FOUNDING MASTER SESSION 2026
ADVANCED DESIGN THINKING
“Designing the Unknown”
week 1
Learning to See
Most people do not struggle with drawing.
They struggle with observation.
In the first week, we break apart the difference between decoration and meaningful design. You’ll begin learning how professionals analyze shape, emotion, functionality, symbolism, and natural systems to create ideas that feel believable and alive.
This is where the foundation changes:
not simply how you draw…
but how you perceive the world around you.
week 4
Thinking on Paper
A great idea has little value if it cannot be communicated clearly.
This week focuses on visual communication itself:
sketching with intention, presentation hierarchy, silhouette clarity, storytelling through design, and learning how to present ideas in a way that others immediately understand.
You will begin discovering how professionals “sell” an idea before a single word is spoken.
What This Class Is Really About
Advanced Design Thinking is not about teaching students to design what I design.
It is about helping creatives discover and develop meaningful ideas of their own.
That distinction is critical.
This course is built around the philosophy of Designing the Unknown — an open-ended creative framework that allows each student to pursue a project aligned with their own interests, voice, and professional direction.
One student may develop a speculative survival mask.
Another may explore a biomechanical creature.
Another a ritual object, a futuristic vehicle, a medical artifact, an environmental structure, or an entirely original system of civilization.
That diversity is intentional.
Because this is not a course about subject matter.
It is a course about:
methodology,
ideation,
visual communication,
observation,
and thought process.
The goal is not imitation.
The goal is clarity.
Throughout the six weeks, I will simultaneously develop an original project called The Hearth as a live demonstration of professional creative process in real time. Students will observe how ideas evolve through research, iteration, storytelling, refinement, problem-solving, and design thinking week after week.
The Hearth is not the assignment.
It is the case study.
What matters is not that everyone arrives at the same destination…
but that each student strengthens their ability to think more intentionally, communicate more clearly, and create ideas with greater meaning, logic, and emotional resonance.
This freedom is a fundamental part of the experience.
You are not being told:
“Here is what to make.”
You are being invited to bring:
your curiosity,
your interests,
your perspective,
and your creative voice.
And through that process, develop a stronger understanding of how meaningful ideas are truly built.
week 2
The Birth of an Idea
Where do compelling ideas actually come from?
This week explores inspiration, research, visual storytelling, worldbuilding, and the hidden connections between seemingly unrelated things. Students begin developing their own original speculative project while learning professional methods of ideation, iteration, and conceptual exploration.
This is where vague instinct begins transforming into intentional process.
week 5
Refinement & Dimensional Thinking
This is where ideas evolve beyond sketches.
Through live demonstrations, sculptural exploration, form development, detailing, and dimensional thinking, students will learn how professionals refine concepts into something more immersive, tactile, and emotionally resonant.
You’ll begin to see your project not simply as an image…
but as something that could truly exist.
IN CONCLUSION
When you complete this course, your work will hold up in conversation with clients, collaborators, and yourself. Your decisions will be clearer, more intentional, and easier to defend without over-explaining or second-guessing. The intent isn’t to give you more content. It’s to give you stronger strategic tools—and the space, structure, and perspective to use them well.
Tuition is $2,400 for the six weeks.The course includes live instruction, curated asynchronous feedback, original PDF tools, and a final industry-facing polish review, designed to extend the value of the course beyond the live sessions
A small-cohort work environment.
Direct instruction from Neville Page.
Asynchronous feedback and reviews, designed to support deeper thinking without adding noise.
Additional Materials & Support.
PDF Design frameworks and decision-making models.
Design Brief interrogation and problem-definition tools.
Neville's Actionable Process Templates.
At the conclusion of the course, each participant can choose to have a recorded review focused on presentation, clarity, and professional framing.
week 3
Designing Believability
The difference between “cool” and convincing often comes down to logic.
This week focuses on anatomy, structure, functionality, material language, psychology, and emotional readability. Whether you’re designing a creature, machine, artifact, environment, or something entirely new, you’ll learn how stronger ideas emerge through internal consistency and thoughtful decision-making.
This is where fantasy begins to feel real.
week 6
Presentation, Critique & Transformation
The final week is about far more than presentation.
Students will share their completed projects, articulate their creative thinking, and receive direct critique focused on clarity, originality, intention, and design communication.
More importantly, this final session reveals something many creatives rarely experience:
the ability to look at their own work and recognize genuine growth.
Not just in technique.
But in how they think.
COURSE ELIGIBILITY
Enrollment is limited to a carefully chosen cohort of up to 20 designers. A brief portfolio review allows the class to be thoughtfully balanced, ensuring alignment, productive dialogue, and a cohesive learning environment. Pre-registration is available, with final entry granted upon review and acceptance.
