Designer Camp: Find Top Courses & Training Locations

At Designer Camp, middle and high school students participate in week-long programs in design and design specializations like photography and interior design. Students network with industry professionals and get a glimpse at the daily life of designers. Full and partial scholarships help more students access a design education.

Designer Camp is a boutique summer camp experience intended to teach young creatives (ages 11-17) the fundamentals of creativity and design in a supportive community environment. Young people can find out first-hand if a career in design is right for them.

Designer Camp was founded by Kristen Dees and Mercedes Curran, two graduates of FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising). They launched Designer Camp because they wanted to create an incubator for young, passionate designers, something they wish had existed when they were teens.

Designer Camp focuses on creative collaboration, not competition. Students have the opportunity to learn and engage through hands-on workshops, mentoring from professional designers, and behind-the-scenes tours of studios and galleries. Each year, Designer Camp partners with nationally-recognized designers and brands to help campers cultivate career opportunities and creativity.

School Locations

Designer Camp currently has two California locations, one in Los Angeles and one in Orange County. In Summer 2021, it began adding Digital Camps that students can attend anywhere.

If you’re attending an in-person camp in Los Angeles or Orange County, Design Camp offers discounted enrollment in multiple week-long camps. A student could enroll in all four camps and spend a month learning the four subjects taught at Designer Camp.

Designer Camp partnered with Leica Akademie USA for its Photography Camp. Because of this, the Photography Camp is held at the Leica Store in Los Angeles.

Subjects Taught at Designer Camp

Over four weeks each summer, Designer Camp offers four unique camps: Designer Camp 101, Interior Design Camp, Fashion & Styling Camp, and Photography Camp.

Design is the purpose of all of the camps offered by Designer Camp. Each camp is intended to prepare teens for a career in the design industry and includes professional mentoring, feedback, and training in design principles. Each day of camp, students will interact with design professionals and receive professional feedback. Students visit the showrooms, design houses, stores, and businesses shaping the design industry. At the end of each camp, teens will have a design portfolio they can continue to develop after their time in camp ends.

If you’re interested in learning more about design classes and seeing if there are some available in your area, Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool shows all of the options for design classes in your area.

Age Requirements

All four of Designer Camp’s week-long summer camps are offered for teens aged 11-17. All four courses are also open to all skill levels.

What Classes Are Available?

Designer Camp 101 allows teens to explore the vast careers available in the design industry. Students cover branding, fashion design, interior design, photography, fashion styling, trend forecasting, social media, jewelry design, and costume design. Students will add to their Designer Portfolio throughout the week, and it is shown to parents and local design industry leaders at the end of the week. All enrollees receive a Designer Kit and individually boxed lunches from local eateries.

The Photography Camp is partnered with Leica Akademie USA and held at Leica’s Los Angeles store. This camp walks students through the various types of photography, including camera operation, lighting, portrait photography, digital photography, and fashion photography. Students will print and matte their work to include in a photography portfolio and publicly exhibit their work in a final art show.

Interior Design Camp is a week-long intensive dive into interior design. Campers explore event design, furniture design, textile design, home styling and staging, and architecture. The course includes trips to the Pacific Design Center, the West Hollywood Design District, and other showrooms around Los Angeles.

Fashion & Styling Camp provides a first-hand peek into the professional world of fashion through hands-on workshops on fashion sketching, marketing, social media, fashion merchandising and buying, beauty industry and trends, product development, and retail design. Each summer, Designer Camp partners with different professional fashion designers and brands.

Class Formats

Aspiring designers can attend these camps in Los Angeles or Orange County. During the summer of 2021, Designer Camp also added some digital camps. Students interested in taking Designer Camp Digital should submit an interest form via the website to secure priority registration for the upcoming summer.

All students receive a Design Kit while enrolled, including any needed supplies. Students in Photography Camp receive a free week-long rental of a Leica camera included in the registration price. All graduates will have a design portfolio to grow from at the end of the week.

Admissions Process

There is currently no admissions process for Designer Camp. Students can register for in-person courses on its website with no design experience required.

Pricing & Payment Options

Designer Camp’s in-person camps are priced at around $1,495 for the week. This price includes a Design Kit and a daily boxed lunch from a local eatery. Photography Camp’s registration fee consists of a Leica camera rental and professional photo printing.

Designer Camp Digital camps have been priced lower, around $500 for the week. Designer Camp also offers full and partial scholarships to talented students who can demonstrate financial need. Scholarship applicants are asked to submit a photo of their proudest creative work, a short essay or video describing their interest in Designer Camp, a reference from a teacher or a mentor, and have a phone interview with a Designer Camp Director.

Benefits of Attending Designer Camp

Designer Camp allows young creatives to learn about collaborative design. Students will grow their creativity and gain insights into the many career opportunities related to creative design. With their partnerships with nationally-recognized brands, campers will also gain industry contacts and mentors.

What Do Students & Parents Say?

Angeleno Magazine recently called Designer Camp the “trendiest summer camp for kids.” West Hollywood Lifestyle Magazine calls it “a curated boutique-style experience” and “a welcomed alternative to traditional camps.”

Parents praise the creativity and confidence that attending Designer Camp has given their children. One parent wrote that her daughter “learned photography, modeling, and worked on a week-long project that brought out her creativity, confidence, and presentation skills.” Another parent said that attending Designer Camp sparked her daughter’s ongoing creativity: “Every day she brought home something new including her own personal sketchbook where she drew a bunch of cool new designs for rooms, fashion, etc.”

One criticism is that Designer Camp is geared more toward 11 to 13-year-olds and not older teens. Another is that the skills taught at the camp are too lightweight: “...no learning or skills at this camp.”

Key Takeaways

Designer Camp offers four week-long camps on design topics: Designer Camp, Interior Design Camp, Fashion & Styling Camp, and Photography Camp.
Campers learn creative design in a collaborative environment with industry partners and mentors.
All campers leave with a design portfolio to continue to build on.
Camps are in-person in Los Angeles and Orange County. Aspiring designers from other places can enroll in Designer Camp Digital.

Top Courses at Designer Camp

Find the perfect course for you at Designer Camp. We’ve selected 3 of Designer Camp’s most popular courses. View the course catalog at designercamp.com

Designer Camp 101
Students ages 11-17 get an introduction to design in this weeklong course. As they learn about careers in fields such as fashion, jewelry, and interior design as well as photography and branding, students build a portfolio of their own design work.
Locations:
- Los Angeles
- $1,495
- 1 Week
- Weekdays
- Beginner
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Designer Camp 101 Orange County
Designed for ages 11-17, this course introduces students to the world of design. Students learn from industry professionals in fields such as art curation, fashion, interior design, and nonprofit branding and complete the week having designed their own hands-on projects.
Locations:
- Orange County
- $1,195
- 1 Week
- Weekdays
- Beginner
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Digital Designer Camp 101
This weeklong virtual camp introduces students ages 11-17 to the design industry. Students learn about fashion and interior design as well as photography and personal branding from industry professionals as they create their own digital design portfolios.
Locations:
- Live Online
- $495
- 1 Week
- Weekdays
- Beginner
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Designer Camp

School Locations

Subjects Taught at Designer Camp

Age Requirements

What Classes Are Available?

Class Formats

Admissions Process

Pricing & Payment Options

Benefits of Attending Designer Camp

What Do Students & Parents Say?

Key Takeaways

Top Courses at Designer Camp

Designer Camp 101

Designer Camp 101 Orange County

Digital Designer Camp 101

Subjects Taught at Designer Camp

Graphic Design

Map of Designer Camp Locations