May 11-15
in Austin, Tx
A dose of creative rocket fuel for your rising design talent this summer.
What It Is
The Summer Studio is a boutique professional development experience for your most promising designers on the cusp of leadership.
Our Principal Designers guide Design Fellows - rising design talent on your team who already have design chops - through real client work, simultaneously teaching what makes great projects and great teams.
The cornerstone of the experience is the one-week design sprint in Austin, Tx, bookended by some virtual pre and post-work.
Real client work. Real mentorship. Real growth.
Plus it’s really fun.
Schedule at a Glance
The Three-Week Experience
WEEK 1
May 4–8
Virtual Prep
2-3 hours
Flexible scheduling
WEEK 2
May 11–15
Full-Time
In Austin
WEEK 3
May 18–22
Virtual Debrief
2-3 hours
Flexible scheduling
This isn't where we tell you we're "unique" and "game-changing." Every professional development program says that. So, let us just break down our approach.
Participants from your organization bring their own skills to the table, but layered over the project are explicit learning moments (we are teachers afterall) which reveal nuance, skill and decision-making frameworks associated with leading great creative work.
Your designer will work across three interconnected modes of working throughout the week, building leadership skills while shipping real work.
Our approach:
What Makes This Different (Really)
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All human learning is aided by explicit reflection. We actively synthesize and package experiences to take home.
Daily debriefs on what's working (and what's not)on the project team
"Overnight Mail" reflection exercises to articulate and solidify learning
Office Hours: Fellows engage Principals about situations in their home orgs to apply learnings back to “real life”
Closeout workshop: one-on-one packaging of conclusions and applications for the Fellow’s day job
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Explicit, repeatable tools woven into the project work to build leadership presence.
Designing the Alliance: Setting team norms and psychological safety
Get Smart Documentation: Strategic framing and stakeholder alignment
Quick Concept: Rapid ideation and presentation techniques
Morning standups, warmups, and facilitation practice
Excerpts from curated resources like Priya Parker's The Art of Gathering, Susie Wise's Design for Belonging
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The foundation. Fellows spend a large proportion of their time working alongside experienced leads on an actual project with real deliverables. The project is the “object lesson” from which all learning builds.
Client brief walkthrough and strategic planning, regular client communications in person and in writing
Morning/Afternoon design sprints, iterations, and critique sessions
Collaborative work with Principal Designers and Fellow peers
Client presentation preparation and delivery
Shipping actual deliverables by week's end
What Your Fellow Gets Out of It
Fellows emerge from The Summer Studio with:
An expanded design practice — New tools, frameworks, and ways of thinking about creative collaboration based on our customized, yet subtle curriculum
A mentor network — Relationships with Principal Designers and peer Fellows that extend beyond the week
A cool new project — A real client project they helped craft; stories about their role in solving something meaningful
Leadership presence — That comes from practicing creative leadership on real work
It's like pouring creative lighter fluid on your overperformers.
“
-Kate Canales, Co-founder of The Summer Studio
What It Costs (And Why)
$4750 per Fellow
We'll level with you: that's a real investment. But so is keeping your best talent engaged and growing. The Summer Studio isn't for everyone on your team—it's for the designers you're already counting on to lead. The ones you want to keep. The ones you're betting on.
What's included: 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. Fellows get direct mentorship from seasoned designers, and a network of fellow designers that extends beyond the studio. Plus, they'll actually ship a real client project.
Working at a non-profit? We offer discounted rates. Reach out to learn more.
Let’s Talk
Look, you know your team and your budget better than we do. But if you've got a rising designer who's ready for more than they're getting from typical PD, let's talk.
Studio runs May 11–15, 2026 in Austin (with flexible virtual prep/wrap sessions that bookend the experience)
Trying to decide who on your team fits? Check out our past Fellow cohorts.