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

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

On a table there are tools for plaster modelling
Press releases, Research & Art, Studies Published:

Handbook introduces the world of ceramics

The Ceramics Handbook guides the reader to working with clay through texts, images, illustrations, animations, and videos.
Smiling woman with glasses and long hair standing on the staircase and looking up at the camera
Awards and Recognition Published:

Mariana Salgado is the Alumn of the Year of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Service design expert speaks for the designers’ role in public policy creation and in helping strengthen participation.
Lara Ejtehadian, Patrick Rinke, and Ilari Lähteenmäki sitting with coffee mugs and smiling to the camera.
Awards and Recognition, Research & Art Published:

Aalto Open Science Award Winner 2023 - Aalto Materials Digitalization Platform (AMAD)

We interviewed the AMAD team, winners of the first Aalto Open Science Award.
Otaniemi seafront pictured in the summer with the Aalto logo and event title, and VTT and Open Science logos overlayed.
Campus, Cooperation, Research & Art Published:

Open Science and Research Summer Conference 2024 will be hosted by Aalto University

Aalto University is co-organising the Open Science and Research Summer Conference 2024 with the National Coordination of Open Science and Research, and VTT.

Events

Privacy in Speech Technology Research
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

Privacy in Speech Technology Research, Mar 21, 2024

Learn about privacy in speech technology research with Professor Tom Bäckström from the School of Electrical Engineering.
How to Store Research Data
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

How to Store Research Data, Mar 26, 2024

Learn about storing research data safely with Data Agents Ilari Lähteenmäki and Dan Häggman.
Exploring AI analysis of qualitative data
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

Exploring AI analysis of qualitative data, Apr 9, 2024

Learn about the possibilities of AI in analysing qualitative data with Staff Scientist & Data Agent Dr. Enrico Glerean.
How to Store Sensitive or Confidential Data
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

How to Store Sensitive or Confidential Data, Apr 11, 2024

Learn about storing sensitive and confidential research data safely with Data Agents Ilari Lähteenmäki and Dan Häggman.

Department management

 Tuuli Mattelmäki

Tuuli Mattelmäki

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 Communications Guide

ARTS' communications guide

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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