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Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP)

The Institute of Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP) works at the intersection of education, research, knowledge production, and design mediation. It encompasses three fields of study: Fashion Design, Industrial Design, and Interior Architecture & Scenography and offers students, researchers and staff from various disciplines a lively, creative environment to explore and mediate contemporary, reflective design practices.

The Institute of Contemporary Design Practices understands design as a central area of cultural production that molds many areas of daily life and thus as an essential aspect for shaping our society. The institute sees itself as a hybrid platform, offers interchangeable study programs at both Bachelor's and Master's levels, and is connected to the school's Ph.D. programme. These tertiary education opportunities will be complemented in the coming year by design-oriented continuing education programs, which offer individual in-depth study in the field of one's practice, research, and theory. The urgent current discourses around global crises of climate and social inequality are negotiated in design-oriented focus areas such as sustainability & ecology, future-making & technology, interaction & materiality.

The ICDP's goal is to promote the plurality of perspectives and approaches and interdisciplinary exchange. With its labs, the institute offers the ideal platform for the education of current and future designers and provides space for diversity, novelty, criticality, and experimentation. Together, students and staff strive to cultivate diverse perspectives and strengthen individuals' design development and creative paths. In addition, the ICDP is an essential stakeholder in the contemporary Swiss design scene and works regionally, nationally, and internationally with numerous partners from the creative sector and the industry. In the context of these cooperations, we realize relevant research, development, and service projects.

For future-oriented training and research activities, the institute offers three labs: the Digital Integration Lab, the Design Culture Lab, and the Material@Sustainability Lab. The labs are designed as an open space for experimentation and discovery and contribute to the high design quality in teaching and research. A lively infrastructure with workshops, experts, and guest lecturers complements the institute's facilities. The ICDP is actively involved in numerous international and Swiss design and cultural events, festivals, exhibitions, fashion shows, and conferences. The results of projects, research findings, and multiple student awards are regularly disseminated through publications and digital channels.

Bachelor of Arts

Industrial Design

Aesthetics, usability, materials, emotional impact, legibility, formal value: the design of serially produced goods draws on the knowledge of various ...

to Industrial Design

Interior Architecture and Scenography

The degree programme focuses on the design of the urban public realm as a place of social and political action. It takes as its theme the interaction of ...

to Interior Architecture and Scenography

Fashion Design

Doing fashion is a culture, and fashion design is a cultural practice. Fashion is involved in all areas that are very important to us at the moment. Alongside ...

to Fashion Design

Master of Arts

Masterstudio Industrial Design

The Masterstudio Industrial Design programme is positioned around three current research focal points: Digital Integration, Design Cultures, and Circular ...

to Masterstudio Industrial Design

Masterstudio Scenography

In the Masterstudio Scenography, students develop the ability to confidently translate challenging content into accessible spatial images and develop staged ...

to Masterstudio Scenography

Masterstudio Fashion Design

The way we dress is an effective form of non-verbal communication that can convey a variety of messages about our identity, including our cultural background ...

to Masterstudio Fashion Design

Projects

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Schuhe für Freitag

to Schuhe für Freitag
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Kochbesteck aus der Schweiz

to Kochbesteck aus der Schweiz
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Wohnbedarf 2016

to Wohnbedarf 2016
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SENCO Feuerwehrhelm-Konzept

to SENCO Feuerwehrhelm-Konzept
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SOON

to SOON
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«COME TOGETHER – DER FREILAGERPLATZ ALS MÖGLICHKEITSORT»

to «COME TOGETHER – DER FREILAGERPLATZ ALS MÖGLICHKEITSORT»
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Labs

The labs are designed as open spaces for experimentation and cognition and contribute to the high quality of design in teaching and research.
The ICDP Institute has the following laboratories for research activities:

  • Design Culture Lab
  • Circular Design Lab
  • Digital Integration Lab
  • metaLAB

Research

OSADM (swissuniversities)

to OSADM (swissuniversities)

Initialization Project: New Landscapes of Knowledge and Research

to Initialization Project: New Landscapes of Knowledge and Research

Inklusives 3D-Druckprojekt für orthopädische Kinderschuhe

to Inklusives 3D-Druckprojekt für orthopädische Kinderschuhe
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LOOK Book ICDP, INSIGHTS NO.3

Meet our Team (De)

Who's behind "ICDP"? Get to know the team at the Institute

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Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP)

FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland Basel Academy of Art and Design Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP) Freilager-Platz 1, Postfach 4002 Basel
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Dreispitz Basel

FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland Basel Academy of Art and Design Freilager-Platz 1 4142 Münchenstein near Basel
More information about the location