High School SEMINARS AND Electives

The DesignX team revels in the innovative programs in design fields we bring to high school students to encourage design thinking and making each school year. Our unique and comprehensive ‘design thinking and making’ approach promotes empathy while building students’ creative confidence and honing their problem solving skills - both essential preparation for solving the complex problems of tomorrow - all while learning to use cutting edge maker tools and technologies.

DesignX curricula, have been offered at the following high schools; The Nueva School, San Mateo CA and Los Altos High School, Los Altos, CA.

Each program is flexible and can be tailored to suit the needs of individual high schools.

 
 

Fashion Design

In this flexible course, that is also very effective as a seminar, students will deep dive into the top contemporary designers of today, analyzing creations through their recent collections, their settings and inspirations. Students will then extend their collection using a variety of materials like swatches and magazines to story boards. 

Budding fashion designers and enthusiasts will not only leave the class with a story board for new collections designed by them but also develop an appreciation for the factors that inform and influence the fashion and clothing industry.

This class is designed to build a deeper understanding of the Fashion Industry and understand the skills essential to becoming a successful designer.

Students in this class:

  • Develop an appreciation for Fashion as an authentic and timeless form of human expression
  • Hone their ability to declutter glamourous fashion shows and pay attention to detail
  • Be introduced to the creative process behind developing fashions that inspire and create trends
  • Be exposed to fashion design concepts and associated vocabulary
     
     
     
     

    FASHION PROTOTYPING

    A great course in designing, construction and problem solving, this one-of-a-kind program for high school students helps them learn and appreciate the challenges associated with converting a 2D clothing concept to a fully functional 3D form.

    Students will learn to create fully functional prototypes of fashion ideas on a smaller scale (~1/3 scale) using a combination of construction techniques popular in the high-fashion industry. The small scale encourages experimentation and risk taking as students bring their design vision to fruition.

    Students in this class:

    • Are empowered as they realize ‘their’ design through a fashion prototype
    • Develop and enhance their problem-solving skills
    • Develop their creative confidence
    • Will learn common fashion and clothing construction vocabulary
    • Have an opportunity to take big design risks with minimal waste
       
       
       
       
       
       

      Textile Design

      Through designing and making of textiles, students explore design thinking concepts in the Maker classrooms of Silicon Valley high schools. Students use cutting edge tools and technologies like laser cutters and 3D printers as they learn about motifs and repetitions, tinker with various types of dyes and textiles, creatively combining traditional dyeing and surface design techniques like printing, painting and embroidery with modern technologies.

      This class:

      • Introduces students to textiles as a material for making - touching on some of it's mechanical and chemical properties that influence modern applications
      • Enables real world skills as students realize ‘their customer's' vision for textile products
      • Exposes students to a product lifecycle, from design to production
      • Provides a step-by-step methodology for developing empathy during product development
      • Develops and enhances students’ problem-solving skills
      • Develops students’ creative confidence while having fun designing simple practical everyday items