MASTER OF STRATEGIC DESIGN IN COMPLEXITY
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
The Master of Strategic Design in Complexity is a one year program at ELISAVA School of Design and Engineering in Barcelona and in partnership with Kaospilot in Aarhus Denmark.
![]()
Students engaging in field work in Barcelona.
![]()
Students working in Studio at Elisava.
Students engaging in field work in Barcelona.
Students working in Studio at Elisava.
Program Description
The Master in Strategic Design in Complexity combines design disciplines with other applied social sciences to respond to today’s challenges, developing students’ capacities to solve problems both in the business sphere and all kinds of organisational or community-based settings.
Design has found a place in practically all aspects of society and is no longer exclusively limited to areas related to craft, art and architecture. Following this trend, strategic planning and its application have begun to form part of the world of design, driving new hybrid disciplines and theories that encompass areas like innovation, inclusive design, corporate design and strategic design, but also areas like leadership, sustainability, systems thinking and business change and development, among others.
As the world becomes increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous), areas like strategy design and the role of strategy in design are gaining relevance. This master responds to the context of society’s growing complexity and the need for a systems approach for solving problems. It thereby aims to prepare a new generation of professionals, like you, by not only enhancing your business skills, but also equipping you with the design capacities required to develop initiatives that respond to the challenges and needs of the 21st century, including environmental and ethical issues.
In this context, the programme promotes ethnographic and anthropological research, ideation and prototyping to devise new approaches in the field of business and social innovation. You will gain design-based critical thinking skills, while developing sophisticated perspectives on organisational and management strategy, financial and environmental strategy, entrepreneurial spirit and ethical leadership.
Design has found a place in practically all aspects of society and is no longer exclusively limited to areas related to craft, art and architecture. Following this trend, strategic planning and its application have begun to form part of the world of design, driving new hybrid disciplines and theories that encompass areas like innovation, inclusive design, corporate design and strategic design, but also areas like leadership, sustainability, systems thinking and business change and development, among others.
As the world becomes increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous), areas like strategy design and the role of strategy in design are gaining relevance. This master responds to the context of society’s growing complexity and the need for a systems approach for solving problems. It thereby aims to prepare a new generation of professionals, like you, by not only enhancing your business skills, but also equipping you with the design capacities required to develop initiatives that respond to the challenges and needs of the 21st century, including environmental and ethical issues.
In this context, the programme promotes ethnographic and anthropological research, ideation and prototyping to devise new approaches in the field of business and social innovation. You will gain design-based critical thinking skills, while developing sophisticated perspectives on organisational and management strategy, financial and environmental strategy, entrepreneurial spirit and ethical leadership.
Index