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 Context

September 12, 2012

Understanding the context of a particular design challenge is critical to ensuring an insightful and reliable solution

Most design challenges today require an astute understanding of the many dynamics at play to see a path forward. Context in this sense is the surrounding landscape of trends and influences across all aspects of design from brand, form, and interaction to platforms, IP, and underlying business models. The examples below were a specific and brief (2 weeks) exploration into the topic of sustainability as it pertains to design efforts.

Synopsis

Understanding the context of a particular design challenge is critical to ensuring an insightful and reliable solution. Most design challenges today require an astute understanding of the many dynamics at play to see a path forward. Context in this sense is the surrounding landscape of trends and influences across all aspects of design from brand, form, and interaction to platforms, IP, and underlying business models. The examples below were a specific and brief (2 weeks) exploration into the topic of sustainability as it pertains to design efforts.

Defining Sustainability In Design

Faculty

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Students

Andrew Raines
Mabel Chan
Laura Mattis
Wei Sun