At Design for Social Innovation, we support designers who center on communities to make lasting social change.
The MFA Design for Social Innovation program explores design-based practices that facilitate the conditions and relationships resulting in lasting social change. As a graduate department in the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City, we support enduring connections in art and design to increase creativity and imagination in all aspects of life.
Through social design, students learn a deeper understanding of how to apply their design practice to systems of ever-growing complexity. DSI asks designers to think and research critically and center on communities. We support community-led collaborations that strengthen the knowledge, resources, and expertise of our ecosystems. By expanding on possibilities of what design can be, we support our students to embrace new ways of thinking, being, and doing – to tackle past, current, and future questions about how to shape our world.
Photo description: Learning in community, Chuyao Geng & Ishita Jain (DSI MFA ’18) on their thesis project, Canversation.
The future needs you.
See Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
And say hello at dsiinfo@sva.edu. Follow us @svadsi
Chair’s Letter
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your continued care and interest in MFA Design for Social Innovation. Together at MFA DSI, we are exploring the systems, relationships, and conditions that support the well-being of people and the planet – through collaboration, shared values, and common goals supporting our collective health, equity, care, access, and justice.
Spring 2024 kept us mindful of the complexities of this work and the growth required for change. Social design means working together in the face of challenges, embracing diversity, building on our strengths and joy, and encouraging each other towards centering communities to be the change that the world needs.
There is no shortage of issues today – add in thinking about the future, and it doesn’t get more daunting…what can design really do? And then we remember that things happen by design. Design may show up in places that have not been considered before – to amplify and multiply our efforts to heal, regenerate, and repair – to create more access, joy, care, and actions to help us get there.
Karen Proctor, our beloved DSI Leadership instructor (and grateful to have Karen as our 2024 Thesis Show guest speaker), emphasizes:
“Live intentionally. Design with intention. Lead with intentionality.”
Design can offer the space, connections, inspiration, and opportunities to be more intentional. We hope these stories from our communities resonate and help us keep us going and stay committed to our practice and growth.
We’re preparing for a thought-provoking year ahead and looking forward to the possibilities by design. How about you? Please be in touch and share what you’re doing so we can keep the cycles going.
With care,
Miya Osaki, Chair
June 2024
