new member | beijing normal university (BNU) (china)

10.12.2025 Announcements

ICoD is pleased to welcome Beijing Normal University, China, as our new Educational Member. Beijing Normal University (BNU), founded in 1902 and directly under China's Ministry of Education, is a prestigious comprehensive university and a national "Double First-Class" institution. It holds a significant position in both the local and international design education landscape. This is demonstrated by its "Art & Design" subject ranking within the global 151-200 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.

A unique strength of BNU in design is its forward-looking, interdisciplinary approach. This is embodied by its School of Future Design, which integrates art, technology, and education. The school focuses on cultivating innovative talent through core research directions in Design and Future Production/Lifestyles, Art and Technology, and Design and Education.

The Zhuhai campus, home to the School of Future Design, is renowned for its inspiring environment and modern facilities, supporting a project-based and globally connected educational model.

School Building

Beijing Normal University's primary entity for design education and research is the School of Future Design (SFD). Established in 2021, the school offers a comprehensive educational structure from undergraduate to doctoral levels, all built upon three pioneering, interdisciplinary research directions that define its academic mission.

Core Research and Educational Directions:
Design and Future Production/Lifestyles
This direction investigates how technological transformations—such as the new internet culture, intelligent society, and digital economy—will reshape future culture, production, and daily life. The corresponding programmes train students to undertake forward-looking and practical design research, equipping them to envision and prototype the products, services, and systems for tomorrow's world.

International Summer School

Art and TechnologyFocusing on the frontier where technology expands creative possibility, this direction explores digital media art, multimedia design, interaction design, and artificial intelligence visualization. Programmes under this pillar combine conceptual exploration with hands-on practice, preparing students to become innovators and leaders in the rapidly evolving field of digital creation.

Design and Education
This unique direction examines the intersection of design and learning from two complementary perspectives: "Education for Design" and "Design for Education." The former involves research on design pedagogy, aesthetic education in foundational schooling, and social design education. The latter applies design thinking to create solutions for educational scenarios, including learning spaces, teaching tools, functional apparel, and other educational services.

Academic Programmes
The School of Future Design integrates these three directions into its complete academic portfolio. Based on the three core concepts of “Human Existence”, “Human Creation” and “Human Development”, the School of Future Design offers undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programs This multi-level system ensures a continuous pipeline for cultivating interdisciplinary, innovative talents who are ready to address complex future challenges through design.

BNU Art Gallery

The School of Future Design distinguishes itself through a powerful integration of real-world Project-Based Learning (PBL), cutting-edge facilities, and global practice platforms.

Our core pedagogy is our annual, cross-disciplinary "PBL Grand Challenge," where students tackle substantive projects with premier partners. Flagship outcomes include the award-winning tea space design "A Leaf Through Time" for the China Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, and systematic color research for the Palace Museum. Students have also undertaken national branding projects for the Government of Kyrgyzstan, demonstrating our capacity for international cultural design. These projects are showcased each year at a dedicated exhibition in our on-campus Yuanbai Art Gallery. The Yuanbai Building is an architectural "behavior catalyst" comprised of 15 interconnected cubes. This innovative space houses specialized Future Labs (e.g., Service Design, Art & Tech) and a suite of professional workshops for woodworking, metalworking, virtual production, and 3D printing, enabling ideas to move seamlessly from concept to physical prototype.

Our international network extends beyond academic exchange to actionable projects. Alongside partnerships with institutions like the Hongik University (South Korea) and Politecnico di Milano, we run on-ground "Belt and Road" cultural practices, where students conduct field research and execute design commissions in Central Asia, offering unparalleled global experience.

Fab-Lab Seminar

This triad of industry-driven PBL projects, advanced integrated facilities, and immersive international platforms forms our unique ecosystem for educating the next generation of designers.

Student and faculty projects demonstrate the impact of our project-based learning. En example is the project, national gifts for the Government of Kyrgyzstan, showcasing design that shapes culture, industry, and international dialogue.

The School of Future Design at BNU is built on a unique, forward-looking vision: to move beyond traditional design education by cultivating transdisciplinary innovators who employ design thinking to solve complex societal problems and shape future lifestyles, guided by our core philosophy of “design for a better future life.”

Our strategic growth is centered on two concrete, interconnected plans. First, we are evolving from a single-campus model into a fluid, multi-node educational network. Within the next five years, we plan to establish classrooms and teaching bases in key cities across the Greater Bay Area, including Macao, and Shenzhen. This expansion aims to create a dynamic, interconnected academy that leverages regional strengths and offers unparalleled practical exposure.

Second, we are deepening our integration with and commitment to our local and regional ecosystem. We will intensify our industry-embedded Project-Based Learning (PBL) model and focus our research on critical frontiers like AI in design, sustainable design, and social innovation. By doing so, we directly contribute to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's development, transforming local cultural heritage into creative assets and serving as a vital bridge connecting academic research, talent development, and high-quality regional economic growth.

Ultimately, our plan is to become a pioneering and responsive design school that is both globally minded and regionally rooted, educating the versatile designers tomorrow needs.

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