Business School

Take your design career to the next level

Amy Sheppard speaking into a microphone during a discussion at a leadership event. She is wearing a patterned black and white dress and gesturing with one hand. The background includes soft lighting and a floral arrangement, adding a professional and warm atmosphere to the setting.

Business School for Designers bridges the gap between design leaders and business strategy. Over six weeks, you’ll learn how to: 

  • Expand your business influence.
  • Articulate design’s value.
  • Progress your leadership career.

This course is a collaboration between world-renowned design leader Ryan Rumsey and Australia's leading digital champion, The Outlook. Uniquely delivered both in-person and online, you’ll have maximum learning impact while maintaining learning flexibility.

Business School for Designers is tailored to those who aspire to make a bigger impact. If you want to champion the value of design, lead cross-functional teams, or drive innovation in your organisation, this is for you.

It’s not just a course. It’s a launchpad for your next big step.

Course highlights

Course instructors

Three incredible instructors will guide you through the course.

Course content

This six-week course begins with a two-day intensive in-person workshop, followed by online sessions. By the end, you’ll have a full repertoire of practical tools and strategies to boost your design leadership with business acumen.

Kick off your learning with an intensive immersion. Meet your cohort, delve into the course and set yourself up for success.

A man wearing glasses and a black shirt attentively listening during the Design Leadership event, with other attendees visible in the background
Build rapport with your cohort

Forge meaningful connections with your peers in person, creating a network to enrich your learning journey.

A woman with blonde hair wearing a striped shirt, smiling and sitting in a crowd at Design Leadership
Accelerate your learning

Uninterrupted concentration time sets you up to apply these lessons throughout your career.

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Increase your chance of success

Uninterrupted immersion helps you plan and prepare for the six weeks to come.

The first half of the course builds your foundation in business fundamentals. Learn about strategic planning, the foundations of business models and how to understand the competitive landscape.

A young woman standing and holding a robotic arm, presenting to a classroom with students seated at desks and a teacher watching from her chair.
Storytelling for decision-making

Discover the story structures that help you identify opportunities and risk in trade-off decisions.

A person wearing a hard hat using a tablet to view a digital image of a room interior with a marble design
Understanding "The Business"

Gain a business perspective through empathy and by visualising the business you're in.

A modern workspace featuring a wooden desk with a computer displaying architectural designs, a desk lamp, a small easel, and a corkboard with notes. A bicycle is parked nearby.
Design's value proposition

View the value of your work from an outside perspective, letting you design for stronger business partnerships.

The second half focuses on applying the business fundamentals you’ve learned to the field of design. Here, you’ll explore how to plan and prototype ventures, measure business and design metrics, and extend your influence within your organisation. By the end of the course, you’ll have a whole gamut of practical tools and strategies for integrating business acumen with design leadership.

A notebook open to a page filled with sketches and handwritten notes, with a blue-tipped pencil resting on top
Getting metrics right with POKRs

Connect design value to business value by creating desirability cause-and-effect models.

A photograph of post-its and dot stickers created in a workshop
Scorecards for desirability & ROl

Create framing statements and rating systems to monitor and validate your design experiments and ROl.

A woman sitting at a cafe table, speaking with a waiter who is taking her order
Negotiating and gauging ambition

Hone your negotiation skills, verbalise your ambitions, and establish a plan to deploy your new skills.

Join us to transform your approach to business and design

Next intake
Sydney Feb 20, 2024

Location

Sofitel Wentworth (2 Day Immersion)
Online (6 weeks)

Schedule

Mondays 6 – 8PM (AEST)

Facilitators

Ryan Rumsey, Rachel Zhang

Melbourne Feb 14, 2025

Location

Sofitel Melbourne (2 Day Immersion)
Online (6 weeks)

Schedule

Mondays 6 – 8PM (AEST)

Facilitators

Ryan Rumsey, Emy Alegre

Introductory pricing

$3,495 / entire course

  • Unrivaled access to industry leading content
  • Communicate your strategic value
  • Unlock your career growth
Join the next cohort

We are offering our introductory course at a discounted rate of $3,495, after which the standard course fees will increase to $4,495.

How the course works

FAQs

If you have any further questions that aren’t answered here, please reach out to us at [email protected]

Is this online?

A unique part of this course is the two-day in-person immersion, followed by six weeks of online self-directed learning.

Where will it be?

The Sydney cohort will be at Sofitel Wentworth Sydney, and the Melbourne Cohort will be at Sofitel Melbourne.

How much time will I need to commit each week?

We estimate you can complete the weekly coursework in 4 to 5 hours, with an additional 1-hour Zoom call each week. 

Why do I need to join the waitlist?

We want to make sure each cohort is roughly similar in experience and level. We carefully review each application to make sure everyone can get the most out of the course.

What if I don't get into the course?

Don’t worry! We’ll keep your application on hand and look out for opportunities. As soon as there’s an appropriate cohort for you, we’ll offer you a spot.

What payment methods to you offer?

We accept credit card, invoice, and split payments (i.e. pay-in-four). 

What if I change my mind?

It's totally okay to change your mind. If you request a refund up to 30 days prior to the course, we'll issue you a refund of 80% of the total course fee — i.e. $2,936. Refunds within 30 days of the course are not possible.