Designers transform our view of the world.
Design practice in the 21st century encompasses a growing spectrum of activities that emerge from time-honored formal traditions, engage with rapidly evolving material and digital revolutions, and extend to critical and creative leadership strategies. Through guided creation of objects and communications, and systems and services, UIC School of Design prepares future leaders for the expanding field of design.
Grounded in studio culture and deeply involved with the human experience, UIC Design programs are organized to reflect and to advance developments in the field. Led by a faculty of renowned professional designers who are thoroughly committed to teaching, UIC Design students are introduced to contexts of culture and meaning as they develop the formal, conceptual, and technical skills necessary to confidently enter a professional setting. Advanced students are provided opportunities to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams, often engaging with partners in community or industry. We take great pride in the fact that many ideas initiated in UIC Design classrooms expand beyond the university to bring about positive change in the world.
Design is city-centric and Chicago is a global design center. Through engagement with the UIC Innovation Center and its industry partners, involvement in Chicago chapters of national design associations, employment in professional internships, and critical exposure to design practices and exhibitions, our students become active in the real world of design as they pursue their professional degree in Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Design Studies, or Computer Science + Design.