The roots of the Department of Design at The Ohio State University can be found in the Department of Art, where programs in interior design, industrial design, and commercial art were offered starting in the mid-twentieth century. In 1960, Professor Donald Wood (Industrial Design) participated with representatives of twenty-seven other programs to establish The National Compilation of Industrial Design Curricula for the Industrial Design Education Association. It is here that the 1962 educational objectives for OSU's industrial design program are spelled out.
In 1963, The School of Fine and Applied Art changed its name to The School of Art and the Design Area altered its program titles.with an emphasis on interior habitation."  
In 1964-65, a Master of Arts degree with a Design specialization was first offered.
In 1967-68, Acting Chairman Charles Wallschlaeger, Visiting Professor Reinhart Butter, and Instructor Guenther Tetz wrote a proposal for restructuring the design curriculum into a four year program that shifted the focus of learning from art to more design-specific courses.
The formation of the College of Arts in 1968 established the study of design as an independent educational endeavor at Ohio State. Faculty members associated with Space and Enclosure Design remained in the Division of Art for one year but it moved back into the Design Division in 1968-69.
The 1970s saw the first alumni exhibition of graduates of the Design programs and a student exchange program was created by Professors Reinhart Butter and Peter Megert. The Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) sanctioned the Industrial Design program in 1974 and the department took that name. Heike Goeller joined the faculty to teach interior design starting in the 1978-79 academic year.Eight visiting faculty from Switzerland and Germany spent time teaching in the department that same year. This created a very vibrant and international learning environment that extended into the 1980s.