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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Understanding Universal Design Through OXO

Episode 5 of the With Intent Podcast is Available Now

November 4, 2024

OXO Good Grips Peeler

With Intent podcast hosts Thamer Abanami and Albert Shum discuss the roots of universal design through the optimization of everyday kitchen tools.

The latest episode features Davin Stowell, the founder of Smart Design and the visionary behind the design of the popular OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler.

“
The design wasn’t about making things look nice. It was about accessibility, ease of use, and thoughtful design that changed the way people interact with everyday objects.
—Albert Shum, Host

Form and Function in Balance

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

  • How Sam Farber’s insight into his wife’s struggle with kitchen tools inspired a radical redesign focused on accessibility.
  • Behind-the-scenes insights from Davin Stowell of Smart Design into the development process, from partnering with the Arthritis Foundation to testing prototypes with users.
  • Thoughtful design features, including tactile ergonomic handle and intuitive blade orientation.
Oxo Good Grips Swivel Peeler
Oxo Good Grips Swivel Peeler
Oxo Good Grips Swivel Peeler

The List

In 2020, ID and Fortune magazine collaborated to produce the a list of the 100 greatest designs of modern times. The collaboration brought together insights about the evolving role of design in today’s world.

Fortune and ID first collaborated on such a list in 1959, and though some designs made both the original and the 2020 list, there were important differences in the kinds of designs that we now consider “great.”

With Intent Podcast Episode 5: OXO Good Grip Peeler

This season of With Intent explores some of the most groundbreaking design solutions in recent history, inspired by ID’s award-winning list of 100 Great Designs of Modern Times (originally featured in Fortune magazine).

OXO’s Good Grips Peeler is #6 on that list.

Listen to Season 3: Episode 5 of With Intent now to learn more about how OXO Good Grips started with Sam Farber contacting Smart Design to create an ergonomically superior peeler for his arthritic wife.

Follow With Intent on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to get notifications about new episodes.

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