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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recruitID On-Demand Connects Forward-Thinking Organizations with ID Graduate Students

Tailored Approach to Recruiting Events Mutually Benefits Students and Hiring Managers

May 11, 2023

Robert Grossman speaking with a student

As the demand for human-centered design and innovation continues to grow, Career Services at the Institute of Design has been connecting top-notch graduate students with forward-thinking organizations through its recruitID On-Demand events. The result is beneficial opportunities and good fits for both students and organizations.

recruitID On-Demand events are in-person and virtual events in which recruiting organizations showcase their companies and their full-time or internship position. Organizations participating in recruitID On-Demand typically seek to hire professionals with titles like Design Strategist, Design Researcher, and UX Designer. These positions are often focused on design- and business-led innovation driven by insights that prioritize context and user needs.

During the 2022–23 academic year, ID Career Services hosted a number of organizations, including Cardinal Health, Deloitte Digital, D-Ford, Gapingvoid Culture Design, Hike Medical, Institute of Health Delivery Design, Jump Associates, Myriad Genetics, Providence Health, and Reanda Art Conservation.

D-Ford

Michael Lozano, Product Design Lead at D-Ford, sought students with excellent presentation skills and experience in human-centered problem-solving. He said, “The Institute of Design was on our radar from previous alumni.”

ID alum Lawrence Abrahamson, Director of D-Ford Design Thinking and Culture at Ford Motor Company, a graduate of ID’s MDM program, is just one of the many ID alumni who have worked at the organization. D-Ford and ID have been longtime partners, including on ID’s 2020 Lead with Purpose report.

Myriad Genetics

ID alum Lisa Salamone, Lead User Experience Strategist at Myriad Genetics, came to ID for what she knew its students uniquely possessed:

“I know the caliber of skill, professionalism, creativity, and outside-the-box thinking that comes from ID. I appreciate the curriculum for various methods and mindsets and the focus on design for healthcare and social good.”

How can an ID student stand out in one of these events? Salamone explained that candidates who made an impression had a clear understanding of design strategy and how it can impact a company from a business and customer perspective

“
I appreciated the candidates who had strong narratives about their personal and professional journeys and the work that they have done. The individuals focused on what Myriad does and how their skills and past work align with Myriad’s needs. I also enjoyed when students focused questions on better appreciating Myriad’s process, how design works outside of school, and where they can grow.
—Lisa Salamone, Lead User Experience Strategist at Myriad Genetics

Recruiting Solutions to Suit a Variety of Needs

Participants praised recruitID On-Demand’s helpful, tailored approach.

“
This was the first recruiting we’d ever done, and Peter Zapf held our hand when we needed it. Having ID reach out and schedule interviews with potential candidates took a big load off of us.
—Robert Grossman, Head of Operations and Strategy at Reanda Art Conservation

Do you want to connect with top-notch design talent and partner with the Institute of Design? Contact Peter Zapf, Director of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, to learn more about how you can get involved with the Institute of Design and recruit from a pool of highly skilled and innovative designers.

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