Managing a Design Team

The transition from individual designer to design manager is one of the most difficult in any creative career. Your value no longer comes from the work you produce but from the work your team produces. This means your primary tools shift from Figma and After Effects to one-on-ones, critiques, and project planning. Julie Zhuo (former VP of Design at Facebook) writes in 'The Making of a Manager' that the hardest adjustment is releasing control: letting your team solve problems their way, even when you would solve them differently. Your job is to set clear objectives, provide resources and feedback, remove blockers, and celebrate the team's success.