Why does design exist?

What designers and the companies who employ them got wrong about design, and how can they make it right.

Talk highlights

Back to business basics
Designers have made big assumptions too
Design is a catalyst to competitive advantage, not magic
ROI is shared math
Your North Stars are really one star in a constellation

This inspiring talk explores the differences between why design exists as a practice, a methodology, and a functional unit in an organization, and delves into why so many of us struggle to understand these differences.

Ryan shares practical techniques that designers and the people who work with them can use today to make better things in the world, but also to imagine surprising new ways to make better decisions.

The challenges and opportunities of design are plenty; learn how to catalyze new value while ensuring care and respect for others is part of the equation.

About the speaker

Ryan Rumsey

Ryan Rumsey is the author of Business Thinking for Designers, founder of Chief Design Officer School, and CEO of Second Wave Dive; a foundational community for the next generation of design leaders and executives.

For 20+ years, he worked as a designer and executive at Apple, Electronic Arts, USAA, Nestlé, and Comcast. Highlights include designing the first capitally funded Learning Management System at Apple, using CSS as a security measure, selling design systems before asking for buy-in, and building teams of incredibly talented and impactful designers, developers, researchers, PMs—humans.

He is a father, a husband, and an avid fan of Liverpool Football Club. His life experiences include working on a farm, acting in a Staind music video, and living in an eco-cohousing community.