Design Leadership Ignited

Design leadership at scale requires leaders who design the design function, establish a thriving environment for the creative team, and shape the design organization to drive progress, advance innovation, and enhance meaningful customer experiences. To examine the foundations of successful design leadership, the authors performed extensive in-depth interviews with design leaders working for Fortune 500 organizations across industries. Based on these insights, Design Leadership Ignited delineates a pathway to design excellence, which includes establishing a forward-looking strategy and an adequate organizational structure for the design function, empowering the design team, and scaling the impact of design across the entire organization. This book takes the position that a core challenge in the journey towards design excellence is the need to recognize and balance the often-contradictory objectives and activities that design leaders encounter. Combining their practitioner experience and research, the authors provide a framework to embrace the complexity of design leadership that will elevate design at scale.

Liftoff! is your guide to leveling up as a design manager and leader. Its experience-driven approach--written by designers for designers--will help you hire and scale teams, develop careers, learn why diversity matters to your business, and solidify design's role in your organization. Liftoff! will elevate your skills to lead your team and company to new heights.

"This book will help you get your bearings as a leader, gain confidence, and learn tactical approaches from experts who have been in your shoes so you can support your team and advance your career"--Design Better website.

What does it take to be the leader of a design firm or group? We often assume they have all the answers, but in this rapidly evolving industry they’re forced to find their way like the rest of us. So how do good design leaders manage? If you lead a design group, or want to understand the people who do, this insightful book explores behind-the-scenes strategies and tactics from leaders of top design companies throughout North America. Based on scores of interviews he conducted over a two-year period—from small companies to massive corporations like ESPN—author Richard Banfield covers a wide range of topics, including: How design leaders create a healthy company culture Innovative ways for attracting and nurturing talent Creating productive workspaces, and handling remote employees Staying on top of demands while making time for themselves Consistent patterns among vastly different leadership styles Techniques and approaches for keeping the work pipeline full Making strategic and tactical plans for the future Mistakes that design leaders made—and how they bounced back

Ahh, the life of a manager. You're squeezed between the needs of your corporation, your team, your customers, and your colleagues. Too often, you're maligned, misunderstood, downsized, reengineered, reorganized, and even misled. Even in the best organizations, you face brutal competition, non-stop pressure, and relentless change. But, whatever your day-to-day realities, you can achieve far greater power, purpose, and success - and Ignited will show you how. It outlines clear, realistic steps for leveraging your networks and resources to transform your vision into reality, and accomplish the powerful goals only you can achieve. This is not another diatribe on leadership or grand strategic vision written by those already at the top: the Jack Welches or Rudy Giulianis who can simply dictate their visions to the organization. Ignited is for those leading from the middle: managers who need real tools to make a real difference. If you're ready to take back your business, your career, and your life, Ignited is for you.

The fundamental tenet of this Design Leadership book is that design is a commercial and social imperative and its management and leadership are integral parts of what can make business successful, government effective and society safer and more enjoyable for everyone. The text draws on Raymond Turner’s extensive experience and insights into the effective use of design as a business resource for competitive advantage and social benefit. Raymond brings his experience of working for iconic businesses, projects and consultancies to provide essential, value creating, insights on the interface between design and business. Design Leadership adopts a straightforward approach that will be of great value to those who influence how organisations work - the managers and chief executives of a country’s wealth creating engines. It is also of particular relevance to those with design management and leadership responsibilities as well as students who aim to work in these roles. The ideas at the heart of the book concern all who shape society and have the brief to improve our lives. Raymond Turner’s advice will help all of these readers make design work and so become more effective more quickly.

Design has become the key link between users and today’s complex and rapidly evolving digital experiences, and designers are starting to be included in strategic conversations about the products and services that enterprises ultimately deliver. This has led to companies building in-house digital/experience design teams at unprecedented rates, but many of them don’t understand how to get the most out of their investment. This practical guide provides guidelines for creating and leading design teams within your organization, and explores ways to use design as part of broader strategic planning. You’ll discover: Why design’s role has evolved in the digital age How to infuse design into every product and service experience The 12 qualities of effective design organizations How to structure your design team through a Centralized Partnership Design team roles and evolution The process of recruiting and hiring designers How to manage your design team and promote professional growth