Performance
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Master of Design

Jeff Sprague (MDes 2023)

“I believe design can be used to solve complex problems by providing structure for ambiguity, exploring every possibility, and relentless experimentation.”

Project: Interventions for People New to Canada
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Master of Design

Emery Donovan (MDes 2023)

“I like to think of design as the practice of making the future tangible, strategy as making choices about the future, and research as the essential third element that informs how those choices and futures are made.”

Project: Community and Connection in a Post-Climate Change World
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Benefactors

Smart Design

The Sam Farber Fellowship was started by his former colleagues at Smart Design, who wish to keep his legacy alive through the design practices taught at ID.

All Recipients

Audrey Gordon (MDes 2020)

Jeff Sprague (MDes 2023)

Emery Donovan (MDes 2023)

Steven Hunsicker (MDes + MBA 2023)

Flora Massah (MDes 2024)

Sanya Shah (MDes + MBA 2024)

Mrinal Bhatia (MDes + MBA 2024)

Grace Parks Hall (MDes + MBA 2024)

Rhea Shah (MDes 2025)

Related

Sam Farber

What Do the Volkswagen Beetle, an OXO Vegetable Peeler, and Spotify Have in Common?

Understanding Universal Design Through OXO

Learn More Financial Assistance