A Design Course for Creators

The Creator Design Kit

Learn design fundamentals and build a design kit that scales, so you don't have to start your next project from scratch. Make every design decision feel like the right one without wasting time.


Course starts on Monday.

Learn design and build a creator kit swith one email a day. master the fundamentals so every design decisions feels like the right one.


Start this Monday and become a better designer in 4 weeks.

JOIN 250+ Students

JOIN 250+ Students

JOIN 250+ Students

⚡️ HIGHLIGHTED BY:

Trends.vc
  • "The workshop let me come up with my own style and taste which is huge for me especially as the founder of a brand that wants to communicate our customer and student ethos."

    KHE HY, Founder RAD READS

  • i started fiddling with Figma yesterday, the design tool recommended by @kadlac in his 80/20 design course

    4 hours in and I can already sense that it has *huge* potential!

    the stuff I’m producing already feels a lot lighter and visually compelling

    Cécile

  • "I learned a lot from Nate. SERIOUSLY. I had tried using Figma before but I just didn't understand anything at all.

    But thanks in large part to Nate I feel like I'm very good using Figma. After finishing the first day I could not wait to keep on learning. Every single day I would receive an email with a Figma file as well as a Loom video and let me tell you, it's VERY, VERY, VERY valuable content."

    Irving

  • "The workshop let me come up with my own style and taste which is huge for me especially as the founder of a brand that wants to communicate our customer and student ethos."

    Filipe

  • I already "designed" my first thing! My son graduated from ABA therapy this past week and I wanted it to feel special - balloons, a graduation cap, cake, etc. I usually would have skipped designing anything visual because I felt it would take too long or not look good, but after a few lessons I just hopped in and made a digital screen that I mirrored onto the TV for a special touch!

    Sola

Updated July 5, 2024

Even if you're not a designer, you're still making design decisions.

Have you ever spent money on design, and realized you just made a huge mistake?

Arrested Development Mistake GIF

It didn't turn out, and you don't know how to fix it. So you hired a different designer and it was even worse!

It's a sick cycle, because you don't trust yourself to make these decisions yourself.

In this course, I'll help you understand not only how to make better design decisions, but also how to avoid them.

Author Paul Millerd turned his podcast art from amateur to pro just by learning how to use color, typography, and eye-catching layouts without the help of a designer.

The Boundless Podcast Artwork
The Boundless Podcast Artwork
The Boundless Podcast Artwork
The Boundless Podcast Artwork

Imagine having the ability to make your own design decisions, or to give design feedback to a designer.

Decisions like:

  • Learn to choose and combine colors that don't clash

  • Why you should never use pure black

  • How to choose an indestructible font family

  • How to use spacing and grids for beautiful layouts

  • How to design yourself in Figma!

And so much more!

If you have ever worked with a designer but you're never happy with the results, there's a design gap. Not all designers are created equal, and if you can't communicate your visual ideas, it's going to be difficult to hit the mark consistently.

This course will take you through the steps to building out a design kit at the end, giving you a shortcut to working with designers.

You don't need to be a designer to make some damn good design decisions. You just need the 80/20.

This email course will show you how.

Overview

What is the Creator Design Kit?

The 80/20 Design Challenge is for non-designers who want to level up their design chops, learning just the most important and fundamental aspects of design.

who is this course for?

For coaches & creators

Learn the tools and skills to create stand out graphics for your business, social channels, and websites.

For aspiring designers

Level up your career by learning the fundamentals of Figma, and making better design decisions in your design projects.

Level up your career by learning the fundamentals of Figma, and making better design decisions in your design projects.

Level up your career by learning the fundamentals of Figma, and making better design decisions in your design projects.

Level up your career by learning the fundamentals of Figma, and making better design decisions in your design projects.

For PMs, marketers, and developers

Learn the fundamentals of design so you can better communicate and support the designers around you.

Learn the fundamentals of design so you can better communicate and support the designers around you.

Learn the fundamentals of design so you can better communicate and support the designers around you.

Learn the fundamentals of design so you can better communicate and support the designers around you.

Over-the-shoulder videos and walkthroughs for non-designers

This course is built for non-designers who care about design, but feel intimidated, scared, or don't have confidence in making design decisions.

It's for the ultimate beginner who wants to feel comfortable using tools like Figma, which allows you to create anything you want.

You might also be an engineer, PM, or marketing director who wants to better communicate your design needs, but lack the the visual communication skills to feel comfortable expressing ideas.

Why an email course?

No logins or passwords to remember

You may have never taken an email course. In fact, I had only taken one before building this. But here's the special thing about emails: They're always easily accessible without having to remember a login.

Here's an example of what these lessons will look like in your inbox. Incredibly easy to find and are organized like an actual online course.

