Design education starts before the portfolio

Maurice Woods founded Inneract Project (IP) in 2004 with a clear goal: get black and brown students from underrepresented communities thinking about design as a career option earlier in life. Woods saw design as both a tool for expression and a way to shape products that reflect a diverse world. His work with IP has centered on that mission ever since.

From paper concepts to professional tools

The first IP courses deliberately avoided software and hardware entirely. Instead, instructors focused on critical and creative thinking, having students make things with paper and their own hands. That approach still anchors the program's introductory courses, where exposure to design comes through creative activities meant to spark interest.

When students asked for more formal training, IP built a curriculum aimed at preparing students of color—starting as early as middle school—for a design degree or career. At that point, graphic design was the in-demand discipline, so the coursework centered on those skills. The program also had to introduce software and hardware, since training students on professional-grade tools was essential.

Cost was a major obstacle. Design applications were often prohibitively expensive, so IP leaned heavily on donations and bought as many licenses as possible. Students frequently had to share computers, which still gave them exposure but limited hands-on time.

Figma removes financial and technical hurdles

As the industry shifted from graphic design toward mobile apps and interfaces, student interest followed, and IP updated its curriculum to match. That shift meant teaching UX/UI design tools, and Figma proved to be a turning point for the program.

Because Figma is free to get started, nobody in the program had to pay to learn more. It also suited both beginners and professionals at the companies IP hoped its students would eventually join. The browser-based nature of the tool amplified the benefit—students could jump into their files from home, and those without personal computers could continue working in public spaces like libraries and school labs.

Since moving coursework onto Figma, IP has also expanded its curriculum to include more collaborative projects, whether within the classroom or with volunteers and partners.

Students turning education into direction

Beyond skills, the program aims to give students practical experience and a path forward. Over more than 15 years, the programming has grown to include single-day workshops, multi-day coursework, hackathons, partnerships with local companies, and a growing internal community.

Examples of student work show the range of what that approach produces:

  • Leigh designed posters and graphics for her high school through IP and now studies graphic design at Academy of Art University.
  • Saaleha graduated from University of California Berkeley and is currently seeking a career in design research.
  • Sierra used design to tackle a practical problem—her grandmother's walker, which was difficult to maneuver on concrete. She also designed a mobile app that connects artists with fans, drawing on her interests in music and entrepreneurship.
  • Noah created a digital ad campaign for an app supporting homeless youth in the Bay Area, plus a mood board for a 'zine called "Esoteric" about graffiti in street art, featuring interviews with local artists and photos he took in Oakland.

To learn more about Inneract Project, visit their website.