Hey Reader,

This week is about the career move most designers know they need to make but keep putting off: stepping out of execution mode and getting upstream without waiting for perfect conditions.​
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In today's email:

• Why talented designers stay stuck: The real reason isn’t skill - it’s waiting for permission that isn’t coming (and what “starting smaller” actually looks like).​
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• AI-era workflow events + build-alongs: A live-recorded session on the future of design workflows, plus hands-on workshops for going from design to something real, fast.​
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• Career leverage + learning: Resources for designers leveling up into leadership or client work, including Leadership Ateliers Berlin (€100 off with FEMKE100) and a few sharp reads on where product design is headed in 2026.

Join Julia Ysabela Fernandez (Meta) and Elizabeth Alli (DesignerUp) for a practical walkthrough of where Al actually helps across the design process, from faster research and clearer insights to smarter decisions, stronger documentation, and storytelling that builds trust. ​Get your ticket​

Design gems of the week

• ​Dive Club LIVE in NYC: Join a live and in-person Dive Club episode in NYC hosted by Ridd (Michael Riddering) focused on the future of design workflows (with AI).
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• ​The AI Masterclass (Live Workshop by Chris Do): Recommended if you’re pivoting into freelancing/ or client work: a live workshop focused on using AI tools to speed up your creative business workflows (offers, marketing, client comms, execution) and stay competitive as expectations shift.
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• ​Designers are trying to keep up in an industry that won’t slow down : A relatable read on the constant acceleration in design right now (new tools, new expectations, shifting roles).
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• ​From Figma to Live App in One Day Workshop: A live, online workshop for designers with multiple upcoming dates in May. Ideal if you’re trying to tighten the loop between UI decisions and something you can actually click through (and test) the same day.
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• ​Leadership Ateliers Berlin (May 21–22): A 2-day, hands-on workshop for senior designers transitioning into leadership. €100 off with code FEMKE100.
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• ​The Open Vector: A free, open learning platform for “design-led engineering” that’s intentionally not vibe coding: structured lessons and step-by-step workflows for building real products with AI agents as your crew.
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• ​Product design in 2026: the beginning of a fantastic voyage?: A hopeful reframe on where the craft is headed: the “invisible walls” around what designers can influence are coming down, and 2026 is a good moment to rethink your role beyond screens-toward systems, leverage, and bigger impact.
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A MESSAGE FROM WONDER Wonder: AI design tool that ships production code. Wonder helps designers go from idea to shipped product on a single canvas, bringing in context from previous designs, generating new variants, exploring themes or layouts, and collaborating as a creative thought partner. Try Wonder free

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Why are talented designers still stuck?

I was on a mentoring call recently with a designer who'd been at her company for three years. Smart, capable, clearly good at her job — she was the only one on her team they didn't let go.

But she had a problem she couldn't shake.

Every project came to her fully formed.

Brief already written, solution already decided, PM already convinced they knew the answer.

Her job was to open Figma and make it real. She knew this wasn't working for her. She knew exactly what needed to change. She even knew how to change it.

She just hadn't done it yet.

When I asked why, she said she wasn't confident enough to push back. That the culture made it hard. That she needed more support from leadership. All of which was true. And none of which was really the reason.

The gap nobody talks about

There's a version of the "design careers are changing" conversation that's genuinely optimistic. Strategic influence is within reach. The old barriers are lower than they've ever been. The opportunity is right there.

And it's not wrong.

But there's something that narrative skips over: most designers have been trained — by bad managers, by hierarchical cultures, by years of receiving briefs — to wait for the green light before they act. That's not a personal failing. It's what the system taught them.

The designer I mentioned could see her situation clearly. She knew she was stuck in execution mode. She knew she needed to get upstream. She just assumed that someone else needed to create the conditions first — a better process, a stronger manager, a culture that invited her in.

Nobody was coming to create those conditions. And on some level, she already knew that too.

What you're actually waiting for

Here's the uncomfortable part: a lot of what designers are waiting for are things their employer should provide but probably won't.

A clear promotion framework. A manager who actively coaches them. A culture where design has a seat at the table by default. Permission to do things differently.

These aren't unreasonable things to want. But waiting for them puts your career in someone else's hands.

The designer I mentioned was the only designer left at her company. She had, without realising it, inherited the power to define how design worked there. Nobody was going to stop her from writing a proposal for how the team should collaborate. Nobody was going to block her from asking to be included earlier in the process.

She was waiting for a structure she was already in a position to create.

The actual shift

This isn't about being fearless or having some breakthrough moment of confidence.

None of this requires your manager to be better. None of it requires a culture change or a company that suddenly values design.

It just requires not waiting.

The question isn't whether the opportunity is there. It is. The question is what you're doing with it.

What's one thing you've been putting off that you could start this week — no perfect conditions required? Hit reply.

Have a topic you'd like me to write about? Reply to this email and let me know! I read every reply.