Building practical skills through guided experimentation
After years of seeing students struggle to apply abstract layout concepts, we built something different. A place where you learn by doing — not by watching someone else do it.
Every workshop breaks down complex layout principles into actual steps you can follow. You work through real problems with immediate feedback, not hypothetical scenarios you'll encounter later.
Why we focus on layout principles specifically
Most people think layout is about making things look nice. It's actually about understanding how visual hierarchy guides attention, how spacing creates rhythm, and how structure affects comprehension.
When a website feels confusing or hard to use, it's usually a layout problem. Elements compete for attention. Spacing feels random. The eye doesn't know where to go next.
We teach the mechanics behind functional layouts — the kind that feel intuitive even if someone can't explain why. Grid systems that scale. Typography that establishes clear information architecture. Color relationships that support rather than distract.
How we actually structure the learning
Each workshop breaks into short assignments. You get a layout challenge — maybe fixing a navigation system that breaks on mobile, or restructuring a content-heavy page so people can actually scan it.
You make your attempt. The system shows you what happens when someone interacts with your layout. You see where they get stuck, where their attention goes, what they miss entirely.
Then you iterate. Small adjustments to spacing. Rethinking the visual hierarchy. Testing different approaches until the layout does what it's supposed to do — guide people through content without friction.
Ingrid Pavelka
Lead Workshop Facilitator
Designs the curriculum and builds the interactive assignments that force you to understand layout mechanics through direct practice.
Tamsin Koskinen
Technical Content Developer
Creates the step-by-step materials and feedback systems that help you identify what's not working in your layouts.
What you'll actually work on
- Restructuring navigation systems that collapse cleanly on smaller screens
- Building content hierarchies that make long pages scannable
- Fixing spacing patterns that feel arbitrary or visually chaotic
- Creating grid systems that adapt to different content volumes
- Testing color contrast decisions against actual readability standards
- Debugging layouts where elements overlap or break positioning
How workshops are structured
- Short video showing a specific layout problem and why it matters
- Interactive assignment where you solve that exact problem
- Immediate feedback on what works and what breaks
- Reference examples showing multiple valid approaches
- Optional deep-dive for underlying CSS mechanics
- Next assignment builds on the pattern you just learned
Progress through skill stages
- Start with fixing broken layouts to understand common issues
- Move to building basic responsive structures from scratch
- Progress to complex multi-section layouts with consistent patterns
- Eventually tackle full page designs with multiple content types
- Final assignments involve real-world scenarios with constraints
