Business Thinking for Designers

Most designers obsess over how it looks. I train my team to obsess over what it does.

After 12+ years of leading design across campaigns, packaging and rebrands - I’ve learned that the difference between a good designer and a business-first design leader is this:

👉 They don’t just present layouts.They defend outcomes.

Recently, a team member asked,

“Should I use this soft gradient or a bold flat fill?”

I asked back:

“What’s the goal - engagement or action?”“Where will this appear - on an Instagram story or a hoarding in sunlight?”“What message needs to land in 3 seconds?”

We’re not designing for dribbble. We’re designing for the user’s brain under pressure - scrolling fast, ignoring noise and making decisions in milliseconds.

In my team, these are the mantras:

• 🎯 Design is persuasion

• 🎯 Design is prioritization

• 🎯 Design is behavior change

• 🎯 Design is ROI

And the moment your visuals start speaking the language of marketing, sales and CX, that’s when you truly become a creative leader.

Design is not art. It’s a business tool. Use it wisely.

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👀 Curious:Do you train your team to think commercially - or just to design well?