Navigating the complexity of a service design career and its many paths

So many people are reshaping what careers look like. What does it mean for people who want to explore a career as a service designer (strategic designer)?

Not being narrowed into one job or sector for the rest of your life – What do you want to do when you are old? Some of the most interesting people who are known are the ones who have been able to pivot and have a broad wealth of experiences.

Recently, I was caught up with an ex-director of a well-known design agency. Who had decided to go independent and start something by themselves?

I often get asked what is next for me. Or why haven’t I started an agency or become a Strategic Design Director of a well-known in-house. Two things always come out of these conversations. First, planning careers can change as you never know what can happen. You are never too old to redefine yourself. Secondly, it also helped me reflect on my strategic design career experiences working across different design environments and countries.

Over the last decade, I have been lucky enough to have a strategic design career that has helped me explore most types of design environments. What does it truly mean to transition from agency, to in-house, start-ups to freelance and so on?

The traditional terms of employment model are no longer fit for the purpose of society. More designer are exploring different career paths to suit their needs and life events.

I have summaries some of my personal experiences for anyone looking to change or starting their career but might be unsure what is career path is right for them:

Design consulting/ agency: Small boutique communities

Get to work with a lot of different people and build on your basic skills.

Design consultancies are a great environment to help you improve your skills and experience in a short amount of time by working on many projects and clients. The negative to working on so many projects in a short amount of time is that you might not get as much industry depth as projects could last 3 to 6 months on average. ?Some firms focus on specific areas like government, insurance, finance, or consumer goods. A challenge might be not having enough information about a project and being thrown in the middle of a client’s work. There is also a lack of control as your clients might go against any advice, or you leave a project before the work is completed. ?

In design consultancies, there are smart people with lots of experience. You can learn from them and build your skills as they create their own processes/ methodologies. But sometimes, you don't get to work on the projects you want.

Joining a design agency can help you gain many skills and make good connections. You might also explore different industries and travel to new places. It's a good chance to grow and learn.

In-house design: Copeare design teams

Working in-house as a designer means you focus on one industry or organisation. This lets you learn a lot about that specific area. You can see projects from start to finish and work with people who might not know much about design. The company might help you improve your skills, but there can be challenges too.

One challenge is changing how the team works if they have done things a certain way for a long time. Another challenge is making design grow in the company, as sometimes there can be rules or budgets that make it hard. There might be less variety in your work, but you have more control over projects and can learn more about the company.

Compared to working freelance or at a design agency, you might only focus on one type of design in-house. It could be hard to move from one kind of design to another, like from UX to product design. Growing in the company can also be tough because sometimes design is not seen as very important and does not get enough money for growth.

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??????????????????????/????????????????????t: Freedom and risk

I have worked on many projects as a freelancer/ contractor. If you have experience and want to have more control over the types of projects you want to work on, this could be a great career path. Sometimes it can feel lonely because you don't work with a team all the time. I recommend finding a support network of freelancers such as Leapers. But, freelancing lets you earn good money and take long breaks if you want.

To be a freelancer, you need experience and a good network of people to work with. This helps you find more job opportunities. Sometimes there might not be much work, so it's important to save money compared to having a permanent role.

Many people choose freelancing because they can work remotely and pick the projects they like, working on start-up ideas or needing to have season work due to other commitments. But, as a freelancer, you might not have full control over the projects you work on. There can also be pressure to do a great job since you are seen as an expert. It is easier to find freelancer opportunities if the projects if you have a focus or a specialist. ?

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Startup small business: Betting on the next big thing

I have been lucky enough to work with, advise and on my own start-ups over the years.

Good design is important for start-ups, like Uber and Airbnb. Their founders or leaders in small businesses understand how good customer experience and strategic design plays a role. Many start-ups want to make their products and services look better by having team members who understand design, strategy, technology and products.

