You see the world differently. You notice the flow of a well-designed app, the impact of a powerful brand identity, the cleverness of innovative packaging, or the immersive quality of an experiential space. You have an innate drive to organize information visually, create aesthetic harmony, and solve problems through form, function, and visual communication. If this resonates, a career in Design might be your perfect fit, and The Creative Circus’s Design Portfolio Program is engineered to get you there.

This isn’t just about learning software or following trends. Our program is a strategic-focused,  portfolio-centric journey designed to cultivate versatile, conceptually strong designers ready to make their mark across a vast creative landscape.

Is the Creative Circus Design Program Right for You?

This program is built for individuals who:

  • Possess a strong aesthetic sense and a passion for visual culture in all its forms.
  • Are curious thinkers who want to solve communication challenges visually and systematically.
  • Love making things – whether digital interfaces, print layouts, brand systems, or physical experiences.
  • Might be changing careers, perhaps from fine arts, illustration, marketing, architecture, or completely different fields, seeking a focused path into the professional design world.
  • Recognize that a robust, strategically sound design portfolio is non-negotiable for career entry and advancement.
  • Are eager to dive deep into design principles, receive rigorous feedback, collaborate, and push their creative and technical skills.

If you’re nodding along, let’s look at what makes the Circus approach to design stand out.

What Makes Circus Design Unique?

1. Thinking Beyond the Obvious: The Breadth of Design

Design isn’t confined to logos and brochures (though we cover those fundamentals exceptionally well). We prepare you for the diverse reality of the modern design industry. Instructor Colleen Finn emphasizes this expansive view: “A lot of people look at graphic design and they say, oh, logos and branding. It is so many millions of things that you could do as a designer. You could end up building and designing sets on Broadway. You could be in film… album covers… experiential. There’s so many different things.” Our program exposes you to these possibilities, allowing you to discover your niche.

2. Foundation First, Freedom Follows

Truly innovative design isn’t random; it’s built on a solid understanding of principles. We drill down on typography, layout, color theory, visual hierarchy, and conceptual thinking. Colleen Finn explains the value: “What the Circus did for me is it kind of wrangled all of the stuff that I love to do… and taught me the rules so I could break the rules… you need the foundation first.” Mastering the fundamentals gives you the power and confidence to experiment effectively.

3. Your Portfolio: The Proof is in the Projects

Talk is cheap; your portfolio speaks volumes. Every assignment, every project, every critique is geared towards building a body of work that demonstrates not just your aesthetic skills but your strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities. As Instructor Alice Jankowski states, “The Creative Circus… gives you a portfolio that will compete… a professional portfolio that will match what other professionals in the industry are using to get their own jobs.” You will complete with tangible evidence of your capabilities.

4. Cultivating Your Unique Design Voice

While grounded in principles, our goal is to help you flourish as an individual designer. We foster exploration and support your unique interests, whether that’s hand-lettering, UI/UX, packaging, branding, or something entirely unexpected. Director Berwyn Hung highlights this focus: “We look at things as, what makes you unique? What makes you special? What makes the world want you is because you do things differently, because you look at things differently.” We champion that individuality.

5. The ‘Why’ Behind the ‘What’: Strategic Design Thinking

Beautiful design that doesn’t meet objectives isn’t effective design. You’ll learn to connect your visual choices to strategic goals, understanding the audience, the brand, and the context. This ability to articulate your reasoning is crucial. Colleen Finn stresses the confidence this brings: “What the Circus gives you is a foundation to… give you the confidence to back up what you say and back up all of your design decisions…” This strategic grounding elevates your work and your value as a designer.

6. A Community of Creative Collaborators

You won’t learn in isolation. You’ll be surrounded by passionate peers and mentored by experienced design professionals actively working in the field. It’s an environment of shared learning, constructive critique, and mutual support. Berwyn Hung describes it as a place where creative individuals “can find other people that are like that… find each other and realize that it’s totally okay.”

Ready to Design Your Future?

A career in design offers endless opportunities to shape experiences, build brands, communicate ideas, and make a tangible impact on the world through visual means. It requires a blend of creativity, critical thinking, technical skill, and strategic insight.

The Creative Circus Design Program provides the rigorous training, industry connections, and portfolio focus necessary to launch you into this dynamic field. Stop just appreciating great design and start creating it.

Explore the Design track curriculum and apply to join a legacy of impactful designers at The Creative Circus.

*Image Created In Adobe Firefly