Design Apprenticeship at Studio Subu

Duration: 4 months

Location: Moira, Goa

Type of Role: Full-time, Paid, In-person

Start Date: Rolling (Limited seats available)

Quick Overview

We’re opening 4 seats at the studio for early-career designers with strong technical skills and a genuine interest in working in the social impact space. This apprenticeship is designed to push your creative process, craft, and technique while providing you the opportunity to contribute to tangible solutions that drive social change. You’ll be building things from Day 1 — It’s real work and real learning. You’ll be working closely with Harish Subu (Studio's Creative Head) on targeted projects. You’ll be asked to jump in and out of multiple digital and print-focused tasks. The role will extend to tasks beyond design to give you a 360 understanding of all areas of work at the studio (Eg. research, project management, sprint-planning, content writing, etc.). Managing pace, timelines, and execution will be critical. We’re looking for someone with solid technical skills, time-management abilities, and empathy for our partners and the people they serve.

Is there a future at the studio after the Apprenticeship?

Yes, but not a guarantee. We’ll evaluate your performance and culture fit to see if there’s alignment for a junior designer role post-apprenticeship.

What matters to us

• Your commitment to designing for social change
• The process and clarity in how you approach your design work
• A strong portfolio, with 3 well-documented projects you’re truly proud of (not random doodles or unstructured experiments)
• Transparency about your role in team projects
• Solid control over typography and design fundamentals
• Ability and experience in designing for digital/web
• Proficiency in tools like Adobe Suite and Figma
• The way you frame your email and application — we’re interested in your voice and intent. Please don’t submit AI-generated emails or templated applications — we’ll be able to tell during the interview process
• The quality of your pre-work (after Round 1)
• How you present yourself and talk about your work

What doesn’t define your fit

• Where you studied
• Your academic scores
• Whether you’re self-taught or formally trained
• How much experience you have
• A flashy or packed résumé — we care more about substance than surface

About Studio Subu

We’re a team of researchers, designers, writers, and strategists working at the intersection of design and social change. For the last 10 years, we’ve collaborated with 200+ organisations through services, training, and short-format capacity-building programs. Our partners span areas like child safety, youth leadership, health & nutrition, education, women’s rights, housing, and road safety.

To know more: www.studiosubu.com

What working at Studio Subu will feel like

We function like a high-intensity kitchen — a lean, creative team that runs tight and fast. It’ll be intense at times, especially if your foundations need sharpening. But the support is real, and the learning curve is steep (in a good way). We hold ourselves to a high bar of quality, but we also protect our time and boundaries. We don’t work weekends. Post 5 pm is your time. The work hours are flexible, as long as the commitment and output are solid. We don’t use WhatsApp for work. Our team is mostly remote, and we meet in person once a quarter. The culture is relatively flat — your ideas will be heard if they’re thought-through and add value. The work you’ll be doing has the potential to move things forward in the world — and that’s not something we say lightly.

How to Apply

Send an email to careers@studiosubu.com with:

1. Link to your LinkedIn profile
2. Your résumé
3. Your portfolio (link or PDF)
4. A 200-word write-up on how designing for the social impact space differs from corporate/FMCG contexts
5. 3 links to great design references (relevant to social impact) and a 250-word note on why you think they’re powerful

Note: Incomplete applications (missing any of the 5 above) will not be considered.

The Application Process

1. Initial Application: Submit as described above. We’ll respond in 3–5 working days.
2. Interview + Pre-Work: If shortlisted, we’ll schedule a first interview and share an assignment.
3. Second Interview: After submitting your assignment, we’ll schedule a follow-up conversation.
4. Final Decision: We’ll let you know the outcome once the review is complete.