As a designer, what should I learn next to progress in my career?

Senior Designers often ask us: “What should I learn next to progress in m career?”

We spoke to VPs of Design, Chief Marketing Officers and CEOs, and they shared 6 key areas they wish designers understood when talking to them.

1. Marketing

Why:
Design work has a direct impact on marketing metrics and revenue. But without knowing how it works, you are designing in the dark. By understanding the marketing funnel, CAC, and LTV, you can make a bigger impact and become the CMO’s best friend.

2. Finance

Why:

Design is often seen as a cost, making it easy to cut or underfund. Learn what ROI, P&L, and gross margin are to prove your value in financial terms and make it easier to ask for more budget.

3. Sales

Why:

Everyone sells something at some point, whether it's a new design idea or a strategic direction change. By learning practical sales frameworks, you will be able to effectively communicate your own objectives and gain internal buy-in.

4. Pricing

Why:

From free trials to price increases – pricing is the biggest power and pain point for any company. If you understand pricing models, you can make your design decisions more strategic.

5. Business Metrics

Why:

If you can’t translate your work into business outcomes, it’s difficult to gain stakeholders’ trust. Find out which design metrics you can connect to business metrics to make your impact more visible and gain more influence.

6. C-suite Decision-Making

Why:
The way you get influence in a company is by understanding the pressures leaders have and aligning your work with the company’s goals. Learn about OKRs, KPIs, and decision-making processes to translate the value of design to senior leadership. Align your narrative with the existing company plan and connect design to business.

…but where do I start?

To help designers learn all of these, we created our practical online course, Mini-MBA for Designers & Creatives, taught by C-level professionals with proven track records of scaling companies from £0 to £8M and shaping business strategies.

We collaborated with business leaders from AMEX, Uber, Cleo and Deel who work with design departments daily, and they can share practical frameworks and real case studies on how design contributes to measurable business outcomes. So you can become more strategic and make your work truly count.

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