DesignExplorr
DesignExplorr is a Cleveland-based social impact organization founded in 2017 that delivers K-12 design education, corporate DEI training, and consulting to address the underrepresentation of African-American and Latino professionals in the design field, anchored by its Experiential Learning Center and founder Jacinda Walker's Design Journeys research.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersCleveland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What DesignExplorr does
DesignExplorr is a Cleveland, Ohio-based social impact organization founded in 2017 that addresses the diversity gap within the design profession. It does this by delivering K-12 design education programs, corporate DEI training and consulting, and research-driven content rooted in founder Jacinda Walker's Design Journeys thesis at Ohio State University, which presents 15 strategic ideas to expose African-American and Latino youth to design careers. Its core offerings include a portfolio of youth programs (Design Club, Think Like a Designer Workshop, designExplorr Takeover, Digital Design Workshops, Design Learning Challenges, Power Posters, Creative Career Conversations, and the DesignIS bundle), a tiered corporate training catalog (Understanding the Design Journey, Closing the Diversity Gap, Impact and Ideas for Design), monthly DE&I consultation blocks with the founder, paid speaking engagements, and physical products (Designers Kit, Zippy Kit, Creativity Notebooks, Creative Careers Booklet).
The organization's flagship asset is the 1,800-square-foot Experiential Learning Center (ELC) in Cleveland, which provides internships, after-school workshops, classroom field trips, pre-college prep, and the Design Your Future 6-week summer academy. The ELC also operates a student-powered design studio that supplies affordable branding, social media, and web services to mission-based nonprofit clients, embedding real client work into student learning. Strategic partnerships with IBM SkillsBuild, UX 365 Academy (Joe Natoli), and Awesome Design Academy layer external credentials onto ELC programming, while grant funding from ACE Mentor of Cleveland and the American Institute of Architecture underwrites free public workshops.
DesignExplorr monetizes through professional services (workshops, training, consulting, speaking), one-time product sales priced $4.99-$49.98, and grant-sponsored freemium programming. Distribution is regional (Ohio) via direct e-commerce, on-site school and corporate delivery, public events, and community partnerships. The team consists of 6 core members (founder/creative director, operations, graphic designer, and 3 collaborators), the company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, and there are no signals of institutional capital, M&A, or geographic expansion beyond Ohio.
DesignExplorr firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DesignExplorr
- Legal name
- DesignExplorr
- Website
- https://designexplorr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DesignExplorr is a Cleveland-based social impact organization founded in 2017 that delivers K-12 design education, corporate DEI training, and consulting to address the underrepresentation of African-American and Latino professionals in the design field, anchored by its Experiential Learning Center and founder Jacinda Walker's Design Journeys research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DesignExplorr industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Design Education Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Graphic Design Services (54143)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)
Keywords
Where DesignExplorr is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cleveland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
DesignExplorr business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Youth Programs and Activities: Revenue from selling youth design programs and activities including Design Club, Think Like a Designer Workshop, Digital Design Workshops, Design Learning Challenges, Power Posters, Creative Career Conversations, and DesignIS workshop bundles. Programs range from single-session workshops to multi-day experiences.
- Training Workshops: Corporate and educator training sessions covering Understanding the Design Journey, Closing the Diversity Gap, and Impact and Ideas for Design. Offered as 3-hour to 7-hour workshop formats.
- Speaking Engagements: Revenue from Jacinda Walker's speaking engagements featuring Design Journeys research for in-person or virtual audiences at corporate and educational events.
- DE&I Consultations: Monthly consulting blocks (3-5 hours) with Jacinda Walker covering diversity research, strategy, and organizational guidance for individuals and corporations.
- Think Like a Designer Designers Kit: Physical product sales of design kit containing markers, crayons, scissors, glue, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, tape, sticky notes, design activities booklet, worksheet, and user cards. Price range $24.99-$49.98 depending on quantity.