An email screen shot
An email screen shot
An email screen shot
An email screen shot

What you'll get

Emails nudging you to take action

1

Lesson per day

Lesson per day

Lesson per day

Lesson per day

20

Videos

Videos

Videos

Videos

20

Figma Lesson Files

Figma Lesson Files

Figma Lesson Files

Figma Lesson Files

Our design challenge is setup to help you learn incrementally, each day. We start on Mondays, and end on Friday. This gives you the weekend to catch up.

Here's what you'll get each day:

  • An email with a specific design lesson

  • A link to a less than 20 minute video

  • A Figma design file to follow along with

schedule

Take the weekends off!

The design challenge starts every Monday.

Over four weeks, I'll send a lesson Monday - Friday. Use the weekends to catch up on any missed videos.

Learn FIGMA

The design tool the pros use

Figma might seem intimidating, but you can create anything you want in this program. And, it's free to use.

Create logos, design social banners, websites, and more.

No experience is needed, and I'll walk you through every step of the way, with no experience needed.

Curriculum

What you'll learn

Week 1

Day 1

Learn Figma to design anything you want

Day 1

Learn Figma to design anything you want

Day 1

Learn Figma to design anything you want

Day 1

Learn Figma to design anything you want

Day 2

How to pick a font that captures the reader's attention

Day 2

How to pick a font that captures the reader's attention

Day 2

How to pick a font that captures the reader's attention

Day 2

How to pick a font that captures the reader's attention

Day 3

Stop using Unsplash photos

Day 3

Stop using Unsplash photos

Day 3

Stop using Unsplash photos

Day 3

Stop using Unsplash photos

Day 4

Why you should never use pure black

Day 4

Why you should never use pure black

Day 4

Why you should never use pure black

Day 4

Why you should never use pure black

Day 5

How to use drop shadows for a premium look

Day 5

How to use drop shadows for a premium look

Day 5

How to use drop shadows for a premium look

Day 5

How to use drop shadows for a premium look

Week 2

Day 6

How to align so you don't drive your reader's crazy

Day 6

How to align so you don't drive your reader's crazy

Day 6

How to align so you don't drive your reader's crazy

Day 6

How to align so you don't drive your reader's crazy

Day 8

Learn to create visual intrigue by using contrast

Day 8

Learn to create visual intrigue by using contrast

Day 8

Learn to create visual intrigue by using contrast

Day 8

Learn to create visual intrigue by using contrast

Day 9

How to use text hierarchy for premium clarity

Day 9

How to use text hierarchy for premium clarity

Day 9

How to use text hierarchy for premium clarity

Day 9

How to use text hierarchy for premium clarity

Day 10

How to make sure no one is confused by your text

Day 10

How to make sure no one is confused by your text

Day 10

How to make sure no one is confused by your text

Day 10

How to make sure no one is confused by your text

Week 3

Day 11

Add personality to your websites and emails with this one trick

Day 11

Add personality to your websites and emails with this one trick

Day 11

Add personality to your websites and emails with this one trick

Day 11

Add personality to your websites and emails with this one trick

Day 12

How to make two colors play well together

Day 12

How to make two colors play well together

Day 12

How to make two colors play well together

Day 12

How to make two colors play well together

Day 13

How to pair fonts together to stand out

Day 13

How to pair fonts together to stand out

Day 13

How to pair fonts together to stand out

Day 13

How to pair fonts together to stand out

Day 14

How to create depth using layers

Day 14

How to create depth using layers

Day 14

How to create depth using layers

Day 14

How to create depth using layers

Day 15

How to create anything you want, including butts

Day 15

How to create anything you want, including butts

Day 15

How to create anything you want, including butts

Day 15

How to create anything you want, including butts

Week 4

Day 16

Stand out with shockingly good gradients

Day 16

Stand out with shockingly good gradients

Day 16

Stand out with shockingly good gradients

Day 16

Stand out with shockingly good gradients

Day 17

Design a professional logo with just text

Day 17

Design a professional logo with just text

Day 17

Design a professional logo with just text

Day 17

Design a professional logo with just text

Day 18

How to create beautiful and click worthy buttons

Day 18

How to create beautiful and click worthy buttons

Day 18

How to create beautiful and click worthy buttons

Day 18

How to create beautiful and click worthy buttons

Day 19

How to use masks to create unique shapes

Day 19

How to use masks to create unique shapes

Day 19

How to use masks to create unique shapes

Day 19

How to use masks to create unique shapes

Day 20

Capstone Project: Build a design kit so you never need to start from scratch again

Day 20

Capstone Project: Build a design kit so you never need to start from scratch again

Day 20

Capstone Project: Build a design kit so you never need to start from scratch again

Day 20

Capstone Project: Build a design kit so you never need to start from scratch again

FEEDBACK

Get feedback

Anytime during the course you can tag me in your Figma file for async feedback.

who is teaching the course?

