IDEO 101 — Introducing new minds to a global design culture

A space-themed workspace with a black t-shirt featuring '101' with space graphics, a name tag reading 'Zachary Clemente,' a closed laptop with space stickers, a blue notebook, pens, dice, a glue bottle, and space-themed brochures or posters.

IDEO 101 is the firm’s global onboarding experience, designed to immerse new IDEOers in its culture, process, and people. In collaboration with Learning & Development and Talent, the team shaped and facilitated the event—developing branding, print materials, and environmental design to make the experience feel intentional, warm, and connected from the start. A collaborative design challenge, group constellations, a physical Welcome Wall, and other touchpoints made the event feel as thoughtfully crafted as any external activation.

The design centered on two core principles: context and connection. New employees should leave with a clearer sense of IDEO’s history and values—and their place within it. These principles guided the visual identity, communication strategy, and spatial design to ensure every detail felt welcoming and human-centered.

DISCIPLINES
Event Design
Environmental Design
Brand & Identity
Visual Systems
Facilitation

TOOLS
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Keynote

The 101 Design Challenge

At the heart of 101 was a collaborative design challenge. Attendees were placed in diverse, interdisciplinary groups—mirroring how IDEO teams work in the real world—and asked to tackle a creative prompt using the design thinking process.

The challenge gave participants a shared experience of IDEO’s methods and an immediate sense of momentum with their new peers. I helped structure the activity format and designed the print collateral and prompts used during the session.

Three women sit at a cluttered table having a discussion. One woman is cutting red paper, another is speaking and gesturing, while the third woman in a dark sweater listens attentively. The table has various craft supplies, snacks, and drinks, with sticky notes on a blackboard behind them.

A young man wearing a black baseball cap and a colorful floral shirt smiling while working on a project with other people at a table in a classroom or workshop setting.

Women and men participating in a group activity at a workshop or seminar, with supplies and crafting materials on the table.

Line drawing of a unicorn with labeled points on its body and a blue outline.

A digital illustration of a roller coaster track design with loops and turns, featuring black and white nodes along the path.

A printed document on a clipboard with guidelines for a space race project, including details about spacecraft dimensions, race path, and competition criteria.

Outline of a peacock with a body decorated by a star constellation pattern, with the peacock's tail and body outlined in blue and the constellation dots in black and white.

Outline of a horse with points and lines, representing a digital or stylized version of a horse drawing.

Bright green number 25 on a starry space background with small decorative symbols.

Space & Experience Design

To help participants navigate the studio and feel seen as part of the community, we designed a Welcome Wall installation that listed each attendee by constellation group. The wall functioned as both a practical guide and a celebration of the people in the room to encourage casual introductions and spontaneous conversations.

The system scaled easily across formats—from large-scale signage to table markers and wayfinding cues throughout the studio space.

A star chart with photos of people connected by white lines on a black background.

The Welcome Wall installation introduced attendees to their groups and to each other.

Line art drawing of a fox outline with registration points and connecting lines, intended for embroidery design.

Communications Strategy & Visibility

Following the event, the program was featured prominently in The NOW, IDEO’s internal newsletter. We devoted more space than ever before to the 101 recap, highlighting the impact of the experience and reinforcing the firm’s commitment to learning and community. This internal amplification helped the event feel not just memorable but meaningful.

Coverage from The NOW helped share the experience with the broader IDEO community.

Small silver beads scattered on a black background.

Digital illustrations of the number 5 with a starry sky background in shades of blue and purple, each displayed in a square format with decorative cosmic elements

Results & Reflections

More than 80 new IDEOers from the 9 studios attended the program each session. Sessions were usually held six months apart.

This project pushed me to lead across mediums—graphic, environmental, and strategic communications—and showed me how design can help people feel grounded, connected, and seen, even in a big organization.

“I never thought I would have the courage to share so much about myself with people I barely know.”

— Maggie

“After this event I feel like I have more direction, focus, and friends.”

— Carlos

“I loved how the 101 team pushed us to step out of our comfort zone and rethink who we are and how far we can go.”

— Stephanie

“The organizing team are totally rock stars.”

— Ethan