Studio runs May 11–15, 2026 in Austin, with flexible virtual prep/wrap sessions the week before and week after.

Fellows will return from the Summer Studio with new skills for leading creative teams, a renewed energy for the complex work of being a designer, and a case study from a great project. 

During each day of the Summer Studio, fellows work alongside experienced senior designs that also can guide, teach, and mentor Fellows while they are developing new concepts for a client. Our Principal Designers are also professors so they are well versed in how to teach and practice design in parallel. This work culminates with a client presentation and case study document that they can add to their portfolio.

Fellows will also step away from the project work to have daily workshops about leadership. This includes readings, discussions, activities, and methods that are immediately applicable to the projects and teamwork back at their jobs.

We do this work in-person in Austin, TX. This decision is an intentions and foundational decision because we believe that the best learning and growth happens in the presence of others. We work on zoom all the time, but nothing beats the ideas shared over a cup of coffee, the impromptu conversations on the walk to lunch, or the feeling of handing a sketch across the table to a teammate.

The main one-week design sprint of the Summer Studio is joyously and fully in person. Part of the magic of the experience is showing up to the studio each day for a week, making coffee, eating together, sharing space. The days are very full, but not gruelling. We start each day with a set of discussion rituals that help reflect on (and thus internalize) lessons from the day before. There are two big work sessions for the client project (one morning, one afternoon) book ended by experiential modules about the “leadership layer.”

We also scaffold a virtual pre-week and a virtual post-week that are very part-time - designed for Fellows to continue in their day-to-day job. The pre-week focuses on getting immersed in the client project including asynchronous research and exercises. In the post-week Fellows wrap up the client deliverable and meet with Faculty to articulate and package their learning. Each fellow packages this in a different way.

Our team is special. We are all experienced designers, and have spent many years as design professors as well. Kate and Gray teach full-time at the University of Texas and helped start The School of Design and Creative Technologies.

In 2024 and 2025, our team included professors Jon Freach and Kelcey Gray who are both accomplished designers and educators at UT Austin. Jon and Kelcey led the client project, and Kate and Gray lead the leadership sessions and learning. We love working together at UT and at the Summer Studio.  

We know that the best learning happens in context and by practicing new skills and mindset. We prioritize in-person and experiential learning so our Fellows are both thinking and practicing these new lessons everyday they are in the studio with us. 

Traditional professional development happens in a hotel ballroom and, these days, it’s often on an online video platform. There are many benefits to virtual collaboration, but we believe in the value of time working side-by-side in the same studio. Because of our exclusive in-person offering there are many moments of learning that happen on an afternoon walk to the coffee shop, or around the lunch table.

Ideal candidates  have several years of professional experience and excellent design skills. Candidates have the “chops” to work on a range of projects and with a diverse team. Ideal candidates are on the cusp of moving into roles of leadership, either as individual contributors or team leaders, and would benefit from some dedicated learning about how to rise to these new roles.

We are looking to work with people that are open to learning and have a growth mindset. They are kind, generous with their ideas and words, and enjoy working collaboratively. We don’t worry much about introverts or extroverts, but it is a small team and we work closely everyday so high emotional intelligence is crucial. Being a designer is a life-long pursuit with so many wonderful things to learn, and we want to work with folks that feel the same.

Fellows can be nominated by their bosses or leadership team. These folks often see the potential in someone and want to amplify their path toward leadership by rewarding someone on their team with an opportunity to join the Summer Studio.

2026 Nomination Form now open

We accept a minimum of four Fellows and a maximum of ten depending on the scope of the project. We’re looking for a good balance of design disciplinary knowledge and will err on the smaller side to try to ensure folks have a great collaborative experience.

For 2026, the cost of The Summer Studio is $4750 for each fellow. This includes three weeks of guided learning - a part-time, pre-week of Zoom meetings and asynchronous homework, and a full-time, in-person week in Austin, TX. During the in-person week we provide all breakfasts and lunches, and two uproariously engaging group dinners.

Most Fellows are sponsored by their employer as an investment in their future - this is professional development, just more engaging and immersive than usual.