Hi, I'm Nate!

Nate Kadlac

Nate Kadlac, Founder

Nate is a former creative director and product designer who has helped Fortune 500 companies and early-stage startups grow their companies and reach millions of consumers.

In 2021, after spending seven years focused on helping build a real estate startup into an eight figure acquisition, he left and now works as a freelance consultant, educator, and creator.

FAQs

Do I need design experience?

Absolutely not! This course is created for non-designers, so no experience is needed.

When does the course start?

The course starts every Monday around 8am PST.

Do I get live support?

During the course, you'll have access to the community to post any questions you might have. We'll respond within two business days.

What tools will I use?

This course requires an account with Figma, a free design tool you can use in the browser or on your computer. It's available for both PC and Mac.

How do I get feedback?

During the four weeks of the course, add me as a viewer to your Figma file (nate@kadlac.com) and I can comment directly in your file.

Who this workshop isn't for...

If you're a professional designer, you might not find this worth your time. Also, if you struggle with making time to learn a new skill, I would also pursuade you not to take this course.

Do you have a money back guarantee?

If for any reason you don't feel you got your money's worth after going through the entire course, I will gladly refund your purchase.

Do I need design experience?

Absolutely not! This course is created for non-designers, so no experience is needed.

When does the course start?

The course starts every Monday around 8am PST.

Do I get live support?

During the course, you'll have access to the community to post any questions you might have. We'll respond within two business days.

What tools will I use?

This course requires an account with Figma, a free design tool you can use in the browser or on your computer. It's available for both PC and Mac.

How do I get feedback?

During the four weeks of the course, add me as a viewer to your Figma file (nate@kadlac.com) and I can comment directly in your file.

Who this workshop isn't for...

If you're a professional designer, you might not find this worth your time. Also, if you struggle with making time to learn a new skill, I would also pursuade you not to take this course.

Do you have a money back guarantee?

If for any reason you don't feel you got your money's worth after going through the entire course, I will gladly refund your purchase.

Do I need design experience?

Absolutely not! This course is created for non-designers, so no experience is needed.

When does the course start?

The course starts every Monday around 8am PST.

Do I get live support?

During the course, you'll have access to the community to post any questions you might have. We'll respond within two business days.

What tools will I use?

This course requires an account with Figma, a free design tool you can use in the browser or on your computer. It's available for both PC and Mac.

How do I get feedback?

During the four weeks of the course, add me as a viewer to your Figma file (nate@kadlac.com) and I can comment directly in your file.

Who this workshop isn't for...

If you're a professional designer, you might not find this worth your time. Also, if you struggle with making time to learn a new skill, I would also pursuade you not to take this course.

Do you have a money back guarantee?

If for any reason you don't feel you got your money's worth after going through the entire course, I will gladly refund your purchase.

Do I need design experience?

Absolutely not! This course is created for non-designers, so no experience is needed.

When does the course start?

The course starts every Monday around 8am PST.

Do I get live support?

During the course, you'll have access to the community to post any questions you might have. We'll respond within two business days.

What tools will I use?

This course requires an account with Figma, a free design tool you can use in the browser or on your computer. It's available for both PC and Mac.

How do I get feedback?

During the four weeks of the course, add me as a viewer to your Figma file (nate@kadlac.com) and I can comment directly in your file.

Who this workshop isn't for...

If you're a professional designer, you might not find this worth your time. Also, if you struggle with making time to learn a new skill, I would also pursuade you not to take this course.

Do you have a money back guarantee?

If for any reason you don't feel you got your money's worth after going through the entire course, I will gladly refund your purchase.

Past customers & students

  • "Loved the email series"

    Jonny Miller, Founder Nervous System Mastery

  • "All good things are wild and free."

    I'm grateful to @kadlac and the Approachable Design crew for helping me explore my visual aesthetic.

    I found something that feels like it's *uniquely* mine.

    Chase Adams, Software Developer

  • "Ever since I watched that part of Nate's 80/20 Design Email Challenge I haven't touched #ffffff or #000000. Not even in my digital art creations. It 100% changed how I approach choosing colors."

    Rychelle

  • I already "designed" my first thing! My son graduated from ABA therapy this past week and I wanted it to feel special - balloons, a graduation cap, cake, etc. I usually would have skipped designing anything visual because I felt it would take too long or not look good, but after a few lessons I just hopped in and made a digital screen that I mirrored onto the TV for a special touch!

    Sola

  • "this course definitely helped me become a much better designer, and as a result – a better builder."

    Louis Pereira — Founder AudioPen.ai

  • "The workshop let me come up with my own style and taste which is huge for me especially as the founder of a brand that wants to communicate our customer and student ethos."

    Iliyan Slavov

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