This article is part of our Design Impact Series, where we explore inside stories from our portfolio companies. From internal team structure to design philosophy to UX, this series looks at the ways design can lead to greater impact. …

Welcome to the first article in our Design Impact Series, where we explore inside stories from our portfolio companies. From internal team structure to design philosophy to UX, this series looks at the ways design can lead to greater impact. How Stripe changed the game Stripe exists because Patrick and John Collison decided to fix…

We’re excited to announce that our next Design for Business Impact virtual speaker series will be a special brand edition. The Zendesk and Gusto brands are both known and loved globally; we’ll hear from their teams about the business impact of developing distinct visual identities, creating cohesive brand systems, and crafting powerful stories. We hope you join us on Wednesday, November 11th at 12PM PST. We’ll be featuring three creative leaders who will present case studies followed by Q&A:

After investing in multi-billion dollar companies across industries and advising hundreds of design leaders at Designer Fund, one of the biggest opportunities I’ve seen for designers to increase their influence is to demonstrate how their work aligns with the success of the business. Often as designers, our natural tendency is…

As a founder, you need to hire the right people for the right roles to accomplish your business goals. Recruiting is expensive. It comes at the cost of your most valuable resource: time. And when it comes to hiring your first designer, the stakes can feel even higher. This person…

Nearly every startup needs creative help at some point in their lifecycle — often during key inflection points, such as raising funds, up-leveling into a new market, or communicating who they are to the world for the very first time. …

Design critiques are an essential part of the design process. If run effectively, critiques can elevate a team’s work and contribute to a team culture of trust and collaboration. Continuing to make effective use of this time can be challenging as organizations grow and responsibilities shift. We spoke with design…

The impact of design is notoriously difficult to measure. We know intuitively that great design leads to great products, and understand that it can influence business success in a multitude of ways, from strategy to market expansion to brand expression. …

There are countless books, seminars, conferences, and programs to teach you about business leadership, but design leadership requires an entirely different skill set and is not nearly as well documented. It can take years to master the management complexities at the intersection of business and creativity, but many design leaders…