Working in a start-up can be fun, but also messy as things can change at any moment in time learning to anxiety. You can learn a lot and get more responsibility early on. But there might not be much structure or a clear way to finish your designs. There is also a risk and reward element to consider as if the startup is at an early stage and does not have funding. You are buying into the startup mission rather than a secure career path as a designer as the startup can run out of funding or fail. ?

Being the only designer in a fast-growing start-up can give you control, but it might feel lonely. You will be lucky to work with a small team of five to ten people. There will be a lot of work, but it's a good chance to grow your career as you could reach a high position if the startup can scale.

Working closely with a specific industry helps you become an expert and build a name for yourself (even if the startup fails). It's great if you care about the start-up's mission. Some start-ups don't last long, but it's still a unique chance to make a name for yourself in design and help other start-ups.

Government: Making a difference in society

I have worked on five government projects in different public services. They can be complex but rewarding as you are normally working on projects that can help society. As a strategic designer, there is a lot of red tape and pressure to get the services right. I have worked with the NHS and the Ministry of Justice, and each project has been meaningful but draining.

The GDS (Government Digital Services) helps create good public services as an overall guiding framework. It is not perfect, but it helps designers work with many team members like interactive designers, solution architects, and policymakers. We work together through discovery, alpha, beta, and live stages. At every stage, we look for ways to improve the service and make it better for society.

Working in government has challenges like many layers and security concerns. Understanding this structure is important. It helps you solve complex issues and share stories with others to make a big impact on society.

Right now, there is a big push for the government to hire more service designers.

Non-profits/ charities: Purposeful design

If you want to work for a good cause, non-profits are a great choice. They help people and support important needs. Service design is becoming more important in these organisations because they need new ways to help their communities and causes.

I have worked on charity projects and with Open IGO London, focusing on sustainability, equality, education, and health. It's great to help others learn how design can be used for good in their daily lives. This feels different than other jobs, like in government.

Working for a non-profit can be very rewarding, but there might be less structure and lower pay than in other jobs. However, many people are willing to make this trade-off for more meaningful work.

Sometimes, non-profits have less design structure or more rules about funding. This can affect how you do research and design things for people who need help. But overall, working for a non-profit is a great way to help others and make the world a better place.

Academia: Nurturing Design Innovators

I have worked a little in academia and talked to people who spent their lives there. They finished their design degrees and some even changed careers. Academia is a good place to help young minds grow and think about their work in new ways. But it can be slow and hard to work with others outside of it. Still, there are chances to team up with great places and create ideas that can change the design world.

Teachers are busy with grading and learning new things. But they enjoy helping students grow. Sometimes, they even create new ways to teach.

Management consultant: Strategic design services at scale

Working in management consulting firms usually pays well, and you can get promoted faster if you work hard. This happens every one to two years compared to traditional in-house agencies. The downside is that you could often work longer hours to get to these positions, and it can be very competitive. This attracts a specific type of people that are normally younger and motivated to invest so much of their time on projects. ?

Over the last decade, consulting firms have been investing in design agencies as part of their own offering to create end-to-end discovery to delivery solutions. For example, DesignIt and Capco were bought by Wipro , a technology consulting firm. Or Deloitte acquires Market Gravity to boost creative consulting services.

These bigger companies often have more money for training and helping you plan your career through mentoring, processes, townhalls, etc. They also have more projects and clients, so you can learn about different industries and work with various people like product managers and business analysts. Compared to smaller design agencies that can work on shorter-term projects. Management consultancy firms are built for scale and you have an opportunity to work on long-term projects year plus.

Final thoughts

The question is not what career path is right for you, but what you want to explore next in your design career. As careers these days are not linear, it is squiggly as we have different stages of design careers.

Our past does not always define us. The same can be said for your career path.

This has helped me build a great network of designers who have successfully moved across different design careers, whether that is to cross to another industry, design environment and event country.

Every design career path has its tradeoffs. At any time, whether you are early or experienced, it’s never too late to re-imagine yourself.