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DesignOps–Leading the Path to Parity
Summary
Why and how are creative agency leaders and traditional graphic designers finding their way into DesignOps? What is the future of DesignOps within traditional design agencies?
Most who are looking into the DesignOps space know it for its focus on the Ps: People, Process, Practice — mostly for technology, and mostly for Product design.
Key Insights
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Design ops in agencies must expand beyond technology focus to include people, process, and practice to foster parity and inclusion.
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Francis Iana was hired directly as the first design ops lead at co forma, highlighting the growing strategic value of design ops in agency leadership.
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Historically, creative agencies operated with competitive, gender-imbalanced leadership, but fears around job security have intensified since the pandemic.
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Operationalizing equity through tools like career leveling spreadsheets, skills matrices, and onboarding checklists promotes transparency and reduces bias.
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The concept of 'office housework' represents important but undervalued work crucial for leveling the playing field in agencies.
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Creative agencies are best described as 'project pioneers' needing flexibility and support rather than rigid hierarchical control.
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Resistance to change is common, but design ops practitioners should persist and iterate to embed lasting cultural transformation.
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Intentional leadership to nurture and retain women and underrepresented designers is crucial to advancing agency parity.
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Design ops practices, including equitable user research and fostering diverse team communication, help embed inclusion into workflows.
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Hope and creative optimism are essential mindsets for design ops leaders driving systemic positive change in uncertain environments.
Notable Quotes
"Design ops in all we do at co forma is purpose-driven, intentional, fair, and openly equitable."
"Winning my next client, my next project, my next design award was once all I cared about. Now, it’s about building equity and shared success."
"Office housework is everything from administrative tasks to employee engagement; it’s undervalued but essential for team success."
"Project pioneer organizations resist top-down control, needing design ops to provide tools allowing creative teams to pivot and adapt."
"If you’re standing for something, you have to stand for the thing, even if it’s a hard fight."
"When you don’t see yourself in leadership, you don’t go there. Representation matters deeply in agency culture."
"Keep trying and iterating your design ops initiatives even if stakeholders resist at first."
"Artists are messengers of the ideal. That’s why design ops can make those ideals more palpable in agencies."
"Hope locates itself in the spaciousness of uncertainty and the belief that what we do matters even if outcomes are unknown."
"If we’re in a position to keep the gate, we don’t just keep it open, we tear it down."
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