Institute of Design (ID) at the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), founded as the New Bauhaus, is a graduate school teaching systemic, human-centered design.

History

The Institute of Design at Illinois Tech is a school of design founded in 1937 in Chicago by László Moholy-Nagy, a Bauhaus teacher (1923–1928). After a spell in London, Bauhaus master Moholy-Nagy, at the invitation of Chicago's Association of Art and Industry, moved to Chicago in 1937 to start a new design school, which he named the New Bauhaus. The philosophy of the school was basically unchanged from that of the original, and its first headquarters was the Prairie Avenue mansion that architect

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

, designed for department store magnate Marshall Field. Due to financial problems the school briefly closed in 1938. However, Walter Paepcke, Chairman of the Container Corporation of America and an early champion of industrial design in America, soon offered his personal support, and in 1939, Moholy-Nagy re-opened the school as the Chicago School of Design. In 1944, this became the Institute of Design, and in 1949 it became part of the new Illinois Institute of Technology university system and also the first institution in the United States to offer a PhD in design. Moholy authored an account of his efforts to develop the curriculum of the School of Design in his book ''Vision in Motion''. Archival materials are held by the

Ryerson & Burnham Libraries The Ryerson & Burnham Libraries are the art and architecture research collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The libraries cover all periods with extensive holdings in the areas of 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century architecture and 19th-century ...

at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

. The Institute of Design Collection includes articles, letters, photographs, and other materials documenting the institute's history and works by faculty and students. Select archival film materials are held at Chicago Film Archives, who store and provide access to a handful of Institute of Design films.

Educational programs

The Institute of Design offers two professional degrees, the Master of Design (MDes) and the Master of Design Methods (MDM), as well as a research degree, the PhD, which was the first doctoral program in design in the United States, a MDes/MPA program, and a dual MDes/MBA degree program, also the first of its kind, with th
IIT Stuart School of Business
At one time, the Institute of Design offered a Bachelor of Science in Design degree, with specialties in Photography, Product Design and Communication Design. The Bachelor's program was halted in 1998.

Conferences

The Institute of Design annually organizes two large design conferences in the Chicago area: The Strategy Conference for international executives and designers who come together to address how businesses can use design to explore emerging opportunities, and the Design Research Conference, organized by students, exploring emerging trends in design research.

Directors

*1937–1945, László Moholy-Nagy *1946–1951, Serge Chermayeff *1951–1955, Crombie Taylor (acting) *1955–1969,

Jay Doblin Jay Doblin (December 10, 1920 – May 11, 1989) was an American industrial designer and educator, best known for his contribution to the field of design in particular his work related to systems thinking, design methods and design theory in general ...

*1969–1974, James S. Montague (acting) *1974–1982, various *1982–1986, Dale Fahnstrom *1986–2017, Patrick Whitney *2017–2022, Denis Weil

Prominent former faculty

* George Anselevicius (1949–1952) * Alexander Archipenko *

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

* Harry Callahan, Photography (1947–1961) *

, Director (1954–1968) * Buckminster Fuller * Michael Higgins, Head of Visual Design * George Fred Keck * György Kepes *

Michael McCoy Michael McCoy (born September 16, 1944, in Eaton Rapids, Michigan) is an American industrial designer and educator who has made significant contributions to American design and design education in the latter half of the 20th century. McCoy is b ...

and

Katherine McCoy Katherine McCoy (born October 12, 1945) is an American graphic designer and educator, best known for her work as the co-chair of the graduate Design program for Cranbrook Academy of Art. During her extensive career spanning education and prof ...

(1995–2003) *

Sharon Poggenpohl Sharon Helmer Poggenpohl is a design scholar and educator. She was the editor and publisher of the interdisciplinary journal ''Visible Language''. Education and career Poggenpohl obtained an MS from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in ...

Professor and coordinator the PhD program (1987-2013) *

Ralph Rapson Ralph Rapson (September 13, 1914 – March 29, 2008) was Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota for 30 years. He was one of the world's oldest practicing architects at his death at age 93, and also one of the most ...

(1942–1946) *

Arthur Siegel Arthur Siegel (December 31, 1923 - September 13, 1994) was an American songwriter. Born on December 31, 1923, in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, he grew up in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Siegel studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts ...

, Photography (1946–1949 and 1967–1977) *

Aaron Siskind Aaron Siskind (December 4, 1903 – February 8, 1991) was an American photographer whose work focuses on the details of things, presented as flat surfaces to create a new image independent of the original subject. He was closely involved with, if ...

