Designation is now Flatiron School

As of May 2019, Designation is now Flatiron School.

If you graduated from Designation prior to May 1, 2019, please leave your review for Designation. Otherwise, please leave your review for Flatiron School.

To view updated and accurate information, please visit the Flatiron School Course Report page.

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Designation

Average Rating4.8
115 Reviews
3 Courses

Designation is a 24-week program specializing in the fields of UX and UI design with the primary goal to turn you into a hireable candidate for innovative and tech-focused companies. Designation offers a hybrid of both online education and in-person immersion in Chicago. Throughout the 24 weeks of the program, students are treated to guest speakers, sponsored workshops, and lab sessions. While there is no formal grading, students are asked to create portfolio deliverables and to actively document their design process for the purpose of finding a job after graduation. No prior experience is required, though top applicants should be prepared to work a minimum of 60 hours per week during the 12 weeks of the in-person phase. Designation is looking for highly motivated individuals who demonstrate maturity, persistence in problem-solving and show a genuine interest in design. 

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115 Designation Reviews

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  • Kendra
    Kendra
    Product Designer • Graduate • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Jun 19, 2018
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    Offer a month after graduation

    I would not be where I am today without Designation. I came to the program with 15 year's experience working in boutiques, mostly in sales. I wanted to make a career change, and I read everything I could about UX and the industry. I chatted with designers who had gone through the program, and they all said pretty much the same thing, “it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done but it’s 100% worth it once you get your first job.”

    Before starting the program, I’d done a good amount of res...

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  • Cassie
    Cassie
    UX Architect • Graduate • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    May 17, 2018
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    Great option to jumpstart a career as a UX/UI Designer

    My background

    Previously, I was a business analyst at a technology consulting firm and wanted to become UI/UX designer. I decided to join Designation because of the positive reviews I heard from coworkers who had gone through the program. I was familiar with design, technology, and business constraints, but many of my peers were not. One great thing about Designation is that people come from a wide variety of backgrounds and often provide unique and valuable perspe...

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  • Tomi
    Tomi
    Interaction/UX Designer • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Apr 08, 2018
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    Upgrade You

     

    summary - designation brought me from a to b!   a - working as a paralegal, doing good work with good people, but wasn’t sure what i wanted to do long-term.    b - interaction designer (contractor) at an agency, confidently presenting designs to a client my first week, excited about the future.    why designation    psych + tech = yay. as a comparative human develop...
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  • Amanda
    Amanda
    Product Designer • Graduate • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Apr 05, 2018
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    A whole new career in 6 months

    For me, Designation was a fantastic way to change my career path in six months. The staff and curriculum gave me the tools I needed to succeed. The program is challenging, be prepared to hustle! I chose to attend Designation because it offered the most design experience (including real client projects) for the money, it was located in Chicago, and 94% of their graduates were employed. I figured Designation was doing something right, so I signed up for the prerequisite course, Design Essent...

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  • Rachael
    Rachael
    Product Designer • Graduate • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Mar 30, 2018
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    If you're serious about UX/UI, Designation is a great investment

    TLDR

    Designation is a worthy investment if

    1. You are serious about changing careers into UX or UI
    2. You are willing to put in the work 

    Designation is not for the faint of heart. It will absolutely dominate your world for about 6 months. You’ll have to sacrifice income, time with friends, binging on Netflix, etc. BUT it's 100% worth it in the end. And you’ll meet some pretty awesome people along the way. 

    My Background

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  • Pedro
    Pedro
    UX designer • Graduate • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Mar 20, 2018
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    Best decision I've made

    Before Designation, I was an English high school teacher. I never had any formal Design education or experience.

    I researched several UX design programs (bootcamps), but decided on Designation because of the real client work experience. Being able to get a job was a main concern for me. I was not a recent graduate living at home, looking to explore an industry. I am an adult with a career, bills, rent, and other responsibilities. This career pivot was a big risk as I had a lot ridi...

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  • Wojciech Peliks
    Wojciech Peliks
    Graduate • UI Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Mar 18, 2018
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    A great, intense, thorough program

    I'd highly recommend Designation if you're interested in pursuing UX or UI design. The curriculum is Very thorough and I found it rigorous, which was something I was looking for. 

    The program divides UX and UI into separate classes, but they are not fully exclusive. I went through the UI program. First everyone had a mock project of designing an app from scratch (UX and UI process) and depending on what part of it you liked best that's the direction you focused on for the rest of t...

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  • Colleen Pellissier
    Colleen Pellissier
    UX Designer • Graduate • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Mar 15, 2018
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    Best Decision

    Here's the tldr: Deciding to attend Designation was one of my best life decisions. This program helped me make a pretty big career pivot into UX design from journalism. I was well supported, well educated, given all the tools and resources I needed to navigate myself into a UX career.

    I think if you are trying to make a decision between boot camps/intensive programs Designation is a great choice. You will have real experiences and time with actual clients, you will have access to a...

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  • Stephanie
    Stephanie
    UX Designer • Graduate • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Feb 21, 2018
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    Best career decision I've made!

    Before Designation, I was working as a Visual Designer for an Architecture firm. I wasn’t completely content with what I was doing because I was siloed and craved collaboration. A friend mentioned I’d be a great fit for UX because I was always asking “why” and could carry a conversation with anyone. After doing my research, I chose Designation to transform my career path. And, after putting in countless hours of hard work, I landed a few very exciting job offers. I recently started working...

