Chuck Owen Memorial

At the Institute of Design (ID) at Illinois Tech, we look at the world in new ways to create the change we hope to see in it.Since our founding by Bauhaus émigré László Moholy-Nagy in 1937, we’ve continually turned design into a powerful tool anyone can use to transform the systems that shape our lives—from cities, education, and finance to food, healthcare, and technology.We’re the only US design school devoted completely to graduate students, and the first to offer a PhD. Uniting science and rigor with creativity and rapid iteration, we’re recognized around the globe as pioneers in human-centered design, systems design, and other methods that apply design to the real world.It’s through these unique approaches that students, communities, and corporations learn to observe the systems they’re surrounded by—and envision the new worlds they can build from them.Here, learners and leaders discover what design makes possible. It enables us to adapt with the speed, scale, and complexity of life. To anticipate change and the impact of our actions. And, most importantly, to imagine—then create—brighter futures for us all.Learn more about ID atid.iit.edu.

Institute of Design (ID)

The ID community and beyond are invited to celebrate the life and legacy of ID Distinguished Professor Emeritus Charles L. Owen.

IIT Institute of Design

The ID community and beyond are invited to celebrate the <a href="https://id.iit.edu/news/a-tribute-to-chuck-owen/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">life and legacy</a> of ID Distinguished Professor Emeritus <a href="https://id.iit.edu/people/charles-l-owen/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Charles L. Owen</a>, a systems design pioneer. The public is invited to begin perusing artifacts and exhibits at 1pm; a program led by <a href="https://doblin.com/team-members/john-pipino" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">John Pipino</a>, who co-taught with Chuck, will begin at 2pm. ID faculty and emeritus faculty, including <a href="https://id.iit.edu/people/keiichi-sato/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Kei Sato</a> and <a href="https://id.iit.edu/people/vijay-kumar/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Vijay Kumar</a> (both who studied under Owen and held Charles L. Owen named professorships), will also share memories of their beloved teacher. Charles L. (Chuck) Owen, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at IIT Institute of Design (ID), passed away on October 17, 2019. Chuck—who began teaching at ID in 1965 and retired in 2010—was a pioneer in the area of systems design, and dedicated his life to understanding and designing large-scale systems. His holistic approach to influencing systemic transformations have inspired generations of designers around the world.Chuck’s impact on ID was profound. He was the driving force behind the founding of the school’s PhD program, the first program of its kind in the United States. He directed the product design program for more than 20 years, founded the Design Processes Laboratory, and worked and taught in the fields of design planning, computer-supported design, design methodology, and design theory. He created the Structured Planning methodology, a rigorous system for solving exceedingly complex problems used by such organizations as the National Parks Service and NASA.A designer and researcher in academia and industry, Chuck collaborated with organizations as varied as Doblin, Steelcase, Kohler Company, the U.S. Air Force, and the New Zealand Government, while also advising several universities in the US and abroad. His commitment to solving society’s ills through design was evident in the projects he led at ID. Project Phoenix, for example, proposed a system to fight greenhouse gases, and Future Living proposed new systems that could transform housing in Chicago.A beloved teacher, Chuck mentored his students to success and international acclaim. In 1991, Project Phoenix received Popular Science’s Grand Prize for Environmental Technology in the magazine’s “Best of What’s New” issue. Likewise, his students won grand prizes in the Japan Design Foundation’s International Design Competition and honors in the International Design Excellence Awards.In 1990 he was the recipient of the American Center for Design’s Education Award for his contributions to design history, theory, and practice; five years later, he was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor.

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Chuck Owen Memorial

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