Build the Right Path To Your
I-Love-My-Job
Afford-Nice-Stuff
Work-From-Home
AI-Proof
Career in Design
A student-first, designer-founded school with university-level design foundation training, personalized 1:1 mentorship, and premium portfolio training for high-paying careers in design.
Student Success
Our graduates now work high-impact companies, including Twitter, Pinterest, Microsoft and more.
$100K
Average Starting Salary
$30K
Average Salary Increase
92.5%
Employed Within 6 Months
Course Report
SwitchUp
Our Graduates Got Hired at Top Global Companies
Career Programs
Programs That Launch or Upgrade Your Design Career
We offer instructor-led, university-level curriculum that helps aspiring designers launch their dream careers
1
Flagship Program For Students with Design Knowledge
Portfolio School
Career Program
Intermediate
Have design knowledge but can’t land a job? Start your high-paying design career with a portfolio built to stand out in 2-3 months.
2
For Beginners to Transition Their Careers
School of Design
Career Program
Beginner
New to design? Learn how to launch your high-paying UX/UI design career in 6-8 months.
Additional Flexible Learning Paths
More ways to learn, grow, and get support
We offer additional flexible programs to help aspiring and working designers get the knowledge they need at their own pace, with the right combination of course content, affordably
3
Ongoing Mentorship
For Corporate Designers and Freelance Designers
Already working full-time, contract, or part-time as a designer in a corporate or agency environment and want continuous mentor support in your work, or getting started as a freelance designer? Our subscription-based, ongoing mentorship program helps you with exactly that.
- For Corporate Designers
- For Freelance Designers
4
Upskilling Courses
For Working or Aspiring Designers
Need to fill in skill gaps or test the water before joining our career program? Need to learn specific topics as a working designer? Our short courses are perfect for your upskilling needs without breaking the bank.
- Art Direction
- Visual Design Foundation
How Path Unbound Helps You Succeed
1
Founded by Top Designers, Not Big Tech Comglomerate
Fun (crazy) fact – are you aware that less than 1% of design schools are founded by women and less than 3% of design schools are founded by designers? We are proudly diversifying design education and championing under-represented voices.
2
World-Class Expert Instructors, Not Untrained Mentors
Our instructors are professional, senior working designers. We vet and train each one to ensure top-quality instruction. Our instructors don’t just do design well, they teach it even better. Unlike many bootcamps, we do not “crowd-source” mentors.
3
College-Level Foundation, Ultra Craft-Focused
Many bootcamps don’t include comprehensive visual design foundation training, which shows up in portfolio. We’re teaching you it all —soup to nuts at college level! You will never have to take another course to fill in knowledge gaps again.
4
Ultra Portfolio-Focused, Not An Afterthought
We provide individualized and rigorous portfolio coaching to make sure each of our graduates come out of the course with outstanding portfolios that immediately “wow” hiring managers and land jobs.
5
Flexible but Structured, With Accountability
Our structures are ultra-flexible, which means 1) you have the flexibility to learn at your own schedule but with accountability to finish on time; 2) we have designed flexible program combos to serve diverse students.
6
Always Student-First, Because we Care
We provide dedicated student advisory sessions every couple of weeks to ensure every student is on track and can get any problems resolved quickly. We are always student-first, because we care.
World-Class Instructors with Proven Teaching Experience
Our team of instructors are great at what they do and teach even better
Stephanie Sell
Product Designer
- Washington, D.C. USA
Jenni Renas
Visual Designer
- Richmond, Virginia, USA
Arnold Kotra
Brand & Visual Designer
- France
Ashley May
Senior Product Designer
- Michigan, USA
Nina Shahriaree
UI/UX & Visual Designer
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
Silvia Script
Senior UI/UX Designer
- Washington D.C. USA
How it Works
1
Book a Free Clarity Session
2
Enroll + Choose Your Own Instructor
3
Graduate with a Job-Ready Portfolio
4
Achieve Your Design Career Goals
Built by Designers Who Understand What Gets You Hired
Our founders are award-winning designers with deep instructional and curriculum expertise
Stella Guan
Co-Founder + CEO
Stella Guan is co-founder and CEO of Path Unbound. Stella’s design work has been recognized internationally by major design awards, some of which have also invited her to serve as a judge. A passionate design educator, Stella worked as an Adjunct Faculty of Design at several universities. She is often invited as a speaker at design conferences.
