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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Kunitake Saso

CEO & Founder of BIOTOPE, Japan

After graduating from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law, Kunitake began his career at P&G as a brand manager for Febreze, Lenor, and Gillette. Later, at Sony, he worked as a Global Insight Specialist, improving customer-focused product planning. After completing a Master of Design Methods at the Institute of Design, he returned to Japan to serve a creative producer at Sony’s Creative Center. In that role, he led the launch of the Sony Seed Acceleration Program to foster company-wide innovation.

In 2015, Kunitake founded BIOTOPE, a strategic design firm supporting corporations, startups, and governments through vision, philosophy, branding, and business design. Kunitake has authored several books, including The Non-Designer’s Guide to Design Thinking and VISION DRIVEN: How to integrate your intuition into business and live a purposeful life. Internationally recognized for promoting design thinking and vision thinking, Kunitake serves as an advisor to Kyoto City on cultural entrepreneurship and has been a special associate professor at Tama Art University, contributing to design education and innovation.

Shapeshift Session

Tokyo Salon Recap: Mental Health and Wellbeing | Friday, May 30

Shapeshift Summit

Program

Immersion

Kunitake Saso, Founder & CEO, BIOTOPE

International Shapeshift Salons Consider Responsible Use of AI