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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Rare Birds Flock Together

By Paige Safyer | Regina Ellis

May 16, 2025

Rare Birds Flock Together

Our interactive experience follows middle-schooler Wesley and migratory bird Uno as they navigate changing environments. Designed for ages 10-12, this journey addresses both cognitive and emotional development during a critical window. Recognizing middle schoolers’ need for autonomy while struggling with identity formation, we’ve created adaptable pathways accommodating diverse learning styles and abilities. The narrative empowers students by connecting environmental science with personal growth, transforming uncertainty into agency. Through adaptive design, students discover they can influence both their personal environments and the natural world around them.

Project Details

  • Class: Introduction to Interaction Design
  • Instructor: Zach Pino