A Multidisciplinary approach once defined the greatest innovators in Design. The Bauhaus School taught Multidisicplinary design and Charles and Ray Eames who worked across multiple fields of creative projects are still icons. Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed his projects from the building down to the spoons. Leonardo DaVinci has been dead for over 500 years and we still consider him the world’s most creative mind because of his versatility. 

The Multidisciplinary designers of history are still celebrated and we continue to be inspired by them, but yet we have nowhere near the level of versatility that they do. 

But how can that be? We have more access to tools and information now than we ever have. It doesn’t make sense. Why are we celebrating great creative minds, but totally glossing over the fact that their Multidisciplinary approach is what made them so creative in the first place?

Finally, after decades of increasing specialisation in design, we’re witnessing a renaissance of the multidisciplinary approach that once defined our field’s greatest innovators. This shift isn’t just a romantic return to the past – it’s a practical response to our complex, interconnected modern world. 

Discover the true meaning of being a multidisciplinary designer.

Multidisciplinary Design: A Historical Perspective

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Design was known as Applied Arts. Designers of the time considered themselves craftspeople focussing on creating beautiful and functional objects that worked for those that used them. They weren’t bound by their speciality but by their craft. 

And they didn’t have access to the tools and software we have today, these designers did it all with just a pen and paper!

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scotland’s most celebrated creative mind, would design everything from the architecture of the building, to the furniture down to the spoons used by the customers!

The Bauhaus, the most famous design school in the world, was innovative not for its use of primary colours and shapes (a common misunderstanding) but for its blurring of fine art, workshop skills, stone masonry, and architecture within the school’s curriculum.

Charles and Ray Eames moved fluidly between furniture design, architecture, filmmaking and exhibition design.

There are countless examples of designers who worked across multiple mediums throughout history. They were proof that design thinking transcends medium and methods.

Click here to find out more about Multidisciplinary Designers through history

But somewhere along the way, we lost this breadth. The digital revolution, ironically, led to increased specialisation. We became UX designers, UI designers, motion designers, brand designers, etc — each in our own silo, each with our own tools, each solving only a piece of the larger puzzle. 

Design Education today doesn’t help. Their success rates are measured by how quickly they can get their students into the workforce. Thus, they only teach one subject of the larger picture of creative skills well enough to get you a job in that field. But it neglects the bigger picture. We’re not necessarily saying that’s a bad thing, we all need jobs and money. But it still misses out on the larger picture of creativity… 

Here’s a personal example: As a Graphic Design student in Scotland, we studied Charles Rennie Mackintosh, focusing on his artwork, prints, and visual style. When I was retraining as an Industrial Designer, it was about his furniture and objects.

But this style of education missed a key point: What allowed Mackintosh to be so versatile and multidisciplinary in the first place? You probably share a similar experience.

The mission of Nollie, is to show you the bigger picture and allow you to bridge the gaps between different design disciplines by demonstrating the transferable skills that allowed these designers to be so adaptable.

Why Now? The Perfect Storm

Multidisciplinary Design is making a comeback, but why? Well simply put, the world is changing and it’s happening rapidly before our eyes. 

Multidisciplinary Design isn’t just a new trend, it’s a response to the increasingly complex world around us. But what factors are impacting this change?

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is having a huge impact on the creative industries. Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay and it’s massively disrupting the creative industries, particularly animation and visual design. Multidisciplinary Design allows you to build adaptability in the face of this disruption.

But remember, design is about solving problems and AI only understands data and algorithms. Using this to design is only going to give you something that provides a surface level solution. Good design is about solving problems for others, and the best way to understand that is to get that information from the people who’re impacted by that problem. 

We explain this in more detail in AI lesson in our Free Rudimentary Course.

As AI takes over more specialised tasks, the uniquely human ability to connect dots across disciplines becomes more valuable. The future belongs to those of us who can understand how to use AI as a tool while still keeping design focused on the human factors that make impactful work.

The Democratisation of Design Tools

New software is coming out that aims to disrupt the current range of design software. Their goal is to introduce more people to design, which is a great thing. But as more people gain access to tools that allow them to create, the skills of those who have worked for decades to understand how to make an impact are being devalued. Many of those who use these apps don’t understand what makes good design.

This has a big impact on the design industry alongside Artificial Intelligence. For decades, design required expensive software, formal training, and years of technical expertise. Nowadays, apps like Adobe Express or Canva allow users to create designs as soon as they open the app. No prior knowledge required.

The tools we use to output our design work is becoming democratised too.

• We now have access to desktop 3D printers (The Snapmaker 3-in-1 can 3D print, laser cut and do CNC!)
• Cricut machines allow users to cut vinyl and make their own personalised prints, stickers and t-shirt designs at home
• Even desktop printers can now produce high-quality prints that required visiting a printing shop a few years ago!

But without taking the time to understand what makes good design, these creatives are losing out. 

Yes, anyone can now create a poster in Adobe Express or 3D print a CAD file they found online. But just like how everyone can take photos with their smartphone, that doesn’t suddenly make your wee old granny a professional photographer. 

There’s a crucial difference between using a tool and understanding the principles.

