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

Professor Riikka Puurunen, Catalysis Research group, Aalto Open Science Award, Honorary mention
Awards and Recognition, Research & Art Published:

Aalto Open Science Award Honorary Mention 2023 – Professor Riikka Puurunen leads by example to foster sustainable open science

We interviewed professor Riikka Puurunen, head of Catalysis research group at the School of Chemical Engineering, who received an honorary mention in the first Aalto Open Science Award.
Blue-shirted woman with short dark hair and dark glasses
Appointments Published:

Professor of Practice Pia Hannukainen: ‘I believe in the power of design also in the future’

Hannukainen believes that it is important for companies to secure skilled designers and for graduates to have sufficient skills for working life.
Two of the awardees and their robotic arm all holding colorful mugs. Aalto Open Science Award, Honorary mention.
Awards and Recognition, Research & Art Published:

Aalto Open Science Award Third Place Awardee 2023 – Intelligent Robotics Research Group with the Robotic Manipulation of Deformable Objects project

We interviewed the Intelligent Robotics Research Group with the Robotic Manipulation of Deformable Objects project, 3rd place awardees of the first Aalto Open Science Award.
Five Aalto University students around a table
Research & Art Published:

Read the Qual+ Newsletter

We are excited to welcome you to the second Qual+ Newsletter and continue bringing you new ways of looking at methods within management studies.

Events

Finnish Social Science Data Archive: Open archiving of data collected from human subjects
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

Finnish Social Science Data Archive: Open archiving of data collected from human subjects, Apr 16, 2024

Learn about the opening of data from human subjects with Dr. Arja Kuula-Luumi, Chief Specialist from the Finnish Social Science Data Archive.
DMPs: online workshop
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

Data Management Plans: Online workshop for researchers, Apr 17, 2024

Learn about writing a DMP with Information Specialist Lucie Hradecká and Data Agent Enrico Glerean.
DMPs: on-site workshop
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

Data Management Plans: On-site workshop for researchers, Apr 18, 2024

Learn about writing a DMP in this in-person workshop with Information Specialist Lucie Hradecká and Data Agent Enrico Glerean.
How to share research data: Examples from engineering and human sciences
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

How to Share Research Data: Examples from engineering and human sciences, Apr 23, 2024

Learn about sharing research data with Data Agent Clemens Icheln and Information Specialist Laura Mure.

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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