THE COST
WHAT’S INCLUDED
THERE’S MORE
1
Before we even start the first class, you and I meet one-on-one, privately—30 minutes, face-to-face.
That’s where I learn your goals, where you’re strong, where you’re stuck, and what you want this six-week experience to do for you—so I can help you aim your effort where it actually matters.
2
You’ll also receive bonus materials throughout the course:
PDF guides, frameworks, checklists - tools you can reuse on every
future project.
3
You’ll get access to the design work I create during the class – so you can study decisions in motion, not just the final image.
And you’ll receive access to the 3D model I create for the class—so you can explore it, learn from it, print it, and use it as a reference point in your own practice.
4
At the end of the program, you and I meet again –on-one, privately for a final review of your work.
We’ll look at what you made, how you made it, and most importantly,
how to keep the momentum going after the course ends.
5
And one more thing:
The first five students to enroll will receive an exclusive private consultation with me on any topic you want. Portfolio review,
IP development, career strategy, design process—whatever would move the needle most for you.
Featured Products
Cohort One: Designing the Unknown
A 6-week live cohort experience focused on the deeper architecture of great ideas.
This course is about learning how to create ideas people believe in.
Through live lectures, demonstrations, critiques, and guided creative challenges, students will explore observation, worldbuilding, visual communication, form development, storytelling, and advanced design methodology while developing an original speculative design project of their own choosing.
Throughout the course, Neville Page will simultaneously develop an original design project called The Hearth as a live demonstration of professional creative process, ideation, iteration, and refinement in real time.
Over six weeks, students will learn how stronger ideas emerge through clarity, observation, logic, emotional resonance, and intentional design thinking.
What People Are Saying
“Neville was one of the most impactful professors that l've had in my design education. The way that he thinks is applicable to so many different aspects from character, creature, industrial and narrative design, and for that I've always been very grateful. I believe that the great masters and the most advanced thinkers within any field are people who practice. They practice at the highest level, put then, like Neville, they also teach at the most fundamental level.”
Justin Pichetrungsi
“Students will be in for a treat to learn from one of the masters of our craft. Neville has been an inspiration and influence much of my career as a concept artist as well as an educator. Neville's courses will truly push a designer to think and communicate with intention so that they can blend the believability of science with the creativity of spectacular visuals.”
Eric Ng
“Neville had been an incredible instructor and mentor for my artistic development in school. I've found that over the last twenty years, his teachings have served me well. As his student, he took the time to get to know me, understand my strengths and challenged me in my areas of weakness so I still felt supported. Every class, 'd be welcomed by his cheerful demeanor and left feeling empowered and so inspired to continue!'“
Shae ShatzFAQs
Who is this for?
1
Serious creatives who want to level up taste, design instincts, and decisionmaking-not just collect tutorials. Great for artists/designers who want sharper thinking and stronger output.
5
How long is the program and what's the format?
2
Will this teach software (ZBrush/Photoshop/etc.)?
Typically 6 weeks, live online sessions (about 2 hours/week), with the cohort capped around 20 to keep critique meaningful.
When does it start?
3
Classes will begin the week of June 25th.
Is it only for entertainment designers?
4
No. The first cohort may focus on creature/character/prop-type work, but the methods translate directly to industrial design, fashion, toy, automotive, illustration, and storytelling/IP development.
Software may be used, but the focus is design thinking, iteration, problemsolving, and communicating ideas-not button-by-button instruction.
6-Week Intensive Limited to 20 Participants
Apply for
Advanced Design Thinking
A selective masterclass in creative methodology for working professionals ready to think differently. This is not a tutorial, it's a transformation.
HOW IT WORKS
1 Submit Your Application
Complete the form below with your portfolio and a brief look at how you approach design challenges. We're looking for working professionals hungry to push past their current ceiling.
2 Portfolio Review
Neville personally reviews every application and portfolio. This isn't about polish. It's about potential, curiosity, and a readiness to think differently.
(RESPONSE WITHIN 3 BUSINESS DAYS)
4 Secure Your Seat
Complete enrollment via payment instructions in your acceptance email. You'll then receive your welcome packet and access to the cohort community.
YOUR APPLICATION
3 Acceptance & Next Steps
Accepted applicants receive a detailed email with program logistics, cohort start dates, and a secure payment link with flexible options.
Payment Options
Deposit
$600
Balance of $1800 paid prior to class starting
Payment in full
$2,400
Commit early, secure your seat
Installment Plan
$800
3 equal payments