Hybrid Futures in Design

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Hybrid Futures in Design explores the multidisciplinary nature of contemporary design through analog and digital processes, human and machine, and their overlapping applications to advertising, media, the art world, and other fields that require visual communication (environmental graphics, medical research, etc). Through a combination of iterative studio projects, prototypes, experimentation with analog processes through artificial intelligence, research, and critical media analysis (readings, animation, film, ad campaigns, etc) students develop hybrid design methodologies that integrate conceptual thinking with technical execution. The course emphasizes design as a tool for inquiry, simplifying complex communication, and multiple modes of creative expression to bridge information gaps and build emotional connections instead of solely problem-solving. Projects may include visual systems, campaigns, and prototypes for real-world clients and creative expression that respond to complex cultural, technological, and ethical questions. Students are encouraged to question authorship, labor, bias, and power in hybrid design systems while developing a personal design position grounded in theory, experimentation, and reflective practice. The course culminates in an interdisciplinary design project with a client that synthesizes research, critical framing, and hybrid production methods to communicate complex concepts and an Applied-AI certification.