On Deck Designer Fellowship (ODD)
Become a successful design leader. Surrounded by talented peers.
The On Deck Designer Fellowship is an eight-week remote program for ambitious designers who want to hone their skills, increase their impact and grow as leaders. We combine a step-by-step curriculum and an incredible community of peers to help you become an effective design leader.
The second cohort kicks off July 18th.
Everything you need to become a successful design leader
Hone your leadership skills and put them into practice
Learn the step-by-step playbook used by experienced design leaders
Understand how to maximize your impact in your organization
Build long lasting relationships with other designers
Apply for the Designers Fellowship
Kick-off: July 18th, 2021
Apply by May 15th to qualify for Early Bird pricing
Speakers & Curriculum

Jared Erondu

Wendy Johansson

Pablo Stanley

Vivianne Castillo

Basak Haznedaroglu

Ryan Donahue

Roger Rohatgi

Yuan Wang

Vlad Georgescu

Sarah Mills
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Florence Okoye

Jonny Burch

Juan Hidalgo Reina

Jeff Anders (Hilnbrand)

Matt Galligan
Getting Started
Navigating the Designer Fellowship
Goal setting workshop with a leadership coach
Understanding Yourself as a Leader
Goals and strategy
Asking questions
Leading Your Team
Career progression frameworks
Delegation
Scaling a team
Radical candor
Navigating Your Organization
Unlocking the value of design
Effective communication
Collaboration
The On Deck Method
We're building a modern educational institution that redefines how community and learning come together. Being part of any On Deck program means you’ll have access to a community of world-class professionals. With every new program we launch and cohort we start, your network gets stronger.
Here are the cornerstones of the On Deck experience:
Deep Friendships
Unparalleled Knowledge
Community Diversity
Scaled With Software
Engineered Serendipity
Spirit of Service
Apply for the Designers Fellowship
Kick-off: July 18th, 2021
Apply by May 15th to qualify for Early Bird pricing
FAQ
To be a good fit for ODD, you are probably:
* Someone who recently moved into a management or leadership role as a Design Manager, Head of Design or Director. Or you’ve been doing this for a while and eager to increase your impact and accelerate your career.
* A Mid-Level, Senior, Lead and Principal designer. You are exploring a path to management & leadership, and looking for a safe space to do so.
* Eager to be an active participant and contributor in a growing community, as much of the value of On Deck comes from the network and peer-to-peer connections.
* Excited about the opportunity to collaborate with other fellowships like founders, no-code, climate tech, writers and others.
Joining the On Deck Deck Designer Fellowship is $1,990.
For this first inaugural cohort, we’re offering the program at an early-bird rate of $1,990, with the cost rising for subsequent cohorts.
Yes!
Our goal is to make ODD accessible to the absolute best talent, no matter their situation.
While many eligible applicants do have the means to support themselves, many others don’t. We’re excited to be able to offer scholarships thanks to the generosity of alumni and partners.
There are no fees to apply so please submit an application to be considered for ODD — we only ask about financial assistance requirements after fellows have been accepted in order to avoid discrimination during the evaluation process.
ODD is a choose-your-own-adventure buffet. You get out what you put in: often, the biggest contributors are also the biggest beneficiaries.
Depending on your schedule and interests, you could choose to:
* Attend everything and “gorge” yourself on knowledge until you explode
* Tune in at your leisure to attend sessions that interest you
* Or just search the directory and connect with interesting people one-on-one
Yes: ODD will be run entirely remotely. This enables participation from all corners of the world. We’ve spent the past few ODF cohorts mastering the playbook for building remote communities and relationship building online, and will apply the same approach here.
Post-COVID, we’ll return to organizing offline programming like dinners, small gatherings, and retreats, but the core Fellowship will remain a remote-first experience.
We’re aiming to build a cohort that is diverse across race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, national origin, professional background, age, viewpoint, and subject matter—you name it!
Since this is the first cohort of ODD, we don’t yet have specific demographics for this program, but we released a demographic breakdown for ODF5 that can serve as a useful comparison.
On Deck lives by four core guiding values, crucial to the culture we strive to foster in the community:
* Service: On Deck is bigger than any one person. For this community to thrive, it must be driven by a spirit of service to others. Be generous with your time, knowledge, and support. Karma has a way of finding its way back.
* Sacredness: By default, everything is off the record. Many in this group are searching for something deeper in their lives or making big transitions, and others may not yet have publicly shared this with friends, family, or employers. Please honor that, and avoid sharing anything you learn about each other without explicit permission.
* Respect: You are all now part of the On Deck family. You’re all embarking on what will surely be a rollercoaster of a journey — but you’re in this shared experience together. With that comes a sense of responsibility: be inclusive, stick together, and respect one another.
* Gratitude: have a spirit of curiosity and gratitude. We’re bringing together a group of fascinating people, most of whom likely have never met each other…how amazing is that? Get to know each other, and make the cohort what you want it to be for yourself.
After the fellowship, you’ll retain access to your cohort and be able to subscribe to membership for continued access to the On Deck ecosystem.