Stories

wide angle shot of Ride the Synthwave event sponsored by Nelda Studios featuring projection mapping on Winship building at UT Austin
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SDCT's Top 10: Year in Review

Look back on the show-stopping events, national recognition, and milestones we're celebrating from the 2022-2023 academic year.

Illustration for The New Design Thinking Imperative by Misa Yamamoto.

The New Design Thinking Imperative

August 30, 2018

Design thinking has spread to many disciplines, businesses and cultures; however, the way design thinking is executed requires change. The “fail fast” mentality can sometimes cause more harm than good, but merging design thinking with principles from the scientific method may offer a more successful way forward.

Illustration for Confronting the Cultural Taboo with Design: Intimate Cosmetic Brand SAIB and Co.

Confronting the Cultural Taboo with Design: Intimate Cosmetic Brand SAIB & Co.

August 30, 2018

South Korea is a patriarchal, sexually conservative society where the subject of sex has traditionally been taboo. Korean women have long felt uncomfortable purchasing or openly carrying condoms, which are designed and packaged with a masculine message and arousing imagery. Being excluded from the branding and marketing of condoms has left Korean women more vulnerable to unwanted pregnancy and STDs, until now. A progressive South Korean cosmetics brand is working to tackle this problem by creating products that are designed by and for women. 

Still from Within, Above and Beyond by Yuliya Lanina.

Within, Above and Beyond

August 30, 2018

Within, Above and Beyond is the recent interactive multimedia piece by multimedia artist Yulia Lanina. In the piece, Lanina interacts with projected animations of her paintings in a narrative that chronicles Lanina’s journey to find clarity amid the noise of disconcerting news, images and social media.

Illustration for A Conversation on Designing for Commerce by Misa Yamamoto.

A Conversation on Designing for Commerce

August 30, 2018

Two graphic designers turned software designers worked together for years at Etsy, where they helped build and scale the online marketplace that connects millions of buyers and sellers from nearly every country in the world today. In this dialogue, these two designers discuss their own career journeys and what they’ve learned about creating compelling shopping experiences online.

An abstract starting level provided for students to engage in Explorational Design.

Teaching Play

August 30, 2018

How should educators teach game design principles? The short answer is to teach the principles of play—specifically, play as a mechanism for exploring interactive systems and a means for designing game levels. 

Doreen Lorenzo, Associate Dean of the School of Design and Creative Technologies

Editor's Note

August 30, 2018

Associate Dean for the School of Design and Creative Technologies Doreen Lorenzo introduces the 2018 issue of the Journal of Design and Creative Technologies.

Illustration for The Human-Centered Design Process is Androgynous by Misa Yamamoto.

The Human-Centered Design Process is Androgynous

August 30, 2018

Looking through the lens of American psychologist Sandra Bem’s definition of androgyny, human-centered design asks participants to take an androgynous approach and to adopt the best of both masculine and feminine traits to improve problem-solving outcomes.

Illustration by Jason Wilkins.

What is an Entrepreneurial Mindset? Top 3 Reasons Creatives Should Care

August 29, 2018

Today, entrepreneurship is about more than launching a new company. It’s a way of thinking and acting that can change your world and the world of others.

Design toolkit illustration by Misa Yamamoto.

Behold and Beware, Design Toolkits

June 22, 2018

The tools of design thinking are intellectual and conceptual, and while design thinking toolkits can be incredibly useful, they don’t guarantee “mastery” of design or design thinking. It’s a nuanced process that takes time and instruction to build design cognition, a sharp eye, and skilled hands.

Illustration showing overlap between design and education by Misa Yamamoto.

How Design Can Improve Learning Outcomes in Higher Ed

June 22, 2018

Institutions of higher education are looking for new approaches to retain students, ensure timely progression and graduation, and maximize learning. University culture, structure, and incentives can often paralyze institutions, making it challenging to focus the work of faculty and administrators in a meaningful and timely way. Research conducted at Boise State University shows that design thinking has the potential to increase the creative capacity of university staff at all levels to rapidly improve the student experience.