Collage of outdoor education, recreation, and National Park Service activities. Images include a trailhead sign, people relaxing in hammocks overlooking a mountain landscape, a ranger-led group discussion at a picnic table, hikers gathered around an interpretive sign on a mountain trail, a tent campsite beneath a blue sky, a “Gone Camping” sign on a tree stump, a ranger speaking with a group outdoors, illustrated youth program graphics, a close-up of a Junior Ranger Night Explorer patch, a stylized mountain

Design Outside

Studio Website

The Design Outside Studio is a teaching and research project led by Jeremy Shellhorn bringing design students out of the classroom and into nature. The studio challenges students to design, think and make in new ways. Students in the Design Outside Studio collaborate with government agencies, community organizations, and others on real-world design projects that promote and enhance visitor experiences in parks and public lands.  

Past projects

Creating new signage for Alpine Ridge Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park 

Creating an open-source typeface inspired by the iconic, wooden wayfinding signs of the Park Service 

Designing and testing Leave No Trace signage using research-based visual communication and outdoor recreation messaging principles 

See More DO Projects

Large gray-and-green camping tent set in a rocky mountain meadow under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds. Forested slopes and distant mountain peaks rise in the background. In the foreground, a fallen log rests among boulders and grasses, with a small Colorado state flag attached near one end. Picnic tables are visible behind the tent, suggesting a campground setting.
KU Design students stand with raised hands while participating in a ranger-led orientation at a visitor center during Design Outside at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Student-designed “DON’T MOSS WITH ME!” print displayed among rocks and vegetation in Rocky Mountain National Park.
KU Design students relax and sketch in hammocks and on rocks beside a mountain lake during Design Outside at Rocky Mountain National Park, with pine trees and snow-capped peaks in the background.