Matthew Wizinsky

Matthew Wizinsky is an award-winning designer, educator, researcher, and author. He is an associate professor of urban technology at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, an associate editor for the academic journal Visible Language, and a PhD researcher in Transition Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He has practiced interaction, communication, and experiential design for over two decades, and he has taught, studied, and written on contemporary design’s intersection with topics of political economy, urbanism, public history, strategic foresight, and postcapitalism.

Wizinsky has lectured, conducted workshops, and served as a critic at universities around the world, including the American University in Cairo (Egypt), Art Center College (USA), California College of the Arts (USA), CENTRO (Mexico), Digital Society School (the Netherlands), Illinois Institute of Technology (USA), University of Málaga (Spain), Northwestern University (USA), Università Iuav di Venezia (Italy), Ontario College of Art and Design (Canada), and the University of East London (UK). He has curated, organized, and designed exhibitions for the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Cincinnati Art Museum and contributed lectures and exhibited projects at events including Smart Life Festival, Italy (2023), Milan Design Week (2022), Exhibit Columbus (2019), the Venice Architecture Biennale (2018), and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, NYC (2014).

Wizinsky’s creative practice and research have included interdisciplinary collaborations in Architecture, Anthropology, Digital Humanities, Public History, and Public Health. His work has been supported by approximately US$1.5 million in grants, commissions, and sponsorships, including support from the Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Without Walls, MAC AIDS Fund, and others.

From 2015–2023, Wizinsky was an Associate Professor at the Ullman School of Design at the University of Cincinnati. He served as Director of Graduate Studies for the Master of Design (MDes) program 2022–2023. From 2012–2015, he held dual teaching & research appointments at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). At UIC’s Innovation Center, Wizinsky was the Founding Director of the Responsive Media Lab. He led research collaborations with the Colleges of Medicine, Engineering, Business, and Learning Sciences that resulted in externally funded research, patents, and curricular offerings working with partners including the City of Chicago, Morningstar financial services, Ford Motor Company, Baxter medical products, Herman Miller, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Arts Alliance of Illinois to name a few.

In 2022, Wizinsky published his first book Design After Capitalism (MIT Press). The book diagnoses challenges for design practices operating in an evolving information and service economy and proposes a modified disciplinary model, blending design entrepreneurship with social empowerment. Fast Company called it one of the “best design books of 2022.”

Wizinsky holds a bachelor of science in graphic design from the University of Cincinnati, a master of fine arts in design from the University of Illinois at Chicago, professional certification in design and design research from the Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW, and professional certification in strategic foresight from the University of Houston.