‘Histories of Design Pedagogy’ gathers material from across three decades of the Journal of Design History to juxtapose distinct investigations into design education across various geographies, contexts, relationships and methodological concerns. By isolating three overarching themes to structure twelve articles, this introduction also makes an argument towards future design pedagogy, suggesting an Urmodell, or master plan, of elements in design pedagogy that is informed by key issues debated by and through the articles presented. ‘Design Systems and Projects’ addresses the meaning and concept of design, relationships between education and industry, and design training networks. ‘Ethics and Methods’ advocates greater attention to the identities, subjectivities and roles of the designer and of the user as stakeholders in a designed system, the increasing role of research in design practice, elements that affect practice from global design to emerging technologies, and object collections research. The final theme, ‘Critical Histories and Theories’, looks to changes in design history and design studies to inform interdisciplinary scholarship and the future of design practice. Tensions over proportions, boundaries and structures are addressed by this Urmodell, but in the preferred definition of modelling as a mediator, it exists here as a malleable framework over a steadfast solution.