Landing that first job is an awesome feeling.
You’re a Junior Designer whose full of energy, caffeine, and ready to change the world. But once the dust settles a question always hits: How do I get to the next level?
In my 25+ years in the industry I’ve hired and promoted designers at every stage. One thing I've learned is that the jump from Junior to Senior isn’t about how many years you’ve been designing. It’s about a clear shift in responsibility, scope, and influence.
Measuring the problems you solve is how you move up.
1. Junior Designer: “Help me do this right.”
When I've hired a Junior, I’m always looking for potential and proficiency.
- Core expectation: Execute defined tasks with high-quality craft and an open mind.
- Focus on ‘How’: You take a well-defined problem (e.g., "Design the checkout flow based on these wireframes") and execute with precision, accessibility, and high fidelity.