Creating Design Culture
Design leaders are architects of team culture. Their role is responsible for creating the environment where design thrives–the practice, the people, and the community.
Rituals and Practices
Culture becomes tangible through regular rituals that bring teams together and reinforce shared values. These are detailed more in the Rituals section.
Creative Exercises
Starting the week with design exercises, sharing inspiration, or collaborative sketching sessions helps teams stay creatively energized and connected. These lightweight activities build creative confidence and create natural opportunities for mentorship and knowledge sharing.
Team Celebrations
Regularly celebrating both big wins and small victories helps teams stay motivated and connected to their impact. This includes shipping celebrations, project retrospectives that highlight learnings, and recognition for strong collaboration or creative problem-solving.
Growth Opportunities
Creating formal and informal opportunities for learning keeps teams engaged and growing. This might include: - Lunch and learn sessions - Skill-sharing workshops - Conference attendance and speaking opportunities - Cross-functional collaboration projects - External mentor connections
Happy, healthy, and engaged
Healthy design culture requires sustainable working practices that prevent burnout and support long-term success:
Work-Life Balance
Leaders set expectations around working hours, meeting schedules, and response times that respect personal time and energy. This includes being explicit about when immediate responses aren't needed and modeling healthy boundaries.
Focus Time
Creative work requires uninterrupted time for deep thinking and exploration. Leaders protect this by establishing meeting-free blocks, managing interruptions, and creating clear priorities that allow teams to focus on what matters most.
Support Systems
Having clear support systems helps teams navigate challenges and stay healthy. This includes: - Regular check-ins about workload and wellbeing - Clear escalation paths for concerns - Access to mental health resources - Flexibility for personal needs - Recognition of life outside work
Remote and Hybrid Considerations
Creative energy and collaboration happens in-person, hybrid, and remotely:
Digital-First Practices
Creating inclusive experiences for remote team members through thoughtful meeting practices, digital collaboration tools, and asynchronous communication.
Connection Points
Building meaningful connections in distributed teams through regular virtual social time, occasional in-person gatherings, and structured opportunities for informal interaction.
Pulse Checks for Culture
Take an inventory of your team's rituals and practices. Are they well-attended? Are designers engaging with their peers? Do you have engagement surveys to get feedback from your team? Is the team forming new cultural norms and activities?
These are the kinds of questions that can help you identify gaps in your team's culture and opportunities for improvement.