ID Experience
ID Experience
The only thing you need to be able to draw is from experience.
Few of the professionals who come to the Institute of Design are artists. But they’re all creative enough to see the benefit of using design as a way to approach and adapt, with the speed, scale, and complexity of today’s world.
At ID, one of our most deeply-held values is diversity—of culture, thought, and experience. We develop strong relationships through collaborative work and shared experiences.
Our Home
Rooted in Chicago
Since our beginning as “The New Bauhaus” in 1937, ID has called Chicago home. Located in the historical Bronzeville neighborhood, the campus sits just south of Chicago’s vibrant downtown and about a mile from the beaches of Lake Michigan.
Partnerships with Chicago institutions prepare ID students for success across sectors. Through internships, sponsored research, workshops, and other opportunities, students gain practical experience as early as their first semester. Plus, our robust career services help you plan for life after ID.
Lab & Makerspaces
Student soldering in MakerSpace
A Destination for Collaboration
ID students benefit from accessing everything and everyone in one place—classes, workspace, and faculty. Our home includes studio space with a dedicated desk for all MDes students, flexible classrooms that transform for the needs of critique, teamwork, lecture, or presentation, a faculty hall, conference rooms, and a community kitchen.
A range of independent and collaborative workspaces honor ID faculty, alumni, friends, and industry partners. Furniture throughout was generously provided by Steelcase, and the Steelcase Commons regularly hosts presentations by leading designers and industry partners from across Chicago and around the world.
Support & Access
A Community You Can Count On
With small class sizes, faculty offices near student and studio workspaces, and your own faculty advisor, our close-knit community supports your unique goals from your first day at ID.
From Our Students
What Makes ID Special?
“I love the small intimacy you receive at ID.”
—Selena Burke (PhD 2025)
“I’m an international student, but I’ve never been in a room where there’s so many different nationalities, races, backgrounds.”
—Samantha Chandra (MDes 2025)
Why Did You Come to ID?
“I came to ID during a crossroads in my life where I wanted to figure out how to blend the skills that I’ve learned with the skills that I want.”
—Sai Allena (MDes + MBA 2024)
“There were so many large systemic problems that my background in architecture and structural engineering was not preparing me to solve.”
—Tera Delancy (MDes + MBA 2024)
Why ID?
“I have the opportunity to really dig deep into systems and understand what needs to change and why it needs to change.”
—Faysal Biobaku (MDes 2024)
“If you’re considering design in general, ID is the place to be for thinking broadly and deeply about what design means.”
—Michael George (MDes + MBA 2025)
End of Year Show
At our annual End of Year Show (EOYS), current ID students show off their hard work and invite the whole ID community to explore the state of design, how it’s changing, and where it’s going.
Here’s a snapshot of EOYS 2024. Join us for EOYS 2025, coming May 16!