Master of Design

Strategy isn’t about predicting the future – it’s about creating the conditions for it.

The Design Futures program aims to move beyond simply asking, ‘What will the future be?’ to asking, ‘What could we be-able to enable?

This shift changes everything: uncertainty stops feeling like a threat and starts feeling like a field of creation. The program is dedicated to training thinkers and leaders not to be right about what’s next, but to be ready for whatever comes next.

True strategic power lies in moving from control to creation, designing for emergence by cultivating Adaptive Systems, Strategic Optionality and Cultures of Curiosity.

The goal of ‘Design Futures’ is to investigate, envision, and strategically prototype preferred societal, technological, and environmental futures. This program aims to move design beyond immediate user needs toward addressing systemic challenges, disruptive technologies, and long-term consequences, guiding organizations and communities toward positive, resilient, and sustainable outcomes.

For our Masters program, this formula means that effective Design Futures integrates Technology (disruptive science, AI, biotech, etc.) with an understanding of Systemic Change (shifts in policy, economics, culture, and ecology) and Radical Foresight (identifying weak signals, constructing scenarios, and imagining alternatives) to create provocative, strategic, and evidence-based visions of tomorrow.

Here, we design (scenarios, conceptual products, policy prototypes, and narrative experiences) to achieve a deeper understanding of, and influence over, future outcomes.

This stream ‘Design Futures’ refers to the process of developing a critical inquiry into plausible, possible, and preferred futures for humanity and the planet. This discourse is both intellectual and manifested through tangible future artifacts (e.g., prototypes, experiences, films) that make abstract futures accessible and debatable.

Specialists with a Master of Design (Design Futures) are essential for organizations operating in environments of high uncertainty and seeking strategic reinvention, as their expertise shifts focus from prediction to designing the conditions for emergence. They are primarily sought after by: Corporate Innovation Labs and Tech Giants to act as Strategic Foresight Leads and design ethical and business frameworks for disruptive technologies like AI and biotech; major Strategic Consulting firms to apply speculative and systemic thinking to C-suite challenges; Government and Public Sector agencies (e.g., in Urban Planning and Public Health) to act as Policy Foresight Analysts designing resilient systems for long-term societal issues; and Venture Capital funds and Deep Tech startups to identify weak signals, inform investment theses, and create viable futures for new markets.

The goal of Graphic and Visual Communication Design is to create meaningful, persuasive, and engaging visual solutions that effectively meet communication objectives, considering the audience, context, and media platform. This program aims for a holistic approach, ensuring visual artifacts are not only user-centered but also aesthetically impactful, technically reproducible, strategically sound, and culturally relevant, contributing to effective information transfer and brand value.

For a Graphic and Visual Communication Design Masters program, this formula means that effective VCD integrates communication strategy (target audience, message clarity, and brand goals) with a deep understanding of semiotics (meaning-making through symbols, text, and image) and media technology (digital, print, motion, and interactive platforms) to create high-quality, innovative, and impactful visual systems.

Visual Communication Design is what we design (logos, interfaces, publications, motion graphics) to achieve an intended message, experience, and value.

Graphic and Visual Communication Design shapes how people perceive and interact with information, brands, and narratives. It determines the overall clarity and perceived trustworthiness of a message, focusing on visual hierarchy, typography, imagery, and the seamless, cognitive relationship between the viewer and the information.

Graphic and Visual Communication Design transforms complex information into clear, actionable, and beautiful visual solutions. This process involves a deep dialogue between message, medium, and psychology, considering the cognitive and emotional impact of the communication as it is consumed and interpreted across its entire lifecycle – from initial concept to final deployment.

The goal of Industrial Product Design is to create meaningful, functional, and desirable tangible products that effectively meet user needs, considering their context, interaction, and lifecycle. This program aims for a holistic approach, ensuring products are not only user-centered but also aesthetically pleasing, technically feasible, economically viable, and environmentally responsible, contributing to both human well-being and sustainable outcomes.

For an Industrial Product Design Masters program, this formula means that effective design integrates technology (manufacturing processes, mechanical principles, and smart systems) with a deep understanding of material science (properties, sustainability, and application) and aesthetics (form, proportion, and visual communication) to create high-quality, innovative, and market-ready physical products.

Product Design is what we design (tangible, manufactured artifacts) to achieve an intended function, experience, and value.

Industrial Product Design shapes how people interact with the physical world through the objects they use daily. It determines the overall utility and perceived quality of a product, focusing on its physical form, material, function, and the seamless, ergonomic relationship between the user and the object.

Industrial Product Design transforms needs into manufacturable solutions. This process involves a deep dialogue between form, function, and technology, considering the physical and emotional impact of the product as it is used and lived with across its entire lifecycle – from concept to disposal.

The goal of ‘User Experience and Interaction Design’ stream is to create meaningful, usable, and desirable interactive products, systems, and services that effectively meet user needs within their environment, while also considering the impact on life and the broader ecosystem, aiming for both user well-being and sustainable outcomes.

The stream advocates that effective User Experience (UX) design is achieved by integrating three core components: Technology, the platforms and tools used, a deep understanding of Human evolution, how users think and act, and Foresight anticipating future needs and trends. This comprehensive approach ensures the resulting UX is consistently intuitive, valuable, and seamless.

User Experience (UX) and Interaction Design (IxD) determine how people interact with products, services, and systems. UX focuses on the overall feeling and journey a user has, while Interaction Design specifically shapes the moments of interaction to be intuitive, efficient, and delightful.

User Experience and Interaction Design determines the value of a communication service to its users, and the quality of experience they have when using it.

User Experience and Interaction Design (UX-UI) involves developing the full range of engagement a person has with a product or service. This interaction is not just functional; it’s a physical and emotional discourse that is brought to life by how the user experiences the combination of form, function, and technology over time.