Welcome to Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design

Where art & design education meets social change.

Service for Community Change: Recruiting Mental Health Professionals of Color

In the Spring of 2021, Transdisciplinary ArtCenter students were challenged to co-create with Knowledge Partner Homeboy Industries to develop comprehensive, effective and low-cost campaign strategies that will lead to better recruitment outcomes for a more diverse pool of mental health professionals who can serve the Homeboy community as volunteers.

KIDMANIA: BEYOND BOOKS! DESIGNING DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL SPACES FOR TEENS

In partnership with the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), this Designmatters studio in the Fall of 2020, challenged ArtCenter student teams to co-create with librarians and teen subjects in order to re-imagine teen-designated library spaces — both digital and physical — as welcome learning resources and community spaces for social connections.

Strong Apart: Humane + Connected Aging

In the Fall of 2020, ArtCenter students were challenged to design spatial experiences that offer emotional, mental and physical support for older adults facing extreme isolation because of the pandemic.

Symbiosis in Nature and Community

In partnership with the J. Craig Venter Institute, this Designmatters studio challenged ArtCenter students to explore, conceptualize and translate scientific research on symbiosis into compelling visuals that communicate scientific discoveries to a broad range of audiences. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IOS 1926972.

Reimagining Access: Inclusive Technology Design for Archives and Special Collections

How can designers work with people with disabilities to improve the user experience and accessibility of digital technologies?

INSIDE and OUT: Closing the Cancer Gap in LGBTQIA+ Communities

In partnership with Cedars-Sinai Research Center for Health Equity (RCHE), ArtCenter students created a comprehensive awareness campaign targeting youth in LGBTQIA+ communities about the threat of cancers associated with Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

Project Play: Exploring the Concept of Play Through Pop-Up Experiences

In partnership with Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena, ArtCenter students conceptualize engaging age-appropriate museum play experiences that would serve as educational outreach at community locations.

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.

Designmatters Project Archive

List of all Designmatters Case Studies in Chronological order.

COANIQUEM: Safe Niños: Co-creating Innovative Healing Environments for Children

Student teams co-created playful and therapeutic environments that will welcome young burn patients and their families at COANIQUEM’s two satellite campuses spread far across the expansive country: Antofagasta (in the north) and Puerto Montt (south).

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.

Smart Image/Social Impact: Myth vs. Reality in the Immigration Debate

Illustration students worked with United We Stay (UWS), a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization, on their final projects to debunk the myths surrounding immigrants in America.

Fiscal Year 2021 Goals