- Zippy Kit: Lower-cost physical kit option priced at $19.99.
- designExplorr Swag Bags (Notebooks): Pocket-sized 24-page notebooks with colored crayons and pencil, priced at $4.99 each.
- Creative Careers Booklet: Comprehensive 48-page full-color educational resource exploring creative career pathways with 25 career descriptions, educational requirements, and salary information. Priced at $24.99. Bulk orders (25+) available by contacting office.
- ELC Student-Powered Design Services: The Experiential Learning Center provides affordable design services (branding, social media, websites) to professionals and mission-based organizations, empowering students with real-world experience.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Think Like a Designer Designers Kit - 1 kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Think Like a Designer Designers Kit - Bulk |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Zippy Kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | designExplorr Swag Bags (Notebooks) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Creative Careers Booklet |
| Other | Multi-year contract | DE&I Consultations |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Youth Programs (Grant-Sponsored) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
DesignExplorr product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DesignExplorr delivers K-12 design education programs (workshops, clubs, summer academies), corporate DEI training workshops, individual DE&I consulting blocks, and founder-led speaking engagements. The organization also sells physical design kits, creativity notebooks, and a Creative Careers Booklet through its online shop. Its flagship Experiential Learning Center (ELC) in Cleveland combines hands-on design instruction with paid student work on real branding, social media, and website projects for mission-based clients.
Product overview
DesignExplorr is a social impact organization offering a portfolio of design education programs and products aimed at diversifying the design profession. The core offerings include Youth Programs and Activities (Design Club, Think Like a Designer Workshop, designExplorr Takeover, Digital Design Workshops, Design Learning Challenges, Power Posters, Creative Career Conversations, and DesignIS Workshop Bundle), Consulting Services (DE&I Consultations and Speaking Engagements), and Training Workshops for educators (Understanding the Design Journey, Closing the Diversity Gap, Impact and Ideas for Design, and Training Workshop Bundle). The Experiential Learning Center (ELC) serves as the flagship facility providing hands-on design education and career development, while the Design Your Future Summer Academy offers intensive summer programs. Physical products include the Think Like a Designer Designers Kit, designExplorr Swag Bags (Creativity Notebooks), and Creative Careers Booklet.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Students gain creative confidence, develop critical thinking skills, learn to visualize ideas, and foster innovation through design challenges
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DesignExplorr
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DesignExplorr technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DesignExplorr partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UX 365 Academy (Joe Natoli)coreProvides ELC members with access to UX 365 Academy offering real-world UX skills training for career development at reduced cost compared to bootcamp programs.
- IBM SkillsBuildcoreFree education program focused on underrepresented communities helping learners develop valuable new skills and access career opportunities. ELC members receive IBM Skills Building badges.
- ACE Mentor Program of ClevelandminorSponsorship partner for Digital Design Workshop: SketchUp event providing funding for free youth programs in grades 9-12.
- American Institute of Architecture (AIA)minorGrant funder for DesignIS: Construction workshop event, making the program free for participants.
- Awesome Design AcademyminorDesign education partner that teaches graphic design through a 'Design by Doing' approach, transforming beginners into design practitioners. Offered as ELC membership benefit.
- Ohio State UniversityminorAcademic institution where Jacinda Walker's Design Journeys thesis was completed (OhioLink/OhioLink.edu), establishing research credibility.
- Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD)minorUniversity partner promoting design education and scholarship opportunities. CCAD Merit Scholarships available to DesignExplorr students.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DesignExplorr competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hip Hop Architecture Camp: National initiative that uses hip-hop culture to introduce underrepresented youth to architecture and design careers. Comparable to DesignExplorr's mission of exposing African-American and Latino youth to design professions, with overlapping K-12 workshop and community-event delivery models.
- Center for Architecture Foundation: NYC-based nonprofit delivering K-12 architecture and design education through workshops, summer programs, and educator training. Directly comparable in workshop delivery, educator training, and youth-focused design immersion—though it operates in a different geographic market.
