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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Congratulations Summer 2019 Designmatters Minor Graduates
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Game On: Inspiring a Healthy L.A. for 2028
ArtCenter students explore the role of technology in a city-wide health initiative to create a culture of healthy, active and engaged communities for all residents of Los Angeles.
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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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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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PACIFIC RIM: Eco Research Lab Costa Rica
ArtCenter students collaborated with Tama 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.
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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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Design Smarter: Reimagining Electronics for Repair & Recycle
ArtCenter students explore the economics, systems and processes of e-waste to create an innovative product or system that efficiently utilizes materials, processes, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, repair, reuse, recycling and end-of-life.
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Designmatters Project Archive
List of all Designmatters Case Studies in Chronological order.
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Building Trust, Bridging Divides: Visual Communication/Branding Programming for the LBPD
This studio challenged transdisciplinary students to develop a visually compelling and technology-infused awareness campaign and branding program, to build understanding and empathy between the LBPD and the diverse communities of Long Beach.
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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.
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COANIQUEM: Safe Niños: Co-creating Innovative Healing Environments for Kids
Interdisciplinary student teams design holistic healing environments for kids at COANIQUEM’s burn rehabilitation campuses in Antofagasta to the north of Chile & Puerto Montt to the south.
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A Future Vision for the Aquarium of the Pacific
Packard Fellowship invited ArtCenter students, faculty to develop concepts for a new wing at Aquarium of the Pacific!
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Socially Engaged Art: Art in Urban Community Green Spaces
Sponsored by the Mary Pickford Foundation, this Designmatters studio teamed ArtCenter students with high schoolers from the Ramona Gardens public housing development to create an art-filled event at Alvarez Park.
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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

Congratulations Summer 2019 Designmatters Minor Graduates

FILM AND ADVERTISING ALUMNA SONJA JOHNSON CREATES CAMPAIGNS THAT BREAK WALLS

ArtCenter / July 2019

The students were engaged in very sophisticated research, debate and discussion in this studio, but what really impressed me, in the final production push, was that they were intelligently talking through the options, weighing each decision carefully. The final push was a very mature and professional working team. They worked like a real studio.
Todd Masilko, Associate Professor, Interaction Design

Jennifer May Appointed Executive Director of Designmatters

ArtCenter / August 2019

A Look Inside ArtCenter’s 2019 Grad Show

Core77 / July 2019

LAUSD “Where’s Daryl?” Educational Program

An outcome of the 2011 Uncool Initiative.

“The problem the students were trying to solve, in essence, was how to visualize data. These teams figured out ways to understand, digest and make data real. That’s a difficult task, but bringing together transdisciplinary students seemed to facilitate and accelerate the process. Each of them – product designers, graphic designers, advertising, etc. – was oriented to view and contribute in a unique way that added depth to the concepts.”
Petrula Vrontikis, Instructor