EOYS 2025

In Tension Intention

Designers today are continually challenged to manage and harness tension, turning conflict into clarity and uncertainty into opportunity. In Tension Intention explores the transformative power of design in a world charged with both internal and external pressures. This exhibition draws on a broader thematic inquiry, one that resonates through varied approaches by Institute of Design students — what possibilities emerge when we embrace tension as a generative force?

By confronting the friction that exists within and around us, we invite you to reflect on how design can reveal meaningful, impactful spaces for innovation, growth, and reinvention. The works on display grapple with these underlying forces to reimagine the role of the designer as a catalyst for change — using tension not as a barrier, but as a powerful force for action, identity, and connection.

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More than observers or connectors, we, as designers, are active conductors of transformation. Fueled by curiosity, we embrace the internal and external pressures and inherent tensions of our world—not as barriers but as the very opportunities from which we can create growth. With intention, we build bridges of clarity across these frictions, filling the voids with possibilities to propel humanity. The 2025 End of Year Show explores how we, as designers, navigate the tensions with intention in the sandbox of ID.

—Daniela Vélez, MDes + MPA 2025, Institute of Design