How to get ahead in your design career
They’re simply better at making their work & thinking visible to the people who make decisions on your promotion.
It’s frustrating! I understand, been there, done that — unfortunately.
After 6 years leading design teams, I’ve watched brilliant designers get stuck at senior level while decent designers become managers and directors.
The difference was that the designer who got promoted doesn’t just design in Figma. They narrate their process in Slack. They document decisions in Confluence.
They present solutions in leadership meetings using business language rather than design jargon.
They don’t wait for their manager to notice good work.
They make it impossible to miss the work.
Meanwhile, the better designer stays heads-down.
Ships quality work.
Assumes it speaks for itself.
It doesn’t!
Your stakeholders have 17 other priorities.
Your manager has 5 other direct reports.
Your executives don’t live in Figma. If your thinking exists only in design files, it’s invisible to the people making promotional decisions.
Visibility isn’t corporate politics.
It’s actually part of the job you signed up for as a designer.
So, make your thinking visible, or watch someone else get promoted for theirs.