Design, Creati­vity and Social Practices

Turning sustainability and responsibility into a development opportunity for organisations

The complex social, environmental and economic challenges of the near future require the intervention of new professionals capable of reorienting organisations along the lines of responsibility and social relevance.
This is the goal the Master’s intends to achieve through Design, which is the planning and construction of the future, and through Art, which is (sometimes radical) vision and connection, that is, the ability to adopt a systematic approach.

The Executive Master’s in Design, Creativity and Social Practices, born from the collaboration between Milan’s Polytechnic and Accademia Unidee – Fondazione Pistoletto’s Academy of Fine Arts – is dedicated to professionals who intend to acquire the necessary competences to implement this transformation within their own working environments.
An immersive experience which provides practical and teamwork skills, relying on the collaboration of Italian and international organisations active in the field of social innovation and social engagement.

The complex social, environmental and economic challenges contemporary societies are facing, which have been highlighted by the United Nations in their 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, require the intervention of new professionals capable of interpreting the present and reorienting organisations along the lines of responsibility, social relevance and sustainable prosperity.

We all need to rethink the way we work, we plan, we grow. The reorientation is based on the awareness that (individual, business and community) prosperity depends on relationships of balance and imbalance between local and global ecosystems, short and long term impacts, communities of users, producers, citizens, legal systems and unprecedented media and technology scenarios. A step that requires human resources capable of accompanying and facilitating its implementation.

The Executive Master’s is dedicated to professionals who intend to foster innovation within their work environments or open up new entrepreneurial perspectives.

The Master’s deals with highly topical issues, integrating the skills and methods of Design – able to translate expressed or latent needs into strategic visions and concrete solutions – with the ability to interpret and to think disruptively of Art, to understand and face the challenges of contemporary society, together with technical knowledge of marketing and design management. The Master’s is conducted in collaboration with Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto, which since the 1990s has trained thousands of students in the profession of facilitators of social transformation within the most diverse public and private, commercial, industrial, third sector and cultural organisations.

Thanks to the collaboration between Milan’s Polytechnic and Cittadellarte, the Executive Master’s offers an innovative approach that integrates the techniques and methods of Design with the “sensitivities” of Art, in order to decline social and environmental commitment into a profession.

The method consists of theoretical, methodological and planning tools based on design thinking and on humanistic and social elements, as well as on strategic design and its applications on a territorial and social scale, on the arts of critical thinking, on notions of contemporary economic and organisational forms, on inclusive and non-violent communication models, on art for social transformation.

The Master’s is an immersive collective experience which takes place entirely in Biella, at Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto, to also provide teamwork skills, relying on the collaboration of Italian and international businesses and organisations active in the field of social innovation and social engagement.

The objectives of the Master’s

The programme declines social and environmental commitment into a profession that creates value for organisations. The proposed method integrates the skills of design with the ability to interpret and think of art for social transformation, and develops on various paradigms of critical thinking, on notions of economics, on models of inclusive communication and on contemporary organisation.

The goal is to provide the necessary methods and tools to respond to contemporary challenges through the use of strategies that define the entire design process, from identifying the problem to developing the solution. These skills will be associated with the required technical-economic knowledge to evaluate the social impacts that may be generated and to manage future projects.