8-hour Workshop · On-site · In-person
Design Principles
Overview
In this live full-day, in-person workshop, you'll learn how to craft and apply effective design principles that guide teams in making better design decisions. We'll explore how to define principles that foster clarity, consistency, and innovation, ensuring your team aligns around a shared design philosophy.
You'll leave with practical techniques for writing, validating, and integrating principles into your workflow. Whether you're working on a product team, a design system, or your own practice, you'll walk out with a clear method.
Live, in-person workshop
On-site, wherever you are
One full day, or two half days
4 to 12 participants
Certificate of completion
What changes after this workshop
- Design critiques become more focused. Your team stops arguing in circles and starts referencing shared language.
- Decision speed increases. Principles act as guardrails, so fewer decisions need to escalate.
- New team members ramp up faster. They have a clear foundation to learn from and build on.
- Your design system gains conceptual coherence, not just component consistency.
- Stakeholder alignment improves. Everyone references the same North Star.
What you leave with
- A draft set of design principles, written and refined during the workshop
- A principle-writing rubric you can use for future iterations
- Real examples of how your principles apply to your own product
- A rollout plan for introducing principles to the broader team
- Critique prompts to use principles in design reviews
- A certificate of completion for each participant
Workshop alumni include designers & thought leaders from a wealth of fantastic companies.
Choose this workshop if...
- Your team debates what "good design" means and rarely reaches consensus
- You're building or evolving a design system and need conceptual guardrails
- You want to onboard new designers faster with a clear foundation
- You need shared language that crosses product, design, and engineering
Not a fit if...
- You're looking for a ready-made principle set to copy. We help you build your own.
- Your team doesn't have the authority to actually adopt the principles afterward.
- You need deep user research methods. Check out our Empathy workshop instead.
Presentation
Split Up
Full Group
Sharing Sessions
Kick-off
Introduction to Design Principles
Kick-off
Case Studies
Session 1
Case Study Deep-Dive
Session 1
Keywording & Heuristics
Session 1
"Should Be" Mapping
Session 1
Regrouping Keywords
Break or continue next day
Session 2
Recapping Session 1
Session 2
Revisit Case Studies
Session 2
The Chosen Ones
Session 2
Formulating Principles
Session 2
Your Principles, Your Practice
Wrap-Up
Q&A
Facilitator
With well over a decade of experience, Paul has been a steadfast advocate for design that genuinely cares about the human experience.
His journey has been marked by exciting collaborations with industry giants like Unity, GetYourGuide, Shopify, Coinbase, and many others, imparting invaluable insights that not only elevate his own design, but also empower and elevate designers of all levels to create meaningful experiences that truly resonate with users.
Paul van Oijen
Designer · Teacher · Public Speaker
Within two weeks, our critique sessions changed completely. We stopped arguing about taste and started referencing our principles. That shift alone was worth the investment.
Allison Lee
Head of Design, Series B SaaS
After the intro call
Tailored agenda
We send you a customized agenda based on what we discussed, along with a quote.
Review and confirm
You review, request any adjustments, and confirm the dates that work for your team.
Workshop day
We show up ready to go. You just need a room and your people.
Straightforward, transparent pricing
Before you pay a dime for the workshop, we schedule a 30-minute intro call to understand your team's needs and tailor the content accordingly. This ensures the session is as relevant and impactful as possible.
Travel Costs
The costs for travel are based on the distance between your location and that of your facilitator.
Workshop Location
Up to 8 participants
Workshop cost
$2999 USD
Travel
Variable
Total
Starting from $2999 USD
Up to 16 participants
Workshop cost
$4999 USD
Travel
Variable
Scale Discount
- $700 USD
Total
Starting from $4299 USD
Any questions in the room?
At this stage, you probably have a few questions. We welcome them! We're also more than happy to cover any questions in our intro call.
Full-day, in-person workshop
Anytime · Wherever you are
Facilitated by Paul van Oijen
Book a 30-minute intro callNo commitment. We'll tailor the agenda to your team.
5 Continents
We've conducted workshops for teams across the globe and back, from foggy San Francisco to neon-lit Tokyo.
1000+ Participants
From groups as small as 4 to jam-packed conference rooms of 28 designers & thought leaders.
Countless Aha! Moments
Our workshops have helped hundreds of teams shift perspectives and make better product decisions.
Not the workshop you were looking for?
Check out some of our other rotational workshops.
8-hour workshop
From $2999 + travel