The authors present a pedagogical model for delivering future-focused design education, drawing on “Collaborative Futures” as a case study. This project brought together a cohort of final year design students and early career design graduates who worked in collaboration with the Glasgow City Council to explore and prototype future-based, citizen-centred scenarios set in the context of Glasgow 2030, which focused on data experience, people, place and practice. The collaborative nature of the project extended learning beyond the higher education design studio – providing the students with the opportunity to engage in professional practice through collaborating with early career graduates, and with an external organisation and industry-experienced designers. The authors critically reflect on the context-led project process, the collaborative design culture fostered, and the future-focused outcomes – theoretically unpacking the value and challenges of studio-based learning and multidisciplinary collaboration, insights from which are shared as a transferable pedagogical model for design educators.