Design Suite was born out of Carina’s desire to teach creatives how to run their own profitable businesses.
Her own design education taught her how to be a great designer but did not teach her how to take her skill and turn it into a livelihood. That is how the education system is structured and Carina Gardner Inc. exists specifically to fill in the gaps and empower designers to actually make money with art.
Throughout the 15 years Carina has been building her multi-six figure design businesses, she has discovered the missing components necessary for success in this industry.
Gap 1: Design education needs speed. Design education needs to be swift enough to keep up with consumer demands. The courses in Design Suite are developed to address this because they are continually updated to include new, emerging platforms and ideas. Much emphasis is placed on what is hot in the marketplace today. In addition to course updates, weekly and monthly meetings are offered which help keep members up to speed with changes in the industry.
Gap 2: Early integration to understand profitability. Practical principles of online marketplaces must be integrated into the early stages of education to impart profitability insights. While the traditional education model has many benefits, the knowledge of how to place products in front of customers is lacking. The Design Suite model encourages designers to learn by doing. Instead of creating for fictional companies, designers are creating designs for a real company. Online marketplaces have made it possible for new designers to test their products as well as to be profitable at the same time. Design Suite students emerge from the program with a working AND selling portfolio.
Gap 3: Adaptability. The development of critical thinking skills is imperative for adapting to market changes, ensuring that skills remain relevant in evolving marketplaces. The online marketplace changes every year. Not only do customer’s desires and buying habits change, but software and technology has made numerous changes as well. This is why Design Suite offers a large number of courses ranging from easy to expert on a wide range of topics. These courses help teach different types of products and marketplaces so that a designer can pivot as needed.
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The focus in Design Suite is to expedite the design process at a considerably lower cost than that of a traditional four-year university. The overarching mission of Carina, the coaches and the team at CGI is to strive to achieve high standards in education, problem solving, and assistance provided to the members. The success of each designer is of the highest importance and the team is committed to working toward results with each member.
From multiple, progressive learning levels to live meetings and coaching, the Design Suite program is a comprehensive program that makes it a fit for both new designers and experienced designers alike.