Quaint Relics is an ongoing speculative exploration of electronic waste and its potential for reuse in different contexts such as furniture. Adapting e-waste into unconventional new products in this manner is intended to spark discussion regarding our consumption and disposal of electronics.

Get a glimpse of the SDCT's Spring 2023 Showcase. For the first time, the Department of Design joined forces with the Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies for a unique gathering of Austin’s creative community.

Premiering at Fusebox Festival, Entangled Intelligences invited visitors to experience a unique exhibition that challenges anthropocentric thinking and embraces the diverse forms of intelligence found in the natural world. Featuring works by the Ecocentric Future Lab directed by Design Professor Jiabao Li and other renowned artists.

Lattice weaves together the thesis works of eight graduating M.F.A. candidates in Design, each probing the fragile connections between people, cultures, and environments. The projects sustain overlooked histories, reclaim informal spaces, challenge extrovert-centered norms, and imagine new ways of belonging. They navigate discomfort in air travel, explore trust in AI, and reframe human relationships with more-than-human worlds. Through cultural memory, speculative futures, and everyday artifacts, the exhibition reveals design as a latticework of resilience, critique, and care. 

Zac DeLane's family has called Texas home for four generations, and from small towns and big cities, their family has roots in a lot of different towns in Texas. This piece was designed to showcase Zac's family roots and history, while also serving as a centerpiece for their backyard space.

Welcome to the International Multidimensional Wizard Tournament! Competitors from far and wide have come to test their mettle through magical dueling. This Alt Ctrl arcade game and cabinet was created by AET students in the "Next Level Arcade" course. 

Every researcher had mentors who helped assimilate them into a life of scholarly work, and the process continues with their future mentees. These comprise the roots and branches of the academic tree of a single researcher. If we let these ancestors’ and descendants’ genders affect these trees like a “wind,” most curl nearly to the earth. To set these trees growing upright again we visualize giving differential weight to male and female researchers.

The Fem Press: Her Story in Design and Media by Avery Fox is an educational zine and interactive database project addressing gender inequity in the publication design industry, inspired by historical feminist publications. The zine, riso printed with a letterpress cover, aims to showcase and uplift the work of female creators across the industry.

"Morphology" is a project developed by students Eriane Austria and Em Dryer through a partnership with Gensler design firm. This project showcases on a large media wall at Gensler's Austin office and explores the theme of interconnectedness, focusing on the relationships between Gensler, UT Austin, and the students themselves.

Becauseisms expresses emotional, societal, and personal provocations. The work is a reflection of the 2023 M.F.A. Design candidates' optimism and intention through design.

Designed by Ishita Sisodia (B.A. Design '24), Rehab Bud is a two-sided platform that allows physical therapy patients to record their exercises and get real-time AI feedback on the accuracy of their form, while also tracking their recovery progress and holding them accountable. 

Murfi is a space-saving furniture system for kids living in crowded housing. By including storage, a bed, and a desk, it aims to provide the essentials for a kid while also offering a sense of personalization.

The degree to which children grow up in crowded housing is a neglected but potentially important aspect of social inequality. Children are particularly dependent on and influenced by their home environments, as they use the space for socialization, skill development, and identity formation. Additionally, households are becoming increasingly exposed to crowded housing conditions, with levels higher than those prior to the Great Recession, making this a growing issue that needs to be addressed, and Murfi does just that.