"I love talking to people, and over the last 2 months of unemployment (I am now employed), I called upon designer friends all in Asia and Europe to get their opinion on the current state of Design leadership and how it has impacted our careers. Spoiler alert: It ain't great. Hence the article. We seem to have found ourselves in an era where clout matters more than productivity,"
"and when Design's productivity and impact is questioned, we somehow re-direct that discomfort and blame our Engineering and Product counterparts (or other happenings in the industry) for not enabling us to be more productive. "We're not the ones touching the code or deciding the business, so it's not our fault." or "AI is replacing designers!" or [Insert office politics statement here]. If you have no idea what I'm on about, this article is either not for you, or you're part of the problem."
Design leadership increasingly values clout over measurable productivity, eroding design impact and career stability. Designers face questioned productivity and often redirect responsibility to Engineering, Product, or external forces such as AI. Common justifications include lack of control over code or business decisions, which reduces accountability and stalls measurable outcomes. Office politics and status-seeking behavior intensify friction between teams and obscure professional contributions. Conversations across regions reveal widespread frustration with leadership practices that undermine collaboration, trust, and sustained growth for design practitioners.
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