67%
Management entry — both tracks
Agency and corporate starters enter management at statistically identical rates: 31 of 46 vs. 30 of 45.
Fisher's exact p = 1.0Surveying 119 design leaders gave us a picture of an industry in transition. We learned how they got here, what's changing in their industry, and where they think the profession is headed. The story that emerges is one of structural change, shifting pathways, and a field asking hard questions about its own future.
Design leaders come from a variety of backgrounds. Our research revealed diverse and distinct pathways across education levels, organization types, and career stages.
Best viewed on desktop This pathway diagram is dense; a wider screen makes labels and flows easier to read. You can still explore here—pinch to zoom if your browser allows.
Where designers start often shapes where they go. While no singular pathway exists, our interviews revealed patterns between where design leaders started and where they landed.
Current role by first organization type
Hover any bar segment for the category key and counts.
Same entry rate. Different ceiling.
Agency and corporate starters reach management at identical rates. Inside management, their paths diverge. Corporate starters reach VP at 4.8× the rate of agency starters — a significant difference (Fisher's exact p = 0.05).
Agency and corporate starters enter management at statistically identical rates: 31 of 46 vs. 30 of 45.
Fisher's exact p = 1.0Corporate starters reach VP level at 18% vs. 4% for agency starters — a 4.8× difference in odds. The gap is not who gets in, but how far they go.
Fisher's exact p = 0.05Freelance starters are 7.2× more likely than agency starters to end up in an independent practice. 1 in 3 now hold Partner, Advisor, or Founder roles.
Fisher's exact p = 0.049 · n=9, treat cautiouslyDesign leaders expect their tools — and their field — to remain in flux. 94% of respondents said they expected their tool stack to change significantly over the next five years, with responses about industry expectations being more mixed.
In the next 5 years, how much do you expect your tool stack to change?
In the next 5 years, how do you expect the global design industry to evolve?
Dive deeper to see how design leaders are thinking about the future of their field. Explore all 31 survey topics to see visualized patterns, insights, and gaps.
Explore all 31 topics →This project summarizes findings from research conducted on the state of Design Leadership in 2026.
The results represent 119 design leaders across the world: how they entered the field, their first organizations, current levels, tool expectations, and outlooks on the profession. Each respondent completed a 34-item questionnaire with some participating in recorded interviews. Three main findings are presented as chapters; the explore view charts 31 of those topics, with optional filters for age, gender, and region.
Research was conducted as a part of Design Leadership, a seminar at Washington University in St. Louis led by Doug Powell. This seminar brings together undergraduate and graduate students from across disciplines to examine how design shapes and is shaped by the organizations it lives inside.