Unleashing Creativity in Youth
DesignX is a leader in design education for youth — championing a human-first approach to creativity.
Our belief is that every child is born with unique, unbridled creativity.
We serve to unleash that creativity—giving it form, structure and purpose—helping them express through studio-style design programs that enable them to think like designers, work with real materials and real constraints, to bring thoughtful ideas to life with imagination and care. This pedagogy has been shaped by nearly two decades of experience in K-12 design education.
We immerse students in the full design process—from concept to completion—using hands-on tools and materials that build skill, judgement, and true creative confidence.
Program HighlightDesign Summer Camp for Kids & Teens
K-12 students learn to bring their ideas to life in one-week design studio-style sessions throughout the summer. Each studio offers a unique hands-on design experience, led by talented emerging designers who guide students through every step of the process—from ideation to completion.
⚲ Los Altos, CaliforniaFashion Design
Soft Toy Design
Wood Toy Design
Architecture
What do students learn at DesignX?
Creativity
Students imagine boldly and create work that is an intentional expression of their vision.
Presence
Hands-on making cultivates spatial awareness, sensory engagement, and connection to the physical world — a counterbalance to digital overwhelm.
Craftsmanship
Students develop an appreciation for how things are made — learning patience, attention to detail, and the value of high-quality work.
Confidence
Seeing a project through from sketch to final piece empowers students, building confidence that they can make their ideas happen. 
Problem-Solving
Through making and refining a product, students encounter challenges that help them learn to troubleshoot, adapt, and problem-solve.
Collaboration
Studio-style work teaches students to listen, share ideas, and contribute to a collective outcome.
Planet Stewardship
Through material exploration and upcycling, students learn to design with intention, responsibility, and care for their planet.Human-First Creativity in the Age of AI
The work began in 2008, when budget cuts reduced art education in Silicon Valley schools. A designer filled the gap with a summer program and 100 students. What grew from that response has become DesignX—18 years of advancing human creative intelligence through hands-on design education, built through a decade of technological acceleration that surrounded us. We thoughtfully evaluated every emerging technology. We remained committed to what we knew mattered: embodied learning with real materials, real tools, and real constraints. That conviction continues to guide us to this day.
Since:
8,000+
Students Served
27
Schools Engaged
541
Programs Delivered
60
Design Educators Developed
Program HighlightEach summer, talented design graduates are selected to lead our studios—bringing real design expertise and creative energy into the classroom. Fellows enable budding designers, model human-first creativity, and contribute to building the next generation of thoughtful makers—while strengthening their own design and leadership skills.
The DesignX Fellowship
