School of Design

Founded in 1964, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design (hereafter referred to as "PolyU Design" or "the School") has been an important hub for design education and research in Hong Kong, offering quality undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in design to nurture creative talent across a wide range of industries.

The School is a place where East meets West, allowing students to develop their design expertise while gaining an in-depth understanding of industry and society, with a unique international and cultural perspective. PolyU Design attaches equal importance to design theory and application, integrates art with science, actively promotes interdisciplinary cooperation and learning, emphasises high-quality design education, conducts high-level research, and provides consulting services. 

The research and academic programmes offered by PolyU Design are based on five central tenets: 1) Developing an Open Mind Frame; 2) Steering Positive Change; 3) Establishing Visionary Entrepreneurship; 4) Practising Authentic Expression; and 5) Designing Responsibly. 

With 60 years of rich academic and research experience, PolyU Design is leading the way to a bright future in an increasingly dynamic Asia. Over the years, the School has received international recognition for its achievements. It was ranked 15th on the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings® by Subject - Art and Design in 2020 and is consistently among the top 20 in the world. 

PolyU Design actively promotes cross-disciplinary learning and exchange, and works closely with industry and employers to help students meet the increasingly complex design needs of a wide range of industries. The School offers a wide range of disciplines, including: product design, interaction design, information design, advertising design, media design, interior design, environmental design, social design, service design, transitional environments design, innovative business design, intelligent systems design, smart service design, and innovative multimedia entertainment. The School is home to over 900 undergraduate and postgraduate students annually, of which approximately 60 study at the doctoral level. 

PolyU Design is committed to further contributing its expertise to the community through applied research and consultancy, providing forward-looking advice and support to the industry.

PolyU Design aims to be a leading transdisciplinary design school that nurtures responsible and open-minded creative talents and active learners; conducts practice-based research, covering: social design, design economy, and design making; and contributes to innovation in Hong Kong and Chinese mainland, while maintaining a global perspective. It boasts a number of research laboratories led by internationally renowned professors, covering a range of different areas, such as: Digital Entertainment, Information Design, Public Design, Asian Ergonomics Design, Interaction Design, Asian Lifestyle Design, Creativity and Design Education, and more. With the support from the University, research units including Research Centre for Cultural and Art Technology Centre, PolyU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre, Research Centre for Future (Caring) Mobility, and Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab) are established to focus on specific areas and foster interdisciplinary collaborations. SD Plus was established in 2019 to serve as the professional design consultancy arm of the School.  

The School's steady diversification in recent years has been made possible by a world-class environment and facilities. Designed by the late Zaha Hadid, the Jockey Club Innovation Tower forms the centerpiece of the PolyU campus, with a variety of first-class student studios, design research laboratories, technical workshops, exhibition venues and other facilities, providing an excellent and comprehensive teaching and research environment. 

Notable alumni include Raman Hui (Animation), Vivienne Tam (Fashion), Eric Chan (Product), Anthony Lo (Automotive), Yip Kam-tim (Film), Chu Chen-on (Film), Dennis Chan (Jewelry), Tino Kwan (Lighting) and Freeman Lau (Branding and Art) among others. 

We invite the innovative, highly creative, transdisciplinary research-oriented minds to join us. 

For further information on our School, please visit the School’s website. For recruitment enquiries, please contact Prof. KP Lee at sd.ssc@polyu.edu.hk or Ms Joey Lee at yy-joey.lee@polyu.edu.hk.