WHAT IS A SOCIAL INNOVATION DESIGNER?
At MFA Product Design, you'll build a foundation for the rest of your career. However you approach social innovation in your master of fine arts program, we'll ensure you get all the knowledge we have to offer.
Our graduates become leaders in all the disciplines in our curriculum, including social innovation design, graphic design and branding, business design, service design, interaction design, and industrial design. You'll learn by example here, taking classes all around New York City and meeting with groundbreaking leaders of companies like Etsy, Google Creative Lab, and IDEO. Outside of our campus, you'll visit professional studios like Frog Design, Atlason, and Material ConneXion.
Take Master's Graduate Classes in Social Innovation Design in New York
MFA Product Design approaches the master's degree differently. There are no specializations or tracks here—our unique multidisciplinary approach means that each student learns about all design fields. Our goal is to enable you to succeed in any creative field and make a difference beyond that which you’d learn through a standard design for social innovation master’s program. Our standard courses last 15 weeks, and we also offer a range of five- to seven-week courses to build students' knowledge and experience.
The faculty you'll collaborate with at MFA Product Design is unlike any other. Our teachers are top designers at major organizations like the Museum of Modern Art and Johnson & Johnson, navigating social problems and finding ways to make an impact. Our teachers have a range of experience and education, including graduates of social design master’s programs. Anyone looking to enact social change and bring about a better world through design will feel right at home in this environment.
What Is Social Innovation Design?
Social innovation design is still developing as a field, but the concept isn't new. Like interaction design, social innovation looks at what drives human behavior and how these drives interact with one another. It's about using these interactions to draw meaning and create designs that attract and impact the social climate.
Understanding the needs of a society or community allows you to create designs for products and services that speak to it specifically, giving users what they need to improve their lives. Many people in roles involving social innovation design find it incredibly rewarding to see their changes impacting the world.
What Does a Social Innovation Designer Do?
A social innovation designer uses various design methodologies to create solutions for complex human problems. Through their work, they aim to create social conditions that bring about increased creativity, access, social justice, and equity.
Social innovation designers are always looking forward to seeing how they can improve societal well-being—they're problem-solvers looking to innovate new approaches for anything and everything. Through constant practice, collaboration, and research, they learn how to disrupt the status quo and build new paths to global sustainability and a better world.
Essential Skills for Social Innovation Designers
Earning a master's degree with classes that emphasize social innovation design requires a collection of traits and skills that motivate one to enact change and stay dedicated to doing so for a long time. A good designer has skills in the following areas:
Passion for change: The key to doing any job well is to be passionate about it. This drive is especially vital when you're striving to enact change in a place that values the status quo.
Empathy: Empathy is a natural part of design, and social innovation design takes it to a new level. You have to be able to understand why people feel the way they do about particular topics and create new ways to express their ideas. Furthermore, your design has to invoke empathy in others, which is nearly impossible if you can't feel it yourself.
Adaptability: The social landscape changes constantly, and new issues take the stage every day. Being able to pivot and develop new ideas is an invaluable skill.
Resilience: In any creative field, the ability to take rejection and criticism is necessary. You'll learn more and create better work in the future because of it.
Systems thinking: Design has to fit in with every other aspect or system of a project. When working on new innovations, you must be able to consider all the systems involved and how they'll interact.
Communication: Telling a story through a design is often one of the most challenging parts of a campaign, but it makes for a better user experience and understanding. That's why designers need to be able to communicate—with their audience and their collaborators.
Ability to evaluate: After working on the same design for a while, it's easy to love it or hate it and not see the nuances. The best way to track your progress is by developing a consistent measurement and evaluation plan.
Research: To develop a standout campaign, you have to understand what works for others. A foundation in research skills is key to finding this information and using it to enhance whatever you create next.
Career Paths for Social Innovation Designers
Our multidisciplinary approach means our students can find career paths in any industry. Design is an essential part of marketing, for example—and marketing will always be necessary to beat out the competition and enact real change. You'll find roles in the government sector, nonprofits, and for-profit businesses.
Some of the brightest alumni of our master's classes in design for social impact have excelled in roles as a:
Design Researcher
Instructional Designer
Community Designer
Innovation Facilitator
Design Strategist
UX Designer
Innovation Specialist
Product Designer
Learn How to Build a Better World at MFA Product Design
MFA Product Design is for anyone looking to change the terrain of design—even if you've never taken a design class before. Our program takes designers of all skill levels, from novice to expert, and teaches them how to navigate this ever-changing field. You'll have a strong knowledge foundation in all design disciplines that you can use to find a career in almost any industry by the time you've completed our curriculum. If you’re currently exploring a traditional design for social innovation masters, we’d love to hear from you! Our program can prepare you for an impactful career in design for social impact.
Have questions? Check out our frequently asked questions page or get in touch to learn more about what our program can do for you. If you're ready, apply online today.