Sydney Ligouri
Co-Founder + CPO
Sydney Ligouri is co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Path Unbound. She brings over a decade of experience in the design industry. Sydney began her entrepreneurship journey as co-founder of creative mentorship platform RookieUp. She also taught—and later became Head of Design Education—at Shillington, before joining Path Unbound.
We Do It Differently, The Right Way
Features
Other Programs
Path Unbound
Instruction Quality
- 😥 Crowd-sourced "mentors" (hit or miss experience)
- 😃 Highly vetted instructors with proven teaching experience
Curriculum Quality
- 😥 Lacks foundation & rushed (shows up in portfolio)
- 😃 College-level, strong curriculum written by former university faculty
Portfolio Quality
- 😥 Cookie-cutter projects (that get lost in a competitive job market)
- 😃 Unique projects with real-world complexity and client work opportunity
Choice of Instructors
- 😥 Students are assigned a random "mentor"
- 😃 Students can choose the instructor they work with
Industry Expertise
- 😥 Founded by non-designers at big corporations backed by venture capital
- 😃 Founded by award-winning designers with deep curriculum experience and genuine care for students
Career Coaching
- 😥 Generic advice from general career coaches
- 😃 Individualized career strategy coaching from industry experts, always available after graduation at affordable per session rate
Personalization
- 😥 None - everyone must take the standardized program
- 😃 Customizable - we recommend the correct course bundles for students with diverse needs
Cost
- 😥 ~$7,100 - $15,000+
- 😃 $29 or $2,100 - $7,080 (depending on program)
Instruction Quality
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Crowd-sourced "mentors" (hit or miss experience)
- 😃 Highly vetted instructors with proven teaching experience
Portfolio Quality
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Cookie-cutter projects (that get lost in a competitive job market)
- 😃 Unique projects with real-world complexity and client work opportunity
Curriculum Quality
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Lacks foundation & rushed (shows up in portfolio)
- 😃 College-level, strong curriculum written by former university faculty
Choice of Instructors
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Students are assigned a random "mentor"
- 😃 Students can choose the instructor they work with
Industry Expertise
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Founded by non-designers at big corporations backed by venture capital
- 😃 Founded by award-winning designers with deep curriculum experience and genuine care for students
Career Coaching
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Generic advice from general career coaches
- 😃 Individualized career strategy coaching from industry experts, always available after graduation at affordable per session rate
Personalization
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 None - everyone must take the standardized program
- 😃 Customizable - we recommend the correct course bundles for students with diverse needs
Cost
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 ~$7,100 - $15,000+
- 😃 $29 or $2,100 - $7,080 (depending on program)
Outstanding Student Portfolio and Success Stories
Take a look at some of the high-quality designs our students have produced and the stories behind them. By learning design at Path Unbound, you can expect results on this level and beyond.
Portfolio School
From Freelance Illustrator to Full-Time Agency Visual Designer
Carina’s portfolio spans branding, animation, and illustration — a creative range that opens doors for her immediately after graduating from Portfolio School.
Portfolio School
From Architect to Multidisciplinary Visual Designer
Kyle came from architecture, with some of his own study in visual design, but struggled to translate that into job offers. After Portfolio School transformed his portfolio, he started hearing back.
Portfolio School
Nicholas had already been working as a designer but was struggling to make his next move. After completing Portfolio School, he transformed his portfolio, which allowed him to advance his career.
Portfolio School
Architha was working as a senior designer, but found it challenging to update her portfolio due to time and NDA constraints. At Portfolio School, she was able to achieve that through our bespoke coaching.
Students Had Their Lives Transformed
Hear what our students have to say about Path Unbound, and how studying with us transformed their careers.
Gabriella Magamas
Fashion to UI/UX Designer
Sydney Hartman
From Retail to Visual Designer
Carina Venet
From Part-Time Illustrator to Full-Time Designer
Parker Cho
Marketer Turned Designer
Kristina Bozhanova
From Print Designer to Digital Designer
Donna Carroll
From Dancer to UI/UX Designer
Free Tools
Not Sure Where to Start?
Take one of our free diagnostic tools to find out exactly where you stand and what to do next.
1
Why Isn't Your Portfolio Landing Jobs?
2
Is Design The Right Career For You?
3
Which Program Is Right For You?
Ready to launch your dream design career yesterday?
Your dream design career doesn’t start itself, but we are here to make sure that happens for you, if not yesterday, very soon.
