Department of Design

Department of Design

The Department of Design is a diverse community of competent, creative and responsible individuals. In design, we appreciate technical skill, social significance and artistic expression.

We educate front-line design professionals and visionaries for established, changing and emerging fields of design. We renew our expertise through high level research in continuous collaboration with our stakeholders. We strive towards a sustainable and just society and environment.

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Studies at Department of Design

You can choose the Bachelor's degree major between Design, Fashion or Aalto Bachelor Prorgamme in Design. Master's studies can be conducted either in Collaborative and Industrial Design; Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design; or Contemporary Design programme. In addition, the Department provides two Aalto-level Master's programmes: International Design Business Management and Creative Sustainability.

A student focuses either in the Master's degree major or the field of the programme, and may take advantage of Aalto University’s wide range of multidisciplinary courses for the minors and freely selectable studies.

Aalto University student putting post-it notes on a glass wall.

Studies leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts

Studies leading to the degree of Master of Arts

Majors of the Master’s Programme in Design

Prof. Maarit Mäkelä and her work

Research

Our research is at the international forefront in sustainable design, practice-based design research, human-centered design and co-design. Our research environment enables and our culture encourages goal-oriented research, imaginative experiments, critical discussion, and transdisciplinary collaboration.

Go to Aalto Design Research Site

Research Groups

ENCORE - Engaging Co-design Research Group

The ENCORE research group explores constantly application fields for co-design through hands-on exploration and ambitious research. The visionary competence stems mostly from industrial design spiced with engineering, architecture and anthropology.

Encore

Empirica – Research on art, design and culture (external link)

Group approaches research with an attitude, where making, acting and engaging play important roles.

Empirica tutkimusryhmän työtä

Fashion/Textile Futures

The Fashion/Textile Futures research group explores new perspectives on human-centered design research. The group approaches research in the field of fashion, clothing and textiles in multi-faceted ways.

Sofia Ilmonen Biocolour

INUSE - The Users and Innovation Research Group

Researches designer-user relations in sociotechnical change.

INUSE transition arena workshop - panorama of indoor space with groups discussing around whiteboards

NODUS – Sustainable Design Research Group

NODUS Sustainable Design Research Group undertakes transdisciplinary design research for sustainable futures.

Nodus tutkimusryhmäläisiä keskustelemassa

Design Culture Research Group

Exploring the significance of design in contemporary society.

Väre_Artworks_LUMEN

Collaborate with us

We offer our partners the opportunity to collaborate with international level designers and design researchers.

Read more
Design for Government 2018 photo by Heidi Konttinen

Gallery

The gallery of the Department of Design.

Browse the gallery!
Emma Saarnio ja Helmi Liikanen

News

Yellow post-it notes with different white symbols on them and a hand grabbing one of the notes.
Research & Art Published:
Sushant Passi, photo by George Atanassov
Cooperation Published:

Sushant Passi: In the future, we will see human-to-human interaction as a luxury

'In 2050, we will be likely be promoting human to human interaction. It is now perhaps getting a bit sidelined, but it is irreplaceable.'
Finnish band PMMP performing for a big crowd in Ruisrock festival
Research & Art Published:

Tomi Rantanen uses design to tackle gender equality issues in the music industry

Rantanen's master's thesis aims to bring about structural changes and envisions a gender equality shift for women and non-binary people by 2030.
Colorful illustrations to the environmentla citizen's playbook
Awards and Recognition Published:

DAMY recognition awards for Aalto graduates

The Friends of Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture DAMY awards a new prize, The Future Award, which highlights talented students' views on sustainable and resource-efficient design and visual culture.

Events

Comparison of the shopping mall building in Otaniemi before and after renovation.
Public defences

Public defence in Design, Specialist Anna Kholina

Designing public spaces on the periphery of cities requires designers to let go of control
solar panels
Lectures and seminars

Digitalisation of energy communities: New modes of organising, business models and transition governance

Call for papers (DL 31.5.) for Digitally mediated decarbon communities project's final workshop where the focus is on the key aspects in community energy development.
Exhibition boxes Biochar Project
Exhibitions

Flowing carbon celebration event

Celebration event to close the Flowing carbon exhibition
Introduction to research data management
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, IT & digital tools, Support for teams, Training to support research

Introduction to Research Data Management, Oct 9, 2024

Get to know the basics of RDM with Data Agent, Dr. Essi Viitanen from Research Services.

Department management

Mikko Jalas

Head of Department, Associate Professor
 Kirsi Niinimäki

Kirsi Niinimäki

Vice Head of Department, Associate Professor

Pirjo Kääriäinen

Head of Education, Associate Professor
Department of Design - Personnel

Aalto ARTS' Communications Guide

Easy access communication tools and help for everyone! This guide is updated according to the needs of ARTS members. Login (top right) to view all content. Some pages are internal, so they are only visible to logged-in ARTS members.

Aalto ARTS Handbook

ARTS' communications guide

Visit the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Information for guests

A symbol of a square with a dot in it visualizing forms

Visit the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Information for visitors and guests

Aalto ARTS Handbook

Where to find us

School of Arts, Design and Architecture by Sari Dhima

Väre

Otaniementie 14
School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Locations
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