The Blur Between Physical and Digital Experiences

Products and experiences now seamlessly blend physical and digital elements. 

A modern coffee shop isn’t just about creating a beautiful functional interior design anymore. It’s about optimised ordering experiences with loyalty rewards systems in their apps. It’s digital displays that showcase their coffees and order numbers to prevent queues. Every space needs to have an Instagram-worthy aesthetic moment that promotes the store through social media marketing. It’s the environmental impact of their waste. 

It’s more than just a coffee shop, it’s a blend of digital and physical experiences which impact the customer.

Complex Problems Require Complex Understanding

Design is about solving problems. Today’s design challenges are far more complex than ever. 

We have climate change, plastic in the oceans, social media melting our attention spans into oblivion, and we can’t agree on anything thanks to misinformation. 

These aren’t just complicated problems, they’re incredibly complex. However, these problems do present an opportunity. Just ask everyone’s favourite Bond villain Elon Musk, who made his fortune reducing the waste of space travel with SpaceX and Tesla’s electric cars.

The most effective solutions come from those who can weave together insights from multiple disciplines. A specialist might solve one aspect of the problem, but only a multidisciplinary designer can create solutions that work at a systems level.

The Institutional Shift Towards Multidisciplinary

Design isn’t the only industry facing these changes. AI is coming for everyone’s jobs and we have a situation where we have too many specialists but not enough system-thinkers across the board. 

We’re seeing many educational organisations and professional networks adapt to a Multidisciplinary focus as a response. 

GeneralistWorld has become a hub for those rejecting narrow specialisation. The London Interdisciplinary School is the first University to open in the UK since the 1960s and it focuses on Multidisciplinary thinking across different fields (including design). The DaVinci Network founded by Waqas Ahmed (who has a great book by the way) connects professionals across multiple disciplines. Even the UK government has legislation in place to promote Multidisciplinary teams!

These aren’t fringe movements – they’re harbingers of a broader shift. Major companies are seeking designers who can work across disciplines, understanding both the forest and the trees.

How to Embrace Multidisciplinary Design

Thinking about Multidisciplinary Design can be overwhelming! There are countless avenues to explore and the creative skills that you need to learn can feel like a mountain of work. But what if I told you, you already have the skills to become Multidisciplinary…

Here is a little secret. The process of creating a design solution is the same across all the different disciplines of design, from Visual Design to Architecture. When I first realised this, I was shocked. Why wasn’t this the keystone of design education?

For context, I started my career in Visual Design and worked in a Makerspace where I was training members of the public on 3D printers, Laser cutters, CNC machinery and design software. After several years of working in this environment, I left to enhance the skills I’d learned in the Makerspace and fight my imposter syndrome by studying Industrial Design. One the first day of the course, I was shocked by how similar the process was for ID to Graphics. Why wasn’t anyone talking about this?

So now we are, you can understand how to use your process to access different design fields in our Free Rudimentary Course.

What Kind of Designs Do You Want to Make?

We’ve spent ages researching what drives these Multidisciplinary minds to understand how they became so versatile. One thing that stands out is their natural curiosity for the world around them and using it to drive their creativity.

The difference between these different multidisciplinary creatives is that they specialised in themselves, their craft and what they were interested in rather than specialising to a specific discipline. 

What drives you? What are some of your dream projects? What would you like to work on if you broke out of this speciality-focused way of thinking? 

Start With What You Know

If you’ve been working in a speciality field of design, Multidisciplinary Design isn’t as big a switch as you might fear. It’s about adding to your speciality rather than taking it away. Everything you already know can be applied to different creative projects. 

Think of it like adding an expansion pack to your creative arsenal, rather than rebuilding your design skills entirely. Knowledge is power, and using your prior knowledge will allow you to build a larger understanding of different design principles in a way that relates to your current way of thinking.

Building a Growth Mindset

Multidisciplinary Design is not about rejecting one specialist field of design over another. Instead it’s about understand the way these different fields interlink and work with eachother. 

Rather than focusing on the differences between who we are as designers, the only way we can continue is if we come together and respect eachother’s disciplines and create a shared understanding.

Design is endless and there’s always another avenue for you to explore. Let your curiosity drive you and continue learning what from what inspires you.

Let us Guide You In Your Multidisciplinary Journey

As the world shifts to a more holistic approach, we want to be there with you.

Let us guide you on embracing the multiple fields within design. We’ve taken what we’ve learned from history’s designers to create a resource you can use to re-frame your creative mind. Hopefully, we can change how you see yourself as a designer for the better.

We have a FREE Rudimentary Multidisciplinary Design course to allow everyone to prepare for the future.

Conclusion

The challenges of today’s complex world don’t fit neatly into disciplinary boxes, and neither should your approach to solving them. As we face increasingly complex problems, the multidisciplinary approach of the past doesn’t just become relevant – it becomes essential.

The future of design is multidisciplinary because the future itself demands it. By embracing this approach, you’re not just following a trend – we’re returning to the true essence of design while preparing for the challenges ahead.

Are you ready to break out of your box?

Last Modified: 07th January 2025