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We empower creators to do the work they love.
Harish Venkatesan, one of our co-founders, came up with the idea for the company in 2012 while reading Creative Workshop, a book of design exercises. It became clear that a continuous cycle of feedback and iteration is essential for anyone aspiring to improve their design skills. Since then, we’ve brought that idea to life by crafting our vision of an ideal online learning platform. Every Designlab student is paired with an expert designer as their mentor, completes several hands-on projects, and receives ongoing design feedback and peer support from our student community.
With today’s design tools, creators can build products and services with the potential to enrich the lives of billions of people worldwide. New products are launched every day, so good design is crucial to staying relevant in a competitive market. Today, more than ever before, you can cheaply experiment and reinvent your skills until you find what you truly love. After all, you spend 60% of your waking hours at work, so itโs only right that you enjoy it.
In this environment, we believe these traits are more important than ever: Creativity. Lifelong learning. Passion for your work.
These have no place: Crippling student debt. Unfulfilling jobs. Unsatisfying careers that we choose by default.
We’re combining the power of the internet with the magic of 1-on-1 mentoring to create an invaluable educational experience that is affordable and accessible worldwide. Our goal is to guide you to find the creative work you love, and to help you become a master of your craft. Join us!
We’re a distributed team of creators & doers located across the globe.
Harish Venkatesan
Founder/CEO
Last Skill Learned
Stand up paddleboarding โ my big takeaways were to balance, find momentum, and enjoy the (inevitable) falls.
Things I like:๐ ๐ ๐ท
Daniel Shapiro
Founder/CTO
Favorite Skill Learned
It's a close tie between writing DAX formulas in Power BI and properly folding a fitted sheet.
Things I like:๐ฅ โท ๐ฏ
Edgar Salazar
Software Development
Last Skill Learned
How to build my own PC and procure its components with very limited availability.
Things I like:๐ ๐ธ ๐ต
Mandy Kerr
VP of People Ops
Favorite Skill Learned
It's a toss up between these two: adding spin to my tennis shots, or epic budget road trip planning.
Things I like:๐ โฐ ๐ถ
Emma Shimmens
Growth Lead
Last Skill Learned
Paddleboarding! I've wanted to have a go for so long, and absolutely loved it. A few wobbly moments, but didn't fall in!
Things I like:๐ ๐จ ๐ฆ
Matt Shaw
Head of Engineering
Favorite Skill Learned
Playing guitar and creating various genres of music.
Things I like:๐ธ ๐ถ ๐ฎ
Melissa McDougall
Customer Experience Specialist / Mentorship
Favorite Skill Learned
My favorite skill I've learned is speaking another language. I've been able to make so many impactful connections as a result of speaking more than just English and I'm grateful for that experience.
Things I like:๐ ๐จ๐ด ๐ค
Emily Ho
Community Manager
Last Skill Learned
Making small animations in Figma using interactive components!
Things I like:๐ถ ๐ฑ ๐ โ๏ธ
Emilyann Gachko
Senior Admissions Coordinator
Favorite Skill Learned
My favorite learned skill (and one I continue to learn more about!) is training horses. Every horse is different, so there's always something new to experience.
Things I like:๐ธ ๐ฒ ๐ด
Chris Ohman
Senior BizOps Specialist
Last Skill Learned
The art of long-haul roadtripping.
Things I like:๐ผ ๐ฝ๏ธ ๐
Timothy Moore
Learning Experience Designer
Favorite Skill Learned
Architectural drafting and sketching.
Things I like:๐ธ ๐๏ธ ๐จ
Jessica Campbell
Program Manager
Favorite Skill Learned
Watercoloring! I picked it up randomly a few years ago and it has been really fun learning new techniques and honing in my craft.
Things I like:๐ฆ ๐จ ๐ต
Crystal Campbell
Mentor Experience Lead
Last Skill Learned
Beekeeping.
Things I like:๐ถ๏ธ ๐ฑ ๐
Zeynep Ozkasim
Customer Experience Lead
Favorite Skill Learned
Soccer - I can bounce the ball a lot :)
Things I like:๐โโ๏ธ ๐ ๐
Nicola Bolton
UI Developer
Last Skill Learned
How to draw characters realistically in the hope that one day I will create a children's storybook.
Things I like:๐๐ปโโ๏ธ ๐ฎ ๐
Rudi Goddard
Senior Admissions Coordinator
Last Skill Learned
I recently learned how to read the Georgian alphabet, which is unique compared to any other writing system in the world.
Things I like:๐ ๐ง๐ผ ๐
Joseph Cane
Customer Experience Specialist / Ops
Favorite Skill Learned
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop - the first skill that I learned that allowed me to combine my love for art and tech.
Things I like:๐ ๐ท ๐ฒ
Katie Prutzman
Customer Experience Specialist / Student Relations
Last Skill Learned
How to add lighting effects to illustrations in Procreate and how to make milk foam tea at home.
Things I like:๐ ๐จ ๐ต
Claire You
Customer Experience Specialist / Career Services
Favorite Skill Learned
Choreographing dance! Organizing bodies and movement in space teaches me to think decisively yet infinitely.
Things I like:๐ฒ ๐๏ธ ๐
Alejo Rodriguez
Full Stack Engineer
Last Skill Learned
I recently picked up gardening as a hobby!
