Design Studio
Design Studio is a growing resource hub for design students and families who are ready for more structured support. It offers a calm Design Library of guides, checklists, templates, and tools to help you navigate the complexities of design education with more clarity and greater confidence, with live sessions and recordings planned as the Studio grows.
Stay up to date on new resources and future sessions by subscribing to the New Horizons newsletter.
Join the Studio
Become part of our growing learning community. Design Studio offers two levels of access to support your design journey—whether you’re looking for guided sessions and follow ups, or curated resources you can return to in your own time.
Design Studio – Full Access
A new feature currently in production, this tier will offer Zoom-based Sessions you can register for, focused follow-ups, and access to a complete archive of recordings, plus the Design Library, through our Design Library & Session Archives members area. Session topics currently in production may be previewed in the Session Archives section below. This comprehensive support tier is not yet open for enrollment.
Design Studio – Design Library Only
A focused path that offers year-round (12-month) access to our growing collection of guides, tools, checklists, and planning templates in the Design Library. Not sure if this is for you? You can preview our free Open Access resources below and decide whether a Design Library membership fits your needs.
To join, click Subscribe for Access and select Design Library Only on the next page.
Registration for Full Access will open once the first sessions are ready. To receive a quiet notification when Full Access and live session schedules become available, please log in or subscribe to our Design Horizons newsletter.
Map of the Design School Journey
A calm overview of the five key stages in applying to design school—from first research to final decisions. Use this map and our website as your compass, then dip into the more detailed guides in this library when you’re ready for the next step.
Be sure to check the Tools in the section below - and our Reading Rooms - for additional thoughts and resources.
Download: Map of the Journey (Open Access)
Portfolio Diagnosis & Planning
Guides 3–4 here have been created to aid you to assess your current work, identify gaps, and build a clear, process rich portfolio. Turn a pile of projects into a coherent story that matches your directions and target schools.
Guide 3: Portfolio Diagnosis
Guide 4: Building the Portfolio
Decisions, Transition & Support
This collection is designed to help you interpret offers, compare options, and plan your first semester, while building a realistic support network. Move from “What now?” to a grounded decision and a thoughtful start to your design studies.
Guide 7: Decision Handling & Next Steps
Planning & Direction
A guided worksheet to compare design programs in a more personalized way. Look beyond rankings to how each school’s focus, culture, location, and costs line up with who you are and how you hope to work.
Portfolio & Materials
Applications & Decisions
Design Library Resources
To get you started, a calm set of guides to browse—then more tools below as you move forward.
A few pieces here are available direct as Open Access, including the Map of the Design School Journey and the University Application Tracker.
Design Studio members may access the full Design Library of Guides and Tools by clicking any link in this Resources section.
Helpful tools to make a complex process feel more manageable. Pick one that fits what you’re working on this week—portfolio, planning, or decisions—and use it at your own pace.
Tools
Choosing Directions & Shortlisting Schools
Guides 1–2 - in conjunction with other resources on the website - help you clarify your design interests, explore programs, and build a realistic school list. Move from “I could go anywhere” to a focused set of options that fit your goals, family context, and timeline.
Guide 1: Choosing Direction & Targets
Applications & Supporting Materials
These guides help you assemble your essays, experience summary, recommendations, and other supporting materials—and then complete and submit each application with confidence. Focus on clarity, fit, and calm, on time submissions
Guide 5: Applications & Supporting Materials
Guide 6: Application Assembly & Submission Quality Assurance
Studying Design Internationally
A focused guide for students considering design study outside their home country. Understand how applications, portfolios, visas, language, and supports change across regions—and how to choose a realistic, well matched international plan with your family.
Download: Studying Design Internationally.
University Application Tracker
A simple, all-in-one tracker for your applications. Keep deadlines, requirements, and status for each university in one place so you always know what’s done, what’s missing, and what’s coming next.
Design Studio Session Archives
Our session library is just beginning. Recordings from live sessions and topic‑specific presentations will be added here over time, so you can revisit key ideas whenever you need them. Session recordings are available to Design Studio – Full Access members.
Presentation: Statements of Purpose
A deep dive into curating your best work for design schools, and writing statements that speak clearly to what programs are actually looking for.
Watch the Design Horizons newsletter for an announcement of this presentation's posting.
Emerging Directions in Design Study
A special recorded guest presentation exploring which design fields are in demand, how new areas are taking shape, and how to use this knowledge to build a study plan that fits both your interests and the future of work.
Watch the Design Horizons newsletter for an announcement of this presentation's posting.
Program Selection Roundtable
A live online roundtable where applicants share questions, challenges, and small wins as they move through the program selection process, with space for mutual support and practical next steps.
Invitations to join this live Zoom roundtable will be sent through the Design Horizons newsletter, so you can take part in real time. A recording for you to revisit will be added here after the session.