results and insights

Hi there, Michael! On February 7-8, 2023, the Leading Design Conference was held in San Francisco at the SFJAZZ Center. I’ll tell you what I learned useful for myself as a designer and team leader.

A little about Leading Design

Leading Design is a world-class conference for design leaders and anyone who wants to instill a design culture in their companies. Speakers include leading creative team leaders and curators from Figma, Netflix, IBM Design Studio, Spotify and Google.

For example, at Leading Design in February, Nike’s Chief Design Officer and PayPal’s VP of Global Design presented presentations.

“ The purpose of the conference is to inspire participants in the difficult but interesting path to leadership in design. Useful for both experienced managers and startups.

I visited Leading Design with three goals:

1. Learning from industry leaders. The conference is perhaps the most affordable option to learn from the experience of 20+ leading designers in the world in just 2 days.

2. Networking. Particular attention in Leading Design is given to communication. Here you can chat with colleagues, exchange stories and create useful connections.

3. New experience. I regularly attend conferences and participate in specialized competitions, for example, in the Runet Rating. I take the maximum benefit from each event and immediately implement it in clients’ projects, pumping my skill level in this way.

Results and insights of Leading Design: what I learned useful for myself

– It is very important to focus on yourself and learn how to lead yourself before transforming a client’s team or project.

– Uncertainty and drastic changes are not terrible when you realize the reality and know how to adapt flexibly and quickly.

– A successful team is built on honesty, transparency and trust.

– Design concepts today are monumentally changing under the influence of environmental, social, economic and technological factors. It is more important than ever to keep your finger on the pulse.

– Not the best time to inflate the team. Companies are moving to reduce staff turnover and prioritize.

– Design leaders must be fearless in business and negotiation.

– There are very few real pros among design managers. They are desperately sought after in 2023.

“ The main conclusion is that you need to go to conferences, especially international ones.

By the way, the next Leading Design conference will take place in November 2023 in London. I will definitely take part. And you? Share in the comments what professional movements you visit.