About Savio Mukachirayil
Biography
Savio joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2023 as a Post-Graduate Researcher in the Industrial Design department at The School of Art & Design.
Savio holds an MSc in Global Innovation Design from Imperial College London, and MA in from The Royal College of Art. He holds a BA in Industrial Design & Technology from Loughborough University and completed semesters at both Tsinghua University and Nanyang Technology University.
His experiences working in London, Essen, Dubai, Chennai, Seoul, Singapore, and currently Illinois have provided him with a diverse range of perspectives from companies, design consultancies, and academia. His works are speculative in nature and finds them inspiring for innovative thinking and reflection. From 2022-24, Savio curated a speculative design workshop, Design From Futures™, for students at Samsung Art & Design Institute; Technology University Korea; and Seoul Women’s University.
Education
Royal College of Art, Global Innovation Design MA (2021-2023)
Imperial College London, Global Innovation Design MSc (2021-2023)
Tsinghua University, Beijing | International exchanges (2022)
Nanyang Technology University, Singapore | International exchange (2022)
Loughborough University, Industrial Design & Technology BA (2017-2021)
Research and publications
Ongoing and upcoming research
Fields of Interest
Savio M. Mukachirayil is a designer, artist and educator with an interest in the philosophy of good design, to understand the broader implications of design on human development and human flourishing.
His motivation is to do good, and he believes designers have a duty to design meaningful and responsible solutions for the development of persons. Through his projects, lectures, and writings, he explores the intersection of design with human nature, perception, consumerism, and sustainability. His current work is on bio-based polymers and you can see some of his past investigations on his personal website.
Happy to chat over coffee.
Teaching and advising
Classes taught
- ARTD 201 - Industrial Design I (Fall 23)
Introduction to the creative process and methods involved in industrial design; research, modelling, form giving, prototyping and communication with emphasis on user-centred design. Projects of escalating scale and complexity complemented by lectures and demonstrations. - ARTD 228 - Computer Applications (Spring 24)
Concepts, methods and applications of computer softwares to aid the design of products for manufacture as well as utilising rendering, lighting and layout techniques to communicate products visually. - ARTD 225 - Design Drawing (Fall 24)
Introduction to rapid drawing methods and tools used by designers. Focuses on theory and application of orthographic and perspective drawing for communication of design ideas. Additional fees may apply. See Class Schedule. Prerequisite: Industrial Design majors must have completed the First-Year Curriculum in Art & Design. - ARTD 326 - Sustainability & Manufacturing (Fall 24, Spring 25)
Exploration of environmental origins, theory and practice of sustainable product design. Environmentally-responsive design methodologies and topics such as industrial ecology, dematerialization, design for disassembly, design for recycling and life-cycle assessment.