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  • Mariana Garcia Robles
    Mariana Garcia Robles
    UI/UX Designer • Graduate • UI Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Jan 26, 2018
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    I thought my design career was over, then I found DESIGNATION

    A year ago, I started DESIGNATION, I was in the UI track of the Yucca Cohort.

    A bit about my background. I moved to the United States from Mexico about 1 year before starting DESIGNATION. I came with a degree and a few years’ experience in Graphic Design but was having a difficult time getting interviews in the United States. I quickly realized that lacking skills in Digital, not having connections, and no prior ‘working’ experience in the United States was probably holding me back...

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  • Kyle
    Kyle
    Graduate • UI Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Dec 17, 2017
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    A great way to start your design career

    Designation will serve as the starting point for your career in design if you're willing to put in the effort. You will not come out of the program a senior designer or with the same knowledge as a graduate program/portfolio school (obviously), but it's absolutely possible to land entry-level/associate positions within 2 months. The instructors and staff genuinely care about your success and are invested in your growth throughout the 24 weeks, as well as during your job search post graduat...

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  • Cindy
    Cindy
    UX Researcher. Formerly a copywriter at a life sciences advertising agency. • Graduate • UX Design Intensive (begins every 6-8 weeks) • Chicago
    Dec 03, 2017
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    Designation works if you do.

    TL;DR 

    Designation is an amazing program that speeds up the process of starting a career in UX. However, you need to be prepared to put in the work (like a good 90+ hours/week) and put the rest of your life on hold. If you have the resources and you love design, it's a small sacrifice to make for the massive difference it'll make to your career.

    Thoughts on the Program

    Pros

    - Client phase. Over the course o...

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Designation Alumni Outcomes

Recent Designation News

Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated December 27, 2018
As we near the end of 2018, we're rewinding and reflecting on the most interesting and impactful coding bootcamp news of the year. Come with us as we look at trends, digest thought pieces, break down the ~$175 million in new funding, and more. We’ll also look at our predictions for 2019 and our hopes for the future of coding bootcamps! 2018: Course Report in Numbers We added 89 n...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated January 25, 2018
Designation is a UX/UI bootcamp that has been building up the Chicago design community since 2013, and recently moved into a new WeWork classroom. We asked the Designation team to share their reasons behind the move, how students will fit into the larger WeWork community, and why Chicago is a great city to work in UX Design. Plus, we hear about Designation’s future plans to collaborate wi...
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Imogen Crispe
Updated December 01, 2017
On the Course Report Coding Bootcamp News Roundup, we keep you up to date with the blossoming coding bootcamp industry. This November, we're covering the WeWork/Flatiron School acquisition, over $2M in funding to various bootcamps, and why tech is booming in "Heartland" cities. Of course we also look at new schools, new campuses, and our favorite pieces to work on this month for the Cours...
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Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated November 10, 2015
Founded in 2013, Designation offers an immersive bootcamp for aspiring UX and UI designers. Mike Joosse, their new Community Director, tells us about his transition from the design world to Designation, the most important ingredient for a successful UX designer and how Designation prepares students for post-bootcamp careers.   Tell us about your background and what you were doing be...
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Liz Eggleston
Updated October 07, 2015
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Liz Eggleston
Updated October 02, 2014
Welcome to the September News Roundup, your monthly news digest full of the most interesting articles and announcements in the bootcamp space. Want your bootcamp's news to be included in the next News Roundup? Submit announcements of new courses, scholarships, or open jobs at your school!   Bootcamps in the News Udacity Raises Fresh $35M to Expand the ‘University of Silicon Va...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated July 09, 2018
With a degree in Advertising Art Direction, Martha Willis was looking for a way to build on her current skillset in pursuit of a web-based career. So she enrolled in Designation, a full-time, immersive design course in Chicago. We get the scoop from Martha about the application process, her new job as a UI Designer, and how she's continued her education after Designation.  Remember, th...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated July 12, 2018
Designation is a digital design-focused school in Chicago that helps students with a technical or design background make the shift to digital design jobs. We talk with founder Kevin Yun about the differences between Designation and other web-development bootcamps, the types of applicants they look for, and why it's important to learn digital design now.  Remember, the Course Report communi...
Locations

Designation Alumni Reviews Summary

Overall Experience
4.8
Instructors
4.6
Curriculum
4.5
Job Assistance
4.5
Write A Review
More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
FAQs

How much does Designation cost?

Designation costs around $15,800. On the lower end, some Designation courses like Design Essentials (Online, Part-time, begins every 6-8 weeks) cost $1,000.

Where does Designation have campuses?

Designation has in-person campuses in Chicago. Designation also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.

Is Designation worth it?

Designation hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 115 Designation alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Designation on Course Report - you should start there!

Is Designation legit?

We let alumni answer that question. 115 Designation alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Designation and rate their overall experience a 4.8 out of 5.

Does Designation offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?

Right now, it doesn't look like Designation offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.

Can I read Designation reviews?

You can read 115 reviews of Designation on Course Report! Designation alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Designation and rate their overall experience a 4.8 out of 5.

Is Designation accredited?

While bootcamps must be approved to operate, accreditation is relatively rare. Designation doesn't yet share information about their accreditation status.

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