SOUND FAMILIAR? I’VE GOT YOU.

When you learn the right things, in the right order, with a mentor to turn to at each step, becoming a graphic designer becomes a heck of a lot easier.

"Signing up for Mariah's course changed my world. She literally taught me everything about digital illustration, branding, and graphic design. Thanks to her course, I went from making amateur-looking projects in Canva to mastering Adobe Illustrator and creating custom logos, artwork, and marketing materials. I started with very limited skills, and now I get requests all the time for graphic design projects.”

– Olivia P.

"Two things soared for me after taking Mariah's course: my confidence and my skillset. I was new to Illustrator. Actually, I was afraid of it! After taking the course, my Illustrator skills are invaluable to my business for creating business graphics, logos, opt-ins, etc. I now feel there was no limit to what I can create.”

– Lee M.

My biggest takeaway would be just how possible everything has become. The fundamental, foundational knowledge this program provides has helped immensely. Knowing that I can use such a valuable tool now with confidence is really a confidence booster overall.

– Tim G.

“I just want to say how thankful I am I found Mariah and this program. It’s evident in her work that she has put all her knowledge into a well-structured program built for aspiring designers to have a chance at success at their goals. I had no experience, but I did have a set goal in mind. Thanks to a super inspiring and a very personable teacher, I know I am set on the right track towards reaching where I want to be. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead. Truly great things are coming from this program!”

– Juliana D.

Although I grew up making invites for my mom’s parties in Microsoft Publisher, it wasn’t until college that I ever really considered that I could turn my creativity into a paying career by becoming a graphic designer. By sophomore year I had taught myself enough to submit my portfolio to get into the design program at my school.

Being the perfectionist that I am, I was devastated when I was REJECTED from the design program. It was definitely a blow to my ego, but I decided that instead of feeling bad for myself, I was going to figure out where I had gone wrong and how I could create higher quality work.

Maybe I couldn’t major in graphic design, but I was still going to find a way to turn it into my career.

After taking a step back to evaluate my skill level, I realized I was wasting SO much time watching crappy tutorials online and Googling my way through the Adobe programs. I knew there had to be a better way.

I started by working with mentors, tackling some low-paying (and free) client work, and taking a couple of months of design classes. I had finally found a way to cut through all of the excess BS that you don’t ACTUALLY need to know and was able to JUST focus on the things that would excel my career forward.

I worked hard to build up a portfolio on my own, and it landed me a position as a lead graphic designer — right out of college. 

In that role, I was finally able to execute projects without having to refer to Google every 20 minutes, I no longer had to guess my way thorough my whole design process, and I could confidently execute effective designs for our clientele. 

It was during this time in my life that I created my three-part graphic design framework: The Confident and Qualified Design Formula.  

And it was this formula that took me from design school reject to six-figure design agency owner.

“Seriously, I owe everything to you, your course was one of the greatest decisions I have made for myself!” 

– Whitney N. 

”When I decided to pursue a career in design, I didn't want to go the traditional route and get a degree. This course has helped to establish the foundation I needed as a new designer and now I'm going on to create my own courses and trainings. Something I never even imagined doing! Whatever you are looking to do in the world of design, DDDS will help to give you the foundation you need as a designer in solid theory and skillset.”

– Georgianna B.

"It’s truly one of the best training investments I’ve ever made (and I’ve taken a LOT of courses). Technically Mariah knows her stuff, but also, she is so warm and encouraging and very generous in sharing what she knows. She has a fun, upbeat and “you can do this” attitude that helps carry her students through.  

In this course, I saw it was possible to “do this work without a master’s degree in design.” Before I took Ditch the Degree Design School, I was afraid to tackle Illustrator and wasn’t sure I could move beyond Canva.

But in Mariah’s course, there was so much support as well as practice exercises that were very helpful. Mariah was always willing to help clarify or explain anytime it was needed. The course was well worth the cost. After having taken the course, I’d say: If you want to do professional design work, Illustrator is a must-have skill and Mariah’s the teacher."  

– Patty P.

My lack of experience in Illustrator really motivated me to find a course that would help me learn everything I didn't in school or in the professional world. I came across Mariah's course, I was sold. The course explained everything in a very simple, straight-forward way. After completing the course, I ended up using Illustrator for EVERYTHING. Being more confident in Illustrator really helped me feel like I had the real, proper skill set to be a successful designer! 

– Naomi O.

Have any more questions? Shoot me an email at hello@mariahalthoff.com and I’ll get back to you ASAP!