The Design Lab offers Weekend Workshops for high school students at our Design Lab studio here at the College of Design. Our workshops are brief, immersive design education experiences, offering a wide range of opportunities for teens interested in design. From skill-building to design thinking to concept-based projects to interdisciplinary design mash-ups and more, our talented instructors guide students in developing knowledge and experience in their focus area. Please continue to visit our website from time to time to learn about new workshops and programs we’re offering.

Fall 2026 // Weekend Workshops

Fall 2026 Weekend Workshops will be announced and registration will open on Friday, October 9, 2026 at 9:00 AM.

We look forward to working with you!

The Design Lab is excited to offer five in-person Weekend Workshops this fall. Each workshop will take place on Saturdays from 9:00am – 4:00pm with lunch at noon. See the weekend workshop schedule below. Students can register any time between October and one week in advance of each workshop, and students can register for as many weekend workshops as they are interested in.

Workshops will introduce students to design thinking and the design process through challenge-based activities. Through these workshops, students will have the opportunity to develop a better understanding of our designed world and find answer to these questions: What is design? How do designers think?

November 14 // Architecture

Architecture // All Coop-ed Up: The Architectural Process Through Small-Scale Design

What does a chicken need from its home, and how can architecture meet those needs? In this hands-on architecture workshop, students will become designers for their very particular feathered clients. Working at the smaller scale of a chicken coop gives students an approachable way to experience the architectural design process from start to finish: researching a client, identifying needs, developing a program, organizing space, and translating ideas into a physical model. Students will investigate their flock’s daily routines, behaviors, and space requirements before designing a custom coop through sketches, scaled floor plans, and 3D model making.

By the end of the workshop, students will leave with a scaled floor plan and 3D coop model, along with a better understanding of how architects use research, spatial planning, scale, proportion, and iteration to design for the people (or chickens) who use a space. They’ll build confidence in architectural problem-solving and gain hands-on experience translating a 2D drawing into a three-dimensional structure. This workshop is ideal for curious, creative students who enjoy figuring out how things work, solving problems, and making ideas tangible through model making. The studio will be playful and exploratory, giving students room to experiment, rethink, and build as they discover how even a small space can present a big design challenge.

• Grade Range: 9th – 12th Grade
• Total Seats: 20
• Cost: $115
• Register Here: [Link will become available on Friday, October 9, 2026.]

Instructor // Jack D.

November 14 // MADTech

Media Arts, Design and Technology // Designed to Play: Exploring Game Design and Player Experience

What makes a game impossible to put down? Great game design is about more than creating rules: it’s about understanding what keeps players engaged, what makes their choices meaningful, and what brings them back for another round. In this hands-on workshop, students will explore the fundamentals of game design by taking a deliberately frustrating board game and reimagining it as a game players actually want to play. They’ll analyze how rules, mechanics, visuals, and choices shape the player experience, then redesign, build, and playtest their ideas with peers.

Students will leave with their own redesigned board game and hands-on experience with essential game design skills, including creative problem-solving, playtesting, iteration, and designing for an audience. This workshop is ideal for students who are curious about why games work, enjoy figuring out systems and strategies, or want to explore game design as a creative field. Through a playful, low-stakes studio experience, students will experiment, take risks, learn from their players, and discover how thoughtful design can turn a frustrating game into one players want to play again and again.

• Grade Range: 9th – 12th Grade
• Total Seats: 20
• Cost: $115
• Register Here: [Link will become available on Friday, October 9, 2026.]

Instructor // Aleece H.

November 21 // MADTech

Media Arts, Design and Technology // Paper Motion Studio: Animation for Beginners

What makes a character feel alive? In this hands-on animation workshop, students will explore how character design, movement, and storytelling work together to create personality on screen. They’ll sketch and develop an original character, build a movable paper figure using simple joint and rigging techniques, and storyboard a short opening sequence that establishes a world, mood, and story. Students will then bring their characters to life using beginner-friendly stop-motion techniques, experimenting with movement, timing, and composition to create a short animated intro.

By the end of the workshop, students will leave with their handmade paper character, sketches and storyboard, and a short animated video they can share. Along the way, they’ll gain experience with character development, visual storytelling, storyboarding, basic rigging, and stop-motion animation. This workshop is ideal for creative students who enjoy drawing, storytelling, making things with their hands, or imagining characters and worlds of their own. The studio environment is playful and low-stakes, giving students plenty of room to experiment  and discover how a character can move from a sketch on paper to a story on screen.

