The Schools Showcase, presented with media partner Design Milk, has become a key platform within WANTED since its launch in 2022, spotlighting the next generation of global design talent during NYCxDESIGN. Bringing together leading international design schools, the showcase offers students the opportunity to present their work on a major stage, gain valuable feedback from industry professionals, and begin building meaningful connections within the design community. At the same time, it creates a dynamic space for schools to recruit emerging talent and foster international partnerships, including exchange programs.
Complementing the showcase, the 2026 Schools Workshop—sponsored by KI, with support from molo and presented with media partner Core77—invites students into a collaborative, hands-on design challenge. Hosted at ICFF, the workshop brings together participants from around the world to explore this year’s theme, “The Unseen Narratives,” transforming overlooked aspects of daily life into new forms of expression. Guided by leading voices in the field, including Allan Cochinov, Bruce Mau, and Jean Jacques L’Henaff, the program culminates in presentations to a jury of industry leaders, underscoring the showcase’s role as a launchpad for the designers of tomorrow.
Read on to get acquainted with all the participating schools.
(Top image courtesy of KI)
Image courtesy of Anahuac Puebla University and Higher School of Art and Design of Valencia
Anahuac Puebla University and Higher School of Art and Design of Valencia
The School of Architecture and Design at Universidad Anáhuac Puebla is a leading creative hub in Mexico, committed to shaping future designers and architects through a global, human-centered, and innovation-driven approach. The academic model integrates international collaboration, regional production, sustainability, and digital fabrication, fostering projects that connect culture, technology, and social impact.
Universidad Anáhuac Puebla is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Appalachian State University
App State’s Industrial Design program is a comprehensive four-year accredited degree program offering concentrations in both Product Design and Furniture Design. Internationally recognized and widely showcased, the program has earned numerous awards and competition honors. Graduates have pursued diverse and successful careers across industries, including medical equipment, sporting goods, soft goods, and commercial furniture design.
Appalachian State University is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image courtesy of CEDIM
Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseño de Monterrey / CEDIM
CEDIM is born as a center for design studies in Monterrey by Alejandro C. García Villarreal ~ Integration of careers in CEDIM interior design, graphic design, Visual marketing. The CEDIM is born as a center for design studies in Monterrey. Council President CEDIM María Anita Novak Ibarra 1978 ~ Integration of careers in CEDIM interior design, graphic design, Visual marketing.
CEDIM is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image courtesy of Centro de Diseño y Comunicación Mexico
Centro de Diseño y Comunicación Mexico
CENTRO is a collaborative and diverse learning community that trains professionals with a social, sustainable and entrepreneurial approach in the fields of design, film, technology, communication, architecture and fashion. They understand creativity as a catalyst for innovation and value creation.
CENTRO is partaking in the Design Schools Workshop.
Image courtesy of Escuela Monica Herrera
Escuela Monica Herrera
Escuela Monica Herrera is a private, non-profit higher education institution established in El Salvador and founded 30 years ago. As a specialized institution, they have built a strong reputation in the fields of communication, marketing, and strategic design, with a current undergraduate student population of 500. Their mission is to provide learning experiences that train entrepreneurial and innovative professionals capable of driving change and shaping their environment.
Escuela Monica Herrera is partaking in the Design Schools Workshop.
Image courtesy of Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) specializes in art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. FIT offers a wide range of programs leading to degrees in various fields; the institution is known for its strong emphasis on career education, providing students with practical experience and theoretical knowledge to prepare them for successful careers in the design industry.
FIT is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image courtesy of IED
IED Istituto Europeo di Design
IED Istituto Europeo di Design is the largest network of European Arts and Design Schools located in three countries: Italy, Spain and Brazil. Founded in 1966 in Milano, the Institution provides a learning experience that combines critical thinking with a practice-based approach to design, addressing real-world challenges and needs. It blends Italy’s rich cultural heritage with a global outlook and a strong connection to each local context. IED’s transdisciplinary and inclusive approach is guided by sustainability, diversity and purposeful technology, shaping design as a driver of responsible and positive impact on people, society and the environment.
