This is a course on design and materials infused with design thinking. It covers the relationship between materials and their properties that inform their use in the design of things. We take a design-focused view, expanding the design requirements into an exploration of material properties for given shapes. This will lead naturally into a deeper understanding of functional properties and structures of materials on the one hand, and deformation and failure modes of solid mechanical objects on the other. Various material families, including metals, alloys, polymers, copolymers, and composites will be studied, and a basic understanding of how shape affects mechanical performance will be introduced. In the projects, the choice of optimal materials and shapes of an object will be determined using the design thinking approach. Instructor's approval is required.