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Foundations · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Sustainable & Ethical Design

This course examines the designer’s responsibility in the face of climate change and social inequality. Students will explore the principles of the Circular Economy, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and ethical design practices. The curriculum challenges students to create solutions that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also environmentally regenerative and socially inclusive.Shutterstock

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Apply Circular Economy principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair) to design projects
  2. Analyze materials and production methods using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools
  3. Design accessible and inclusive solutions for diverse user abilities
  4. Identify and avoid "Greenwashing" in marketing and packaging
  5. Evaluate the ethics of digital design (Dark Patterns, AI bias, Data Privacy)
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Design & The Climate Crisis: An Introduction
  2. 02Systems Thinking & The Circular Economy
  3. 03Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Methodology
  4. 04Sustainable Materials: Paper, Ink, & Polymers
  5. 05Biomimicry: Learning from Nature
  6. 06Design for Disassembly & Repair
  7. 07Sustainable Printing & Production Techniques
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Sustainable Packaging: Materials & Structure
  10. 10Digital Sustainability: Low-Carbon Web Design
  11. 11Ethical Design I: Accessibility & Inclusion
  12. 12Ethical Design II: Dark Patterns & Privacy
  13. 13Social Impact Design & Human-Centered Design
  14. 14Recognizing & Combating Greenwashing
  15. 15The Future of Design Ethics (AI & Automation)
  16. 16Final Project: The Sustainable Solution

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Sustainable Solution

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough
  2. Design is the Problem: The Future of Design Must be Sustainable by Nathan Shedroff
  3. Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World by Mike Monteiro
  4. Sustainable Graphic Design by Wendy Jedlicka
  5. Papanek: Design for the Real World by Victor Papanek
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