"This article won't start out well, because I'm sort of at rock bottom in my career and it seems that I'm projecting my frustrations of the industry out in the open. But I promise you, my rants are merely neutral observations and opinions. 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 has shifted toward valuing clout more than measurable productivity. When Design productivity and impact are questioned, designers often redirect blame to Engineering, Product teams, AI, or office politics. Conversations among designers across Asia and Europe during a recent unemployment period revealed widespread frustration and career harm. Many designers assert they do not touch code or make business decisions as reasons for limited impact. Claims such as 'AI is replacing designers' and deflections toward colleagues are common. The environment produces low morale and defensive rhetoric that undermines responsibility and effective cross-functional collaboration.
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