Things I like:โ๏ธ ๐น ๐ฑ
Sara Sibylle
Learning Content Creator
Favorite Skill Learned
How to build a PC - It's problem solving, patience and having a customized work/game system that meets my needs all rolled into one.
Things I like:โ๏ธ โ ๐ฎ
Ogonnaya Oshagbemi
Sr. UX/UI Designer
Last Skill Learned
How to make ratatouille
Things I like:๐ ๐ ๐ฅ
Jess Shimmens
Customer Experience Specialist
Favorite Skill Learned
My Montessori qualification, it enabled me to support children as they learn through real life experiences.
Things I like:๐ ๐งต ๐๏ธ
Igor Dinuzzi
Graphic Designer, Learning Content
Favorite Skill Learned
Taking care of myself and the people I admire :)
Things I like:๐ ๐น ๐
Danielle Abt
Growth Marketer
Last Skill Learned
How to properly score a baseball game. There are so many stats collected for hitting, fielding, and pitching and as the team mom/manager for my son's travel baseball team I help compile them for the coaches.
Things I like:โ๏ธ ๐จ ๐
Stephanie Poce
Design Lead
Last Skill Learned
How to make English muffins from scratch. Weekend breakfast is forever changed.
Things I like:๐ซ ๐จ ๐
Ashish Gupta
Digital Marketer
Favorite Skill Learned
Planning value for money trips with travel hacks, wonderful stays and unique experiences
Things I like:โ๏ธ ๐ ๐ป
Maria Myre
SEO Specialist
Last Skill Learned
How to tap maple and birch trees and collect the sap to make syrup. Yum.
Things I like:๐ฆ ๐ฒ ๐ถ
Sarah Langston
Marketing Designer
Favorite Skill Learned
Embroidery! It's reminded me to go slow and focus on the little details when creating a bigger picture.
Things I like:๐ ๐ผ๏ธ ๐คฟ
Emily Jardel
Social Media Strategist
Favorite Skill Learned
How to provide a thriving life for each of my plants!
Things I like:๐ชด๐ก๐ฆฅ
Alex Tyminski
Senior Product Manager
Favorite Skill Learned
How to make homemade pasta and meatballs from scratch! Italian food is my favorite.
Things I like:๐ธ ๐๐พโโ๏ธ ๐
Tajรก Cox
Recruiter
Last Skill Learned
Candle making! I make luxury wooden wick soy candles in my spare time.
Things I like:๐ฎ ๐ฅณ ๐ชฌ
Glen Cook
Admissions Coordinator
Favorite Skill Learned
My favorite skill is cooking! The ability to prepare meals for the people I love has always meant the world to me.
Things I like:๐จโ๐ณ๐๐ฎ
Danny Loss
Customer Experience Specialist
Favorite Skill Learned
Learning to paint miniature models - it's helped me learn patience with myself, lets me relax with a quiet activity, and brings me joy to see the progress I've made, even in a short time!
Things I like:๐ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
Bobby Glover
Admissions Coordinator
Favorite Skill Learned
"The Pomodoro Technique!" This skill enables me to focus on a specific task for 25 minutes at a time. Immediately afterwards, I spend 5 minutes listening to Stevie Nicks! :)
Things I like:โ๏ธ ๐ฅ ๐งฌ
Hillary Thelin
Customer Experience Specialist
Favorite Skill Learned
Sidereal Astrology: I now have a deeper understanding of myself, my relationships, and the world. Plus it's really fun!
Things I like:๐ ๐ญ ๐
Orla Williams
Learning Experience Design Lead
Favorite Skill Learned
Chess! I'm not an expert by any means, but it was a hard skill to learn and it felt great when I won my first game.
Things I like:๐ญ ๐บ๏ธ โ๏ธ
Cam Lay
VP of Growth
Favorite Skill Learned
I learned guitar as an adult and it was so satisfying to go from the extreme difficulty of being a beginner to (after much struggle) being able to play.
Things I like:โ๏ธ๐๐
Thousands of students have taken our courses.
Students Enrolled
19,000+
Project Submissions
1,275,000+
1-on-1 Mentor Sessions
230,000+
Mentor Feedback Comments
1,950,000+
Our international student community is formed of driven, aspiring designers who work together to achieve their career goals
Jeanmarie Levy
UX Designer at Code For America
“Honestly, the community of Designlab was crucial for my learning and success.”
Read Jeanmarie's storyEmily Pak
UX Designer at Amazon
“The fast pace of UX Academy definitely mimics the deadlines of the real design world.”
Read Emily's storyRachel Carton
UX Designer at Microsoft
“Iโve learned so much from working with other established designers, both through Designlab and at Microsoft.”
Read Rachel's storyErik Gartzke
UX Designer at SpaceCAMP
“I would not have gotten where I am today without the UX Academy program at Designlab.”
Read Erik's storyAlvin Kuang
Product Designer at Glassdoor
“My career coach offered me so much advice and perspectives that I would otherwise be unaware about.”
Read Alvin's storyHannah Cunningham
Product Designer at Royal Caribbean Cruises
“I really think I learned more in UX Academy than I did my entire four years of business school.”
Read Hannah's storyCarlos Castro
UX Designer at American Express
“My mentor 1-on-1s helped me to remain open to criticism and to iterate constantly.”
Read Carlos' storyYOU
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