The Intensive Course in Transition Design is an on-site programme coordinated by Óscar Guayabero and Ana Villagordo, designed for creative professionals who wish to incorporate sustainability, inclusion and social innovation into their professional practice without sacrificing creativity, aesthetics or the transformative potential of design.
Over six weeks, you will explore tools, methodologies and key references to understand how design can generate genuine positive impact: from regenerative design and the social economy to inclusive design, ethical communication and sustainable futures.
A course for those who believe design can do far more than sell.
→ Dates: 16 November to 14 December 2026
→ Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays, 16:00–20:00 h
→ 36 hours
→ Price: €999
→ Early Bird: 10% off until 16 October with the code TRANSICION10 (final price: €899.10)
→ Registration open
Who is it for?
This course is aimed at professionals and advanced students in creative disciplines who wish to update their perspective and develop projects that are more conscious, relevant and aligned with contemporary challenges.
Particularly suitable for professionals in graphic design, digital design, art direction, product design, interiors and spatial design, communication and branding, architecture, cultural management, innovation and creative strategy.
No previous experience in sustainability is required. Just a willingness to rethink your professional practice and explore new ways of designing.
Methodology
The course combines critical reflection, real-world case studies and practical tools that can be applied from day one.
We will work through:
• dynamic face-to-face sessions
• analysis of projects and international references
• individual and collaborative practical exercises
• debates and participatory sessions
• visual materials and selected readings
• guest speakers from the fields of design, innovation and activism
• development of a final project
The programme is conceived as a space for learning and dialogue where participants can share concerns, experiences and new ways of understanding contemporary design.
Objectives
The aim of this course is to help creative professionals incorporate sustainability, inclusion and critical thinking into their design practice, understanding design as a tool capable of generating cultural, social and environmental impact.
Throughout the programme you will learn to:
• understand the role of design within the current context of socio-ecological transition and climate crisis
• apply sustainable design, circular design and systems-thinking tools
• develop projects that are more inclusive, accessible and human-centred
• identify and avoid greenwashing practices in design and communication
• develop ethical communication and storytelling strategies for sustainable projects
• explore new models linked to social innovation and the circular economy
• use speculative design to imagine sustainable and desirable futures
The overall objective is to provide new tools, references and methodologies to help you develop creative projects that are more responsible, relevant and aligned with contemporary challenges.
Curriculum
Week 1 — Design in a World in Transition
The first week introduces the current context of climate crisis, social transformation and socio-ecological transition. We will reflect on the role of design as a cultural and political tool capable of influencing how we live, produce and relate to one another. Through real cases and contemporary references, we will examine concepts such as the Anthropocene, degrowth and new future imaginaries.
Week 2 — Sustainable Design and Systems Thinking
We will explore how to apply sustainability to design from a broader and more strategic perspective. Through systems thinking, circular design and regenerative methodologies, we will examine how to create projects with genuine positive impact. We will also analyse greenwashing and learn how to identify when sustainability becomes merely a marketing resource.
Week 3 — Inclusive Design and Gender Perspective
This week focuses on diversity, accessibility and human-centred design. Participants will learn how to integrate inclusion and an intersectional perspective as essential components of the creative process, developing projects capable of responding to diverse realities and needs through a more ethical and conscious approach.
Week 4 — Communicating Change
Sustainability requires new narratives. In this module, we will explore how to communicate projects, brands and initiatives linked to social and environmental change in a clear, honest and relevant way. We will work with storytelling tools, visual language and ethical communication strategies applied to business, cultural and creative contexts.
Week 5 — Innovation and the Social Economy
We will analyse how design can become a driver of innovation within more responsible and regenerative economic models. Through examples of companies, cooperatives and projects linked to the social and solidarity economy, we will explore how positive impact can be generated through design, strategy and creativity.
Week 6 — Designing Possible Futures
The final week is dedicated to imagining and prototyping sustainable, inclusive and desirable futures. Through speculative design, worldbuilding and visual narratives, participants will develop new ways of projecting future scenarios capable of inspiring real change in the present. The course concludes with the presentation of a personal project linked to a possible future model.
Career Opportunities
This course will enable you to incorporate new tools and approaches into your professional practice and open opportunities in increasingly sought-after areas within the creative industries.
You will be able to apply your learning in:
• design studios and agencies
• sustainable branding and communication
• sustainability consultancy
• social innovation
• strategic design
• cultural projects
• impact-driven start-ups
• the social and solidarity economy
• UX and human-centred design
• sustainable creative direction
It is also particularly valuable for professionals seeking to redirect their careers towards projects with greater social and environmental impact.
Teaching Staff
Óscar Guayabero
Curator, writer and leading voice in social and critical design. His work explores the relationship between design, politics, sustainability and cultural transformation.
Ana Villagordo Vegara
Consultant specialising in sustainability, environmental communication and positive-impact strategies for organisations and creative projects.