- Inneract Project: Oakland-based nonprofit providing free design education to underrepresented youth through mentorship and project-based learning. Most directly comparable peer to DesignExplorr in terms of mission (diversifying design), target audience (K-12 underrepresented youth), and delivery model (free workshops, mentorship, portfolio development).
- Urban Arts NYC: NYC nonprofit providing art and design education to underserved youth through in-school residencies, after-school programs, and summer intensives. Comparable in mission, target audience (underrepresented K-12 youth), and delivery model (workshops, summer programs, mentor-supported portfolio work).
Broad incumbents
- AIGA: The largest professional design organization in the U.S. with an extensive education and diversity program portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the design education space; its Design for Diversity and student outreach work intersects with DesignExplorr's corporate DEI and youth-program focus.
- Girls Who Code: National nonprofit building pathways for girls into computing, with a summer immersion program, after-school clubs, and college-loops. Comparable as a larger-scale, well-funded K-12 enrichment provider serving underrepresented youth—though focused on computer science rather than design.
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum: National design museum with extensive K-12 design education programs, summer camps, and educator resources. Comparable as a broader, well-funded institution delivering design learning to youth; overlaps with DesignExplorr on K-12 curriculum and educator training but at significantly larger scale.
- RISD Continuing Education: Continuing education arm of the Rhode Island School of Design offering non-degree design courses, certificates, and pre-college programs. Comparable as a design-focused education provider serving older students and adult learners; overlaps with DesignExplorr's career-pathway and Creative Career Conversations offerings but at a much larger scale.
Others
- National Art Education Association (NAEA): The leading professional membership organization for visual arts educators in the U.S., providing curriculum standards, professional development, and conferences. Adjacent/ecosystem peer that influences the standards and channels DesignExplorr's curriculum and educator training plug into.
Emerging players
- Black Girls CODE: National nonprofit introducing girls of color to technology and computer science, with growing design and creative-tech programming. Comparable in target demographic (Black youth), workshop-and-camp delivery model, and corporate partnership strategy, though the substantive content is in tech rather than design.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DesignExplorr social profiles
Digital presenceDesignExplorr financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DesignExplorr leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
DesignExplorr funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DesignExplorr M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DesignExplorr
What does DesignExplorr do?
DesignExplorr delivers K-12 design education programs (workshops, clubs, summer academies), corporate DEI training workshops, individual DE&I consulting blocks, and founder-led speaking engagements. The organization also sells physical design kits, creativity notebooks, and a Creative Careers Booklet through its online shop. Its flagship Experiential Learning Center (ELC) in Cleveland combines hands-on design instruction with paid student work on real branding, social media, and website projects for mission-based clients.
Is DesignExplorr a public or private company?
DesignExplorr is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DesignExplorr founded?
DesignExplorr was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DesignExplorr based?
DesignExplorr is headquartered in Cleveland, United States, in the North America region.
How does DesignExplorr make money?
Nine revenue lines are on record. Youth Programs and Activities are the primary driver. The others are training Workshops, speaking Engagements, DE&I Consultations, think Like a Designer Designers Kit, zippy Kit, designExplorr Swag Bags (Notebooks), creative Careers Booklet and ELC Student-Powered Design Services.
Who are DesignExplorr's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hip Hop Architecture Camp, Center for Architecture Foundation, Inneract Project and Urban Arts NYC. Broad incumbents are AIGA, Girls Who Code, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and RISD Continuing Education. National Art Education Association (NAEA) is listed as an others. Black Girls CODE is listed as an emerging player.
Does DesignExplorr have an API?
No public API is recorded for DesignExplorr.
What industry is DesignExplorr in?
DesignExplorr's product category is Design Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAKAA, K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services, with a secondary code of EDAGAKAC, Corporate Learning & Training Content Development. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.