• Grade Range: 6th – 8th Grade
• Total Seats: 20
• Cost: $115
• Register Here: [Link will become available on Friday, October 9, 2026.]

Instructor // Abby B.

December 5 // Graphic & Experience Design

Graphic & Experience Design // Letter by Letter: Designing Your Own Type

What makes a letterform feel bold, playful, elegant, or unexpected? In this hands-on graphic design workshop, students will explore the history and visual language of typography before taking on the challenge of designing letterforms of their own. They’ll sketch and experiment with shape, proportion, weight, and style by hand, then translate their ideas into digital designs. Along the way, students will discover how small changes to a letterform can influence how it looks, feels, and communicates.

Students will leave with a set of original letterforms, hand-drawn and optionally digitized, along with a foundational understanding of typography and the design decisions behind the type we encounter every day. They’ll build confidence in sketching, visual problem-solving, refining ideas, and presenting their work through a relaxed group critique. This workshop is ideal for curious, creative students who enjoy drawing, making, experimenting, and noticing the details of the visual world around them. The studio environment is welcoming and low-stakes, giving students room to try, revise, and develop their ideas from rough sketches into something distinctly their own.

• Grade Range: 9th – 12th Grade
• Total Seats: 20
• Cost: $115
• Register Here: [Link will become available on Friday, October 9, 2026.]

Instructor // Lizzie C.

December 5 // Architecture

Architecture // Shaping Emotions: From Abstract Ideas to Architectural Form

What would a space designed to feel joyful look like? Could architecture make you feel calm, energized, curious, or even unsettled? In this hands-on architecture workshop, students will explore how architects translate abstract ideas and emotions into physical form, space, and structure. Students will use an emotion and investigate it through color, texture, movement, shape, and composition, creating a collage to visualize and develop their ideas. They’ll then translate those ideas into an architectural model, experimenting with form, scale, proportion, materials, and spatial relationships as they design, build, test, and refine their work.

By the end of the workshop, students will leave with a collage and architectural model, along with a better understanding of how an abstract idea can evolve through the architectural design process. Through sketching, model making, experimentation, and iteration, students will build confidence in designing and problem-solving while developing foundational model-making skills such as working with scale and proportion, manipulating materials, and creating three-dimensional form. This workshop is ideal for creative and curious students who enjoy architecture, making, and exploring ideas in unexpected ways. The studio environment is relaxed and welcoming, giving students the freedom to experiment, take creative risks, and discover how an idea can become something they can see, touch, and experience.

• Grade Range: 9th – 12th Grade
• Total Seats: 20
• Cost: $115
• Register Here: [Link will become available on Friday, October 9, 2026.]

Instructor // Luz M.C.

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Please send questions to [email protected]. Thanks!

Prior to Registering, Please Read the Following:

Registration Process and Policies

• Registration will open on October 9, 2026 at 9:00 AM.
• The registration fee for each workshop ranges from $100 – $150. Payment is due upon registration. Students may register for multiple weekend workshops at a time, but SHOULD only register for one workshop per Saturday. All forms and payment must be completed in order for registration to be finalized. 
• Registration will remain open for each workshop up until 5 calendar days prior to its date (ie. registration will close for a workshop on the Monday prior to when it’s being held). 
• Those who have completed registration and payment will receive a confirmation email immediately. And all registrants will receive an email at least 5 business days prior to the start of their workshop with further information on procedures and protocols.
• Each workshop will take place on Saturdays from 9:00am – 4:00pm with Lunch at noon. Lunch will be provided for all workshops; our staff and instructor will accompany students to Clark Dining Hall, near our location on campus.
• Students should arrive between 8:45am – 8:55am and students must leave or be picked up no later than 4:15pm. Drop-off, Pick-up, and Parking information will be shared after registration is complete.
• Cancellations for Weekend Workshops: We must receive request for cancellation in writing via email to [email protected]. Cancellations made 10 calendar days prior to a workshop are eligible for a full refund. Cancellations made 5 calendar days prior to a workshop are eligible for a 50% refund OR request to have their program fees donated to our Design Lab outreach funds. If the workshop is cancelled by the Design Lab, full refunds will be issued. Refunds can only be issued by the same means of the original payment. 
  • Due to the upfront costs of our workshops, this is a firm policy, as we are not able to provide refunds for money that has already been allocated towards workshop expenses.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Register for Weekend Workshops**

*Each workshop’s registration period will end one week prior to its workshop date.

*A registration link will be available on October 9 for Fall 2026 workshops.