IED is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image courtesy of Istituto Marangoni Design
Istituto Marangoni Design
Istituto Marangoni is a private Italian institution specializing in fashion and design. Its main campus is located in Milan, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, and it also operates campuses in Florence, London, Paris, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Mumbai, and Miami.
Istituto Marangoni Design is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of Kean University
Kean University
Kean University’s design programs offer a comprehensive education in various design disciplines, preparing students for successful careers in the industry. Michael Graves College is dedicated to taking design and architecture to a wider public audience. It is comprised of two schools, the Robert Busch School of Design and the School of Public Architecture.
Kean University is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of Lawrence Technological University
Lawrence Technological University
Focused on Design. Immersed in Technology. Grounded in Practice. The College of Architecture and Design (CoAD) at Lawrence Technological University prepares architects and designers to address 21st-century challenges through critical inquiry, creative problem-solving, and applied practice. CoAD’s multidisciplinary approach integrates design excellence with advanced technologies, international perspectives, and strong industry connections.
Lawrence Technological University is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of MICA
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
Founded in 1826, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is the nation’s oldest, independent, continuous degree-granting college of art and design. MICA delivers an education that combines a fine arts foundation with the liberal arts and real-world experiences. Through creative entrepreneurship, professional practice, and community and industry partnerships, MICA graduates build sustainable careers and support the creative economy in Baltimore and beyond.
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image courtesy of NJIT
New Jersey Institute of Technology, Hillier College of Architecture and Design
The Hillier College of Architecture and Design at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) offers a comprehensive education in architecture, digital design, interior design, and industrial design. The college is known for its strong general education, broad exposure to design disciplines, and commitment to community engagement. NJIT’s programs are designed to produce creative thinkers, competent professionals, and engaged citizens who meet their ethical responsibilities to the environment and society.
NJIT is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of The Ohio State Unversity
Ohio State University
The Department of Design at The Ohio State University prepares students to play key roles in the future of design practice and research; creates critical design-related knowledge; advances interdisciplinary collaboration; encourages open-minded exploration, risk-taking, and freedom of expression; embraces an ecological perspective; and serves the social good.
Ohio State University is partaking in the Design Schools Workshop.
Image courtesy of Parsons School of Design
Parsons School of Design
Parsons School of Design at The New School enables students to develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in and contribute to our rapidly changing society. Students collaborate with peers throughout The New School, industry partners, and communities around the world and in New York City, a global center of art, design, and business. Parsons’ unique approach to interdisciplinary, real-world learning is interwoven throughout all of our offerings, from undergraduate and graduate degrees to executive education for professionals to continuing and pre-college courses taught on campus and online.
Parsons School of Design is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt is an institute, an experience, and an idea. What started as a radical experiment to expand access to creative careers is now a community of 5,137 grad and undergrad students working across 48 programs with 1,200 dedicated faculty. 135 years in the making, this is Pratt.
Pratt Institute is partaking in the Schools Showcase and Design Schools Workshop.
Image Courtesy of RISD Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
The mission of Rhode Island School of Design, through its college and museum, is to educate its students and the public in the creation and appreciation of works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge and to make lasting contributions to a global society through critical thinking, scholarship and innovation.
Rhode Island School of Design is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
The College of Art and Design is RIT’s creative hub where art, design, and technology intersect. From centuries-old and contemporary methods of producing fine art to the latest in digital media, the College of Art and Design possesses a comprehensive selection of majors in disciplines related to visual communication, imaging, and science. If your interests are artistic, creative, and professional, a world of possibilities awaits you here.