, Photography (1951–1971) *

Robert Bruce Tague Robert Bruce Tague (1910/1911–1984) was an American modernist architect and abstract artist who lived in Chicago, Illinois. Education and military service Tague studied architecture at the Armour Institute of Technology, receiving a Bache ...

, Architecture *

Konrad Wachsmann Konrad Wachsmann (May 16, 1901 in Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany – November 25, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) was a German modernist architect. He is notable for his contribution to the mass production of building components. Originally appre ...

, Advanced Building Research (Director) (1950-1964) *

Hugo Weber Hugo Edmond Weber (1918–1971) was a Swiss-born, American artist and arts educator. Weber was known as an abstract, avant‐garde artist active in Chicago, Paris and New York City between the 1940s–1971. He worked mainly in painting but was a ...

(1949- 1955) * Massimo Vignelli (1958–1960)

Former names and locations

New Bauhaus - American School of Design *1938: 1905 S. Prairie Avenue, Chicago The School of Design in Chicago *1939–1945: 247 E. Ontario Street, Chicago The Institute of Design *1945–1946: 1009 N. State Street, Chicago *1946–1956: 632 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago (now Castle nightclub) *1956–1989: S.R. Crown Hall IIT campus on South State Street *1989–1996: 10 West 35th Street (ITRI on IIT campus) *1996–2016: 350 N. LaSalle Blvd, Chicago *2016-2018: 565 W. Adams St, Chicago *2018–Present: Kaplan Institute, 3137 S Federal St., Chicago

Prominent alumni

* Robert Brownjohn, artist and graphic designer * Ivan Chermayeff, Principal of

Chermayeff & Geismar Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv (formerly Brownjohn, Chermayeff & Geismar and Chermayeff & Geismar) is a New York-based branding and graphic design firm. It is currently led by partners Tom Geismar and Sagi Haviv. About It was founded in 1957 ...

, son of former Institute of Design director Serge Chermayeff and designer of the Chase Manhattan Bank logo among other achievements *

Burton Kramer Burton Kramer (born 1932) is a Canadian graphic designer and artist who lives and works in Toronto. Early life and education Kramer was born in 1932 in New York City. He graduated with a BSc From IIT Institute of Design, The Institute of Desig ...

, graphic designer, artist, A.G.I., Order of Ontario, D.Des (Hon) O.C.A.D.U. * June Leaf, (attended 1947-1948, M.A. Art Education in 1954) painter, sculptor *

Estes W. Mann Estes Wilson Mann Sr. (September 14, 1894 – February 13, 1958) was an American architect based in Memphis, Tennessee. Several buildings he designed are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mann was originally from Marianna, Arka ...

(Armour Institute), Memphis based architect who produced numerous NRHP listed residences * Ray Metzker, photographer *

Richard Nickel Richard Stanley Nickel (May 31, 1928 – April 13, 1972) was a Polish American architectural photographer and historical preservationist, who was based in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for his efforts to preserve and document the buildings ...

, photographer and architectural preservationist * Louis Sauer (attended 1949 to 1953), architect * Art Sinsabaugh, (B.A. 1949, M.S. 1967) American photographer; founded and led the photography/cinematography department, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1959–83; founding member, Society for Photographic Education * Roger Sweet (MS 1960), Toy inventor and creator of

He-Man He-Man is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the sword and planet ''Masters of the Universe'' franchise, which includes a toy line, several animated television series, comic books and a feature film. He-Man is characterized by h ...

from Mattel *

Madeline Tourtelot Madeline Tourtelot (21 November 1915 – 26 May 2002 ) was an American filmmaker based out of the Chicago metropolitan area. Known for her avant-garde filmmaking style and interest in musical subjects, Tourtelot was a prominent female figure in t ...

, artist, founder of the Peninsula School of Art *

John Henry Waddell John Henry Waddell (February 14, 1921 – November 27, 2019) was an American sculptor, painter and educator. He had a long career in art education and has many sculptures on public display, but he may be best known for '' That Which Might Have B ...

, sculptor *

Claire Zeisler Claire Zeisler (April 18, 1903 – September 30, 1991) was an American fiber artist who expanded the expressive qualities of knotted and braided threads, pioneering large-scale freestanding sculptures in this medium. Throughout her career Zeisler ...

, fiber artist

References

External links

Institute of Design web site

Institute of Design's biweekly student newsletter, the New Idiom

IIT's Galvin Library Institute of Design exhibit

Chicago New Bauhaus School Alumnis
[sic] {{authority control Illinois Institute of Technology Design schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1937 1937 establishments in Illinois