designmatters | Where art & design education meets social change.

Welcome to Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design
Where art & design education meets social change.
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Designmatters Project Archive
List of all Designmatters Case Studies in Chronological order.
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Socially Engaged Art
As a field that blurs the lines between art and life, the Spring 2018 studio, Socially Engaged Art, emphasized participation, dialogue, and action from a place of shared concerns. The class was formatted to encourage collaboration to foster skills of negotiation, while holding space for individual voices and unexpected innovation within art production.
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Seeing the Unseen: Visualizing Flow Patterns of Mesopelagic Ocean Eddies
ArtCenter students design interactive data visualization projects based on the elusive underwater movement patterns of ocean eddies.
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Safe Niños Development Studio: Charity Retail Pop-Up
ArtCenter students worked with COANIQUEM to design and implement a pop-up structure/system on site at the Lollapalooza Music Festival in Santiago, Chile.
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The Designmatters Minor in Social Innovation
The Designmatters Minor in social innovation is a course of study for ArtCenter undergraduate students who want to master a toolkit of design skills and strategies to navigate the complex dynamics of working with communities and designing for social change.
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Fellowship Program
The Designmatters Fellowship Program embeds top ArtCenter students in host organizations for one full 14-week academic term to work on high-level projects and explore the mission, model and meaning of the host organization’s work.
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Engage + Envision + Empower: Creating a Safe Sex Culture in the City of Long Beach
ArtCenter students were challenged to develop a comprehensive transmedia awareness campaign about safe sex practices for the City of Long Beach which has seen a dramatic increase in the rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) during the past two years.
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PACIFIC RIM: Eco Research Lab Costa Rica
ArtCenter students collaborated with Tama University students and faculty for two weeks to study, explore and be inspired by the rich biodiversity of the Costa Rica ecological landscape to later design sustainable spaces, materials innovations, furnishings and experiences. This immersive experience challenged students to draw upon the influences of biomimicry and nature’s biological forms for concepts that reflected symbiotic relationships with natural resources.
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Designing Democracy: The Future of Civic Engagement
In partnership with California Common Cause, ArtCenter students created campaigns, collateral and experiences aimed to increase voter participation and citizen empowerment.
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Imagining the Future of the Barbie Dreamhouse
Students teamed up with Mattel & Barbie to envision innovative forward-thinking ways of reimagining the iconic Barbie Dreamhouse for 2022!
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Summer 2018 Designmatters Minor Graduates
View their amazing work at the Summer 2018 ArtCenter College of Design Grad show!
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Introduction

The Designmatters educational platform at ArtCenter College of Design joins collaboration with experimentation, experience with reflection, problem-solving with problem-discovery, and purpose with action.

Our Mission

Through research, advocacy and action, Designmatters engages, empowers and leads an ongoing exploration of art and design as a positive force in society.

Recent News

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LAUSD “Where’s Daryl?” Educational Program

An outcome of the 2011 Uncool Initiative.

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ArtCenter and VentureWell: Design, Innovation and Sustainable Impact

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"One of the best ways to change public perception is to combine art with science.”
Dr. Jerry Schubel, President & CEO, Aquarium of the Pacific

Safe Niños Development Studio: Charity Retail Pop-Up

Spring 2018 - Host Department: Environmental Design

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RECAP: Dawn Hancock’s A Workshop About Workshops

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Seeing the Unseen: Visualizing Flow Patterns of Mesopelagic Ocean Eddies

Spring 2018 - Host Department: Interaction Design

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"The students confronted important issues from personal vantage points, ultimately ensuring that others would care about them, too."
Sherry Hoffman, Humanities & Sciences, Faculty

The Es Tiempo Campaign

Summer 2009 - Host Department: Advertising

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Engage + Envision + Empower: Creating a Safe Sex Culture in the City of Long Beach

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Imagining the Future of the Barbie Dreamhouse

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"The chance to work with real people with real needs is an invaluable learning experience for students."
Simon Johnston, Graphic Design, Faculty

DESIGNMATTERS MINOR IN SOCIAL INNOVATION

A transcripted course of study for ArtCenter undergraduate students in social innovation

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

ArtCenter students are embedded in host organizations for one full 14-week academic term to work on high-level projects.

Networks & Partnerships

Current partnerships

AED

American Cancer Society

American Red Cross

ANSPE

Aquarium of the Pacific

Art Division

Arthritis Foundation

Ashoka

Autodesk Foundation

Barbie

Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Bloomberg

Center Theatre Group

Childrens Hospital LA

City of LA

City of Long Beach

City of Pasadena

City of Santa Monica Office of Civic Wellbeing

Coaniquem

California Common Cause

Compartamos Con Colombia

Covenant House

Dalberg

Doctors Withouth Borders

East West Bank

EMDRIA

FEMA

Flintridge Center

GE Healthcare

Girl Effect

Goodwill

Homeboy

Housing Works

HUB Bogota

Instituto de Diseño (ISDi)

International Medical Corp

International Organization for Migration

International Rescue Comm

Kyoto Seika University

LA County Dept. mental health

LAUSD

Long Beach Police Department

Mary Pickford Foundation

Mattel

Mayo

NAKFI

Nathan Cummings

NEA

NOAA

Nike Foundation

OAS

Packard Foundation

PAHO

Participant

Pasadena Public Library

Path

Planned Parenthood

Princeton

Project Concern Int

Proximity

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center

Ronald McDonald House

Rubbermaid

Sappi: Ideas that Matter

SCEC

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

State of California Seismic Safety

Surdna

SHE

Socialab

US dept of Interior

TAMA Art University

TECHO

UCLA Business of Science Center

UNESCO

UNFPA

UNDP

UNICEF

UNICEF US Fund

UNIFEM

UNOPS

USC Annenberg

USC Norris

USGS

VANS

VentureWell

WHO

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

World Bank

Women Deliver

YMCA

designmatters networks

AIGA

Cumulus Association

Design Ignites Change

Designers Accord

Desis Network

IDSA