
Austin Center for Design exists to transform society through design and design education. This transformation occurs through the development of design knowledge directed towards all forms of social and humanitarian problems.
AC4D offers a one year program - held on site (on nights and weekends) in Austin, Texas - emphasizing creative problem solving related to human behavior, through the use of advanced technology and novel approaches to business strategy.
The program is ideal for designers, artists, business professionals and technologists with 2-5 years experience doing professional work, or for more seasoned professionals looking to change the trajectory of their careers.
Our curriculum includes instruction in ethnography, prototyping, service design, theory, usability testing, and financial company structures.
Austin Center for Design is not just for designers! We are looking for students who have an existing interest and proven track record in art, design, technology, business, and social work.
I’m a hungry bike riding doodler, who loves complex problem solving. I’ve lived in the US, Europe, and Asia, and love traveling light and getting lost. I enjoy making new things and talking about them, then making them better. At heart, however, I’m into old things, worn in things, things that have stories that can be told. I like those objects because they’re often attached to people who lead interesting lives, and those are the people I like to surround myself with.... More...
January 26, 2012
AC4D Professor Jon Freach was recently published in The Atlantic. In a short piece titled Sciences, Humanities, and … Design? The Case for a Third Pillar of Education, Jon describes some of his experiences teaching at AC4D: But the problematic part was that they were students at a design school. We actively recruit and accept those without deep design backgrounds because of the other skills and experience they bring to … More…

