- 100% online
- 3+ guest lecturers
- Create a new portfolio project
- 6 weeks / 5 hours per week
- Design case studies
- Financial aid available
Step into climate leadership through design
- 1
Find your place as a creative professional passionate about climate action
Understand the role creatives have in shaping culture and social norms. How can you move the status quo towards a healthier, equitable, more resilient, life sustaining world? Learn where you personally can fit in and how to effectively channel your energy & talents to create positive change.
- 2
Learn the most effective frameworks & tools to shape our shared future
Apply methodologies and fresh perspectives that will help you truly create the impact you desire. Learn about effective action, re-writing narratives, designing for systemic changes and more to create measurable and sustained change.
- 3
Elevate your career to apply your skills to impactful work
Create a climate-focused portfolio piece that can attract future employers while establishing yourself as a leader in climate action. Connect with creatives around the globe to help you expand a strong professional network that will support you as you build your climate career.
I've actually considered leaving design to return to school to study something that could impact the climate movement more tangibly, so I was SO excited to discover the Climate Designers community. Looking forward to meeting like minded designers and getting inspiration for where I could take my career from here.
Carly Schonberg
Senior UI Designer
New York
USA
World-class instructors and guest lecturers
Sarah Harrison (she/her) spent over a decade designing software & brands in San Francisco's tech startup industry before burnout led her to start over, with no choice but to apply her skills for positive change & social impact. She co-founded The Determined in 2016 & Climate Designers in 2019 and also co-teaches a social entrepreneurship class in the interaction design graduate program at California's College of the Arts every summer.
Marc O'Brien
Climate designer and design strategist taking climate action.
Course Creator
Marc O'Brien (he/his) is a climate designer, strategist, and educator. He co-founded The Determined, a creative studio for a climate-resilient world. In 2019, he co-founded Climate Designers, a hub for designers and creative professionals from all industries, committed to using creative skills for climate action. He also teaches at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, CA.
Our Guest Lecturers (coming soon!)
Rollie Williams
Comedian, writer, climate and policy expert
Sadie Red Wing
Graphic designer, Student success coach at American Indian College Fund
Dawn Danby
Co-founder and principal strategist, Spherical - an integrative research and design studio
Exceptional alumni
You’ll join exceptional alumni from all our programs, who have accomplished careers in industry, policy, and more, and have all made a commitment to focusing their career on sustainability and decarbonization. Expect a similarly accomplished peer set from the world of design, product, photography, UI/UX and the like.
The program breakdown
Week 01 - So you're a designer concerned about our climate crisis…
Feeling like there's got to be something you can do beyond recycling & turning off your monitor when you're not using it? Designers have a unique set of skills & power to shift culture, industries, and business practices to make a big impact.
Topics include: Individual actions vs systems change, historical shifts in public perception of climate change, how to find your place & build a career in climate action
Week 2: Thinking like a Climate Designer
Incorporating climate change in your work requires a much bigger, more expansive understanding of our world. This requires us to reconsider certain perspectives and methodologies.
Topics include: Neoliberal worldview, Colonialism, Indigenous wisdom, Climate justice, Narrative shifting
Week 3: Acting like a Climate Designer
We'll apply our new understanding towards co-creating approaches and solutions towards our new world. This is when thinking turns into action.
Topics include: Inclusive design, Measuring impact, Behavior change, Culture jamming, Subvertism
Week 4: Leading like a Climate Designer
You can't do this alone. Persuading others will be key in large scale systemic change. How you frame approaches and solutions matter to get as many people on board as possible.
Topics include: Leadership styles, Influence & persuasion, self awareness & self care
Week 5: Capstone Project
Project Week 1
Collaboration techniques for virtual & asynchronous teamwork, Ideation & validation
Week 6: Capstone Project
Project Week 2
Finalizing your project, Preparing your pitch & storytelling, Portfolio building
Get a detailed syllabus
Try our FREE class: Getting Started as a Climate Designer
Get to know the course creators as they walk through their 3-part guide to building your career as a designer taking climate action.
WATCH NOW
Becoming a Climate Designer: Free Class for Terra
You’ll also receive a link in your inbox for watching later.
Personalized and relevant instruction
The founders of this course bring years of experience working at the intersection of design and climate action. Since 2019, they have been supporting designers with resources, training, & helpful tools through a podcast, an 1800+ member online community, virtual events, and classes in higher-education.
01
Two-week design sprint
After the first four weeks you'll split into small teams based on personal interests and:
- Collaborate to apply the concepts you've learned towards your local community or context
- Develop your climate voice and create a portfolio-ready climate project
- Push your design & execution skills with new techniques
02
Climate action lab groups
Once a week, you will meet with your instructors in live, small-group sessions for:
- Energetic discussions on the topics of the week
- Presentations & Q&A with guest speakers
- Opportunities to connect with classmates & grow your professional network
03
Up-to-date material
We update our learning material to stay cutting-edge:
- Latest developments on the science, climate impacts, and market solutions
- Future-focused perspectives and new approaches emerging from design leaders, climate experts, and culture-makers
- Lifetime access for fellows
04
Personal attention
We track every fellow's progress closely and ensure people get the support they need:
- Optional weekly 1-on-1 sessions with your instructors
- Personalized career transition training
- Intensive peer support from your fellow learners
Pricing and expected commitment
Becoming a Climate Designer
/ 6 Weeks
- 6 week duration, with 5 hours of time commitment per week
- Each class has fellows split into groups of 20-25 with extensive skills, background, and passion
- 100% online, with instructors available via Zoom, Slack, and email
- 3+ guest lectures from experts, also available for later viewing
Who is this program for?
A deep dive on impactful design for climate makes the program perfect for practicing designers & related professionals who want to contribute to a larger positive change with their work.
- Industrial designers, graphic designers, UX/UI designers, UX writers, service designers, design strategists, illustrators, videographers, design-centric product managers, and so many more than we can list here
- You want to network with other creative professionals passionate about building a climate-focused career
- You have sufficient time (5 hours/week) to dedicate to the program
- You’re not yet a practicing design professional and want a comprehensive design program (these kinds of programs are typically 6-months to 2+ years of full-time study)
- You don’t have the time to commit to a deep dive right now (you can always apply for later cohorts)
Becoming a Climate Designer
/ 6 Weeks
- 6 week duration, with 5 hours of time commitment per week
- Each class has fellows split into groups of 20-25 with extensive skills, background, and passion
- 100% online, with instructors available via Zoom, Slack, and email
- 3+ guest lectures from experts, also available for later viewing