OUR PATHWAYS
Discover the areas of design that interest you, develop your skills and progress from learning the fundamentals to thinking and working like a designer.
Choose a pathway to explore:
START YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY
Receive your placement offer and begin developing your creative skills, ideas and portfolio at YDA.
Start Your Journey:
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Come along to a free taster and assessment session. Get to know YDA, experience our studio and show us what you can do.
Meet Us:
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Complete our simple online applicatgion and tell us a little about yourself and your creative interests.
Apply Online:
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Explore our creative Pathways and choose the area of design that inspires you.
Choose your Pathway:
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Explore exciting design careers and find the path that inspires you most.
DISCOVER YOUR CREATIVE FUTURE
Develop industry-level skills and confidence to take your next creative step.
PREPARE FOR UNIVERSITY
Learn from expert designers who will guide and support you.
LEARN FROM EXPERT TUTORS
BUILD A PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO
Create real, high-quality projects that showcase your skills & stand out in applications.
WHY CHOOSE YOUNG DESIGNERS ACADEMY?
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Explore Major Design Pathways
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Real Industry Projects
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Portfolio & University Preparation
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One-to-One Career Guidance
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Develop a Creative Voice
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Create Original Design Ideas
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Advance Conceptual Thinking
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Build a Portfolio
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Apply Design Principles
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Solve Design Problems
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Develop Technical Skills
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Communicate Design Ideas
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Explore Design Principles
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Build Creative Confidence
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Learn Through Projects
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Develop Design Thinking
DECIDE
Experience. Decide. Launch.
DISCOVER
Explore Design & Build Skills:
DISCOVER
Explore Design & Build Skills:
DISCOVER
Explore Design & Build Skills:
YDA DISCOVERY PROGRAMME
YDA INOVATOR
YDA DEVELOPER
YDA EXPLORER
HOW YOU PROGRESS AT YDA
At YDA, students progress from learning the fundamentals of design to developing their own ideas, solving problems and thinking like designers.
Our students develop strong portfolios and go on to study at leading art and design universities. Students from YDA have successfully gained places at the following universities:
WHERE OUR STUDENTS GO NEXT
TESTIMONIALS
Thank you so much for your guidance and support with Eve's portfolio. What a fantastic piece of work!!! There’s no way we could have done this without you!
(
University of Leeds
)
Ruth, Guildford
Thank you so much for all your help! I could not have done it without you!
(
University of Reading
)
Courtney, Farnborough
We’re incredibly grateful for the support my daughter received from Margie. She helped her develop a portfolio for her university applications. Margie made a huge difference to my daughter’s confidence. She felt listened to, inspired, and supported every step of the way. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience and would highly recommend to any young person looking to build a strong, portfolio.
(
UAL Fashion
)
Natasha Hayes, Haslemere
YDA has been amazing at guiding and supporting my daughter putting together her digital portfolio for her University applications. She had a few sessions in the studio and they spent time looking at her work, and then together came up with a wonderfully presented and more importantly personal portfolio for Ruby to tweak and then forward to her University choices. It obviously did the trick as she secured 5 offers from all of her initial choices. We're hoping she's now off to UCA Farnham to do a Foundation year before launching into a degree in Animation. Thanks so much!
(
UCA Farnham
)
Rachel, Farnham
Our students have been awarded art scholarships to the following schools:
ART SCHOLARSHIPS 11+ AND 13+
Arts Award Silver & Gold
Build real-world creative projects and earn a recognised qualification.
AQA Units Award
Strengthen your portfolio and gain skills that impress universities and creative employers
AQA UNIT AWARDS & ARTS AWARDS
YDA DISCOVERY PROGRAMME
Foundation in Creative Design Practice
Designed for gap year students and aspiring designers aged 18+ who want to explore their future in design.
DESIGN WORKSHOPS FOR PRIMARY & SECONDORY STUDENTS
Inspire creativity in your students with our engaging art and design workshops. We deliver tailored sessions for primary and secondary schools, helping students explore skills, build confidence, and develop creative projects in a fun, supportive environment.
WORKSHOPS FOR SCHOOLS
Based in Surrey, Young Designers Academy inspires students aged 11–18 through hands‑on design education in architecture, fashion, illustration, and more. Led by industry professionals, we help young creatives build confidence, portfolios, and pathways to art & design futures.
