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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Design As Season Three Episode 1 podcast image with smoking smokestack

Season 3 of Design Observer Podcast Features ID’s Shapeshift Summit: Responsible AI

Jon Friedman, Chief Design Officer, Microsoft 365

Sylvia Kim’s (PhD 2026) Research Wins Top Award at Immersive Learning Research Network

Andreya Veintimilla, Design Research Lead, Smart Columbus

ID Celebrates 20 Years of MDes + MBA Dual Degree Program

Deaa Bataineh, Institute of Design PhD Alum

Deaa Bataineh Champions Choice-Making Over Decision-Making

Azra Sungu speaking at a podium

Azra Sungu: Becoming Accountable to Our Visions

Joe Gray in spotlight on against a white background

Joe Gray, Chief Strategy Officer, VML Chicago

ID Honors Design Visionary Patrick Whitney

Ronald Clark, Partner & VP of Strategic Design, BCG Digital

Anijo Mathew and Albert Shum onstage at Shapeshift 2025

ID’s Shapeshift Summit: Shaping Our Future with AI

Daniela Vélez: Design for the World

A woman is standing and presenting

Introducing the MS in Strategic Design Leadership 

Core77 2025 Notable Badge

Core77 Recognizes F1 Hand Controller Project

ID Students Explore AI’s Impact on Design Practice Through Milan Immersion

Zubair Bhaidani (MS-SDL 2025)

Designing Beyond Buildings: An Architect’s Strategic Shift

Jessica Meharry Headshot

Jessica Meharry (PhD 2022): A Modern Guide to Starting a Design Studio

In Tension Intention: ID’s End of Year Show