Rochester Institute of Technology is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of SCAD
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
The Savannah College of Art and Design was founded in 1978 by Richard G. Rowan, Paula Wallace, May L. Poetter and Paul E. Poetter to provide college degree programs not previously available in southeast Georgia and to create a specialized professional art college to attract students from throughout the United States and abroad. The curriculum was established with dual goals of excellent arts education and effective career preparation for students. Today, with multiple locations and online distance education offerings, SCAD continues to assiduously adhere to these goals. SCAD design students directly influence the aesthetic language, performance, sustainability, and financial value of products and experiences. They master the process of identifying design insights, engage in scenario planning, and create viable solutions that become tangible parts of a system, service, or brand. Across an array of design disciplines — graphic design and visual experience, industrial design, design for sustainability, and user experience (UX) design — the SCAD School of Design prepares students to generate imaginative solutions to transform the world.
SCAD is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of Anahuac Mexico University
School of Design, Anahuac Mexico University
The School of Design at Anáhuac University Mexico is dedicated to preparing students for the global design environment. The program emphasizes a broad view of the field of design and is supported by academic research projects aimed at companies and educational institutions. The School of Design is part of the Anahuac Universities Network, which shares a mission and educational model with ten institutions in Mexico, one in Chile, one in Spain, two in Italy, and two in the United States.
Anahuac Mexico University is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of SVA
School of Visual Arts
SVA’s design program is a multidisciplinary educational system that allows students to explore various aspects of design, including branding, motion design, interaction design, emerging media, graphic design for fashion, and 3D.
SVA is partaking in the Schools Showcase and Design Schools Workshop.
Image Courtesy of Tec de Monterrey
Tec de Monterrey
In the field of design, all the products and services we use, which make our lives easier, have a history, a creative process that led them to be what they are. Behind this process is a designer, capable of understanding the way of being and feeling of human beings, their needs, context and limitations and finding new opportunities. The designer is someone who seeks to make things better and work better, he or she is a systemic thinker, an artist of form, an explorer of materials: he or she is an innovator by nature.
Tec de Monterrey is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of The Cooper Union
The Cooper Union
Cooper Union, founded in 1859 by Peter Cooper, is a private college located on Cooper Square in Manhattan, New York City. Cooper Union offers undergraduate and master’s degree programs in architecture, fine arts, and engineering, with a shared core curriculum in the humanities and social sciences.
The Cooper Union is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of
Universidad de Monterrey UDEM
Universidad de Monterrey UDEM
The University of Monterrey features the Roberto Garza Sada Center, which houses the School of Art and Design. This space serves as a hub for creativity, where new generations of designers, artists, and architects are educated and developed. Located in Monterrey, the center has established itself as a leading reference in the education, creation, and dissemination of art, architecture, and design in Latin America. The School of Art and Design is composed of programs such as Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Animation, and Interior Design.
UDEM is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of Universidad Iberoamericana A.C.
Universidad Iberoamericana A.C.
Universidad Iberoamericana A.C. is recognized as one of the best private universities in Mexico. IberoDiseño was the first Design School in Mexico City, with over 7000 alumni working for the creative industries. Product Design, Transmedia Storytelling Design, Sustainable Design for Fashion and Textiles and Sensory Design are its current programs.
Universidad Iberoamericana A.C. is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
Iowa’s 3D design faculty are recognized internationally as creative and educational innovators. Working and teaching in some of the best-equipped labs in the nation, they harness advanced technology to produce work of timeless aesthetic beauty and seamless functionality.
University of Iowa is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
Image Courtesy of the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
A unique academic ecosystem, the College of Design comprises not only creative practitioners—artists, architects, and designers—but also social scientists, humanities scholars, engineers, economists, biologists, planners, and policy makers. Using diverse methods, we are engaging critical questions and tackling complex problems. We are dynamic explorers with diverse tools. Through imagination, experimentation, analysis, and creation, we grapple with thorny problems, discover new interpretations, and open uncharted territory. We ask bold questions and make unexpected connections, aiming to engage, enrich, and inspire through the things we make and the stories we tell. Catalyzing curiosity, awe, and empathy opens new potentials.
University of Oregon is partaking in the Schools Showcase.
