What Design+Code does

Design+Code, operated by Shadowness Inc., is a private e-learning platform founded by Meng To and headquartered in Quebec, Canada. The company teaches designers and developers to build real applications by combining design and code instruction — primarily focused on React for web and Swift/SwiftUI for iOS — through a curriculum that also covers design tools such as Figma, Sketch, After Effects, and Principle. Its core customer segments are designers learning to code, developers learning design, and startups/companies seeking to train employees on end-to-end design-to-code workflows.

The platform is delivered as a web product built on React, Gatsby, Netlify, and Contentful, supplemented by a SwiftUI-based iOS application and an external UI Kit product. Content assets include 50+ courses, 320+ premium tutorials organized into searchable handbooks, 300+ hours of video, and downloadable source files, design templates, and ePub documents. Students can earn certificates upon completing assessments. A Team Management feature (added in December 2020) enables seat-based administration for organizations. No public API, developer integrations, or AI capabilities are offered.

Design+Code operates a pure product-led growth, self-serve subscription model priced at $19 per month for Pro Access, with monthly or annual billing and Stripe-powered account management. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer via designcode.io, with no resellers or channel partners. Marketing relies on organic search, content marketing via video tutorials, livestreams, and student success stories. The company is bootstrapped with no external funding, no institutional investors, and a small team (1-10 employees), reflecting a solo-founder-led creator business model.

Name

Design+Code

Legal name

Shadowness Inc.

Website

https://designcode.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Design+Code is a self-serve e-learning platform teaching designers and developers to build real apps with React and Swift/SwiftUI, offering 50+ courses and 320+ tutorials on a $19/month Pro subscription to a global base of 120,000+ learners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Design and Coding Education

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Coding & Programming Learning Platforms (EDAFANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Design education platform
• Coding video courses
• React swiftui training
• E-learning subscription
• Design development tutorials

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pro Access Subscription: Monthly subscription providing access to 50+ courses, 320+ premium tutorials, 300+ hours of video content, downloadable source files, ePub files, and certificates upon course completion. The subscription auto-renews on monthly or annual billing cycles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Design+Code is an online educational subscription platform that delivers video courses, tutorials, and livestreams teaching designers how to code and developers how to design. The curriculum centers on React and SwiftUI, with hands-on project-based learning, downloadable source files, ePub resources, UI kits, and completion certificates available to Pro subscribers at $19 per month.

Product overview

Design+Code is an online educational platform offering a comprehensive suite of learning products centered around design and coding instruction. The core offering consists of 50+ courses (primarily React, Swift, SwiftUI, and design tools), 320+ premium tutorials organized into handbooks (Figma, SwiftUI, UI Design, React, CSS, UX), and livestream content. The platform operates on a Pro subscription model ($19/month) with supporting features including downloadable resources (100+ assets), certificate awards, team management for organizations, and account management with Stripe integration. The platform also produces an external UI Kit product. Content is delivered through the website built on React/Gatsby/Netlify/Contentful infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design+Code Courses Subscription-based online learning library offering 50+ comprehensive courses teaching design and coding skills, with a primary focus on React, Swift, SwiftUI, and design tools such as Sketch, Figma, After Effects, and Principle.
• Design+Code Tutorials Extensive library of 320+ premium tutorials organized into searchable handbooks covering Figma, SwiftUI, UI Design, React, CSS, and UX. Section-based format enabling targeted, topic-specific learning.
• Design+Code Livestreams Live and recorded streaming sessions covering React, SwiftUI, design topics, and founder insights for ongoing learning and Q&A.
• UI Kit by DesignCode Standalone UI kit product sold separately at designcodeui.com, referenced as a resource built using the Design+Code methodology for designers and developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120,000+ learners have enrolled in Design+Code courses

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Codecademy: Large-scale interactive coding learning platform covering web development, data science, and many programming languages. Broader incumbent with a much wider catalog but less specialized focus on the design-to-code intersection Design+Code targets.
• Pluralsight: Enterprise-focused technology learning platform covering software development, IT, and design skills. Broader incumbent competing for the same B2B team-training dollars that Design+Code targets with its Team Management feature.
• Udemy: Massive open marketplace of video courses spanning every tech topic including React, Swift, and design tools. Competes with Design+Code for the same learner searches but at commodity pricing (often $10-15 per course) rather than subscription.

Direct peers

• Level Up Tutorials: Subscription-based video tutorials focused on modern web development (React, Next.js, JavaScript) taught by working professionals. Directly comparable in pricing model, course format, and target learner.
• Scrimba: Interactive screencast-based platform for learning web development with React, JavaScript, and frontend topics. Directly comparable subscription model and target audience of self-taught developers looking for project-based instruction.
• Frontend Masters: Subscription-based video learning platform focused on advanced web development, JavaScript, React, and engineering topics. Closest direct competitor to Design+Code in the developer education subscription space, with a similar project-based, expert-instructor model.
• Wes Bos: Independent creator selling premium React, JavaScript, and CSS courses directly to developers. Closely mirrors Design+Code's creator-led, premium-priced model and competes for the same self-directed web developer audience.
• Egghead.io: Bite-sized video courses for web developers covering React, JavaScript, TypeScript, and frameworks. Direct peer competing for the same designer-developer learner segment with a subscription model and project-based teaching approach.

Others

• Mux: Video infrastructure provider powering streaming for developer education and creator content platforms. An enabling technology peer — Design+Code could use Mux for video delivery and they share the same developer/educator ecosystem.

Emerging players

• DesignCourse: Creator-led platform teaching UI/UX design, web development, and graphic design. Overlaps with Design+Code on the design side of the curriculum and competes for the same aspiring designer-developer persona.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/designcodeio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design+Code