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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SyncUp

By Isaac Jang | Ruhi Dholakia | Rutuja Chavan | Shirin Navgire

May 10, 2024

2020 Report: 1. Ask, listen, learn graphic

Enhancing community and small business synergy through skill-based volunteering

“SyncUp” aims to fortify local small businesses by linking them with skilled community volunteers. This service system was designed to address the diverse challenges faced by small businesses, including financial strains, employment issues, and supply chain disruptions through a digital platform that facilitates skill-based volunteering. This initiative supports businesses and provides volunteers the opportunity to apply their professional skills, fostering stronger community ties and contributing to economic growth. The outcomes of the project include increased business longevity, job growth, and higher community engagement, evidenced by business performance metrics and volunteer participation rates.

Project Details

  • Class: Service Systems Workshop
  • Instructor: Mark Jones
  • Project Partner: Accenture Song