About
DesignX offers a Design Summer Camp for Kids & Teens where students take part in studio-style sessions in areas such as Fashion Design, Soft Toy Design, Wood Toy Design, and Architecture. K–12 students work on hands-on projects that move from concept to completion using real materials and real constraints. The program also includes the DesignX Student Fashion Show, where student fashion work is presented.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: K–12 students learn to bring their ideas to life in one-week design studio-style sessions throughout the summer.
DesignX is a studio-based design education company serving youth across the San Francisco Bay Area and is described as a leader in design education for youth, championing a human-first approach to creativity. Its studio-style design programs introduce students to the full spectrum of design and grow in complexity as their skills deepen. Students are immersed in the full design process, from concept to completion, using hands-on tools and materials in each studio, and each studio offers a unique hands-on design experience led by talented emerging designers.
Each summer, talented design graduates are selected as DesignX Fellows to lead the studios, forming a teaching team drawn from institutions including San Jose State, Stanford, UC Berkeley, USC, SFSU, Parsons, RISD, and others. The leadership team includes Founder and CEO Durga Kalavagunta, along with Richa Krishna (Brand Strategy Marketing, Media, Community and Partner Relations) and Hope Patricia Daly. The pedagogy behind DesignX has been shaped by nearly two decades of experience in K–12 design education; in 2009 Durga Kalavagunta began creating the studio she wanted for her own children, and in 2017 she founded DesignX.
The mission of DesignX states that every child is viewed as having unique, unbridled creativity, and the programs give that creativity form, structure, and purpose through studio-style design experiences. According to the mission, young people at DesignX are taught to “dream it, design it, and make it,” working with real materials, real constraints, and thoughtful processes, and they engage deeply with the world around them while developing curiosity, problem-solving, craftsmanship, collaboration, expression, and care for the planet. The mission also states that when students are trusted to create, they develop confidence, judgment, and a lasting sense of purpose, and that DesignX prepares young people to shape their world thoughtfully, creatively, and with meaning.
DesignX reports having served over 8,000 students, engaged 27 schools, delivered 541 programs, and developed 60 design educators. The organization partners with schools, community organizations, and educational institutions to bring design experiences to youth across the country, and it notes that 27 schools have been engaged through these efforts. In September 2025, the DesignX Student Fashion Show is described as being hosted in partnership with local businesses in Los Altos.
Parent testimonials describe DesignX as a favorite program that sparks curiosity and creative thinking, with one parent noting that their daughter is now pursuing Fashion Design at Parsons in New York City after being inspired at DesignX. Other parents report that their children ask to return each year, talk enthusiastically about camp, and enjoy wearing the fashion pieces they created, such as a skirt made at camp. Several parents mention that their children had a wonderful time, felt taken care of, and are already asking to attend again in future summers.
Last updated March 22, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: K–12 students learn to bring their ideas to life in one-week design studio-style sessions throughout the summer.
DesignX is a studio-based design education company serving youth across the San Francisco Bay Area and is described as a leader in design education for youth, championing a human-first approach to creativity. Its studio-style design programs introduce students to the full spectrum of design and grow in complexity as their skills deepen. Students are immersed in the full design process, from concept to completion, using hands-on tools and materials in each studio, and each studio offers a unique hands-on design experience led by talented emerging designers.
Each summer, talented design graduates are selected as DesignX Fellows to lead the studios, forming a teaching team drawn from institutions including San Jose State, Stanford, UC Berkeley, USC, SFSU, Parsons, RISD, and others. The leadership team includes Founder and CEO Durga Kalavagunta, along with Richa Krishna (Brand Strategy Marketing, Media, Community and Partner Relations) and Hope Patricia Daly. The pedagogy behind DesignX has been shaped by nearly two decades of experience in K–12 design education; in 2009 Durga Kalavagunta began creating the studio she wanted for her own children, and in 2017 she founded DesignX.
The mission of DesignX states that every child is viewed as having unique, unbridled creativity, and the programs give that creativity form, structure, and purpose through studio-style design experiences. According to the mission, young people at DesignX are taught to “dream it, design it, and make it,” working with real materials, real constraints, and thoughtful processes, and they engage deeply with the world around them while developing curiosity, problem-solving, craftsmanship, collaboration, expression, and care for the planet. The mission also states that when students are trusted to create, they develop confidence, judgment, and a lasting sense of purpose, and that DesignX prepares young people to shape their world thoughtfully, creatively, and with meaning.
DesignX reports having served over 8,000 students, engaged 27 schools, delivered 541 programs, and developed 60 design educators. The organization partners with schools, community organizations, and educational institutions to bring design experiences to youth across the country, and it notes that 27 schools have been engaged through these efforts. In September 2025, the DesignX Student Fashion Show is described as being hosted in partnership with local businesses in Los Altos.
Parent testimonials describe DesignX as a favorite program that sparks curiosity and creative thinking, with one parent noting that their daughter is now pursuing Fashion Design at Parsons in New York City after being inspired at DesignX. Other parents report that their children ask to return each year, talk enthusiastically about camp, and enjoy wearing the fashion pieces they created, such as a skirt made at camp. Several parents mention that their children had a wonderful time, felt taken care of, and are already asking to attend again in future summers.
Last updated March 22, 2026.
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