Explore how designers, artists, entrepreneurs, and cultural innovators are shaping the future of food through storytelling, experimentation, and emerging design practices. This course examines the intersection of food, branding, experience design, media, community engagement, and cultural production. Through case studies, guest speakers, field research, and hands-on projects, students will develop skills in creative concept development, visual communication, trend forecasting, research, and critical analysis while learning to apply design thinking to real-world food-related challenges.

Topics include immersive dining experiences, speculative food design, food styling and photography, food-centered events and performance, equitable food systems, and food entrepreneurship. Students will investigate how design shapes the way people eat, connect, and engage with culture while identifying emerging trends and evaluating the social, cultural, and economic forces shaping contemporary food systems. The course also introduces career pathways across hospitality, marketing, media, product development, cultural institutions, and social impact organizations.

Throughout the semester, students will develop a portfolio of creative work while strengthening presentation, critique, and collaborative problem-solving skills, enriched by field trips to relevant cultural and industry sites and guest speakers representing a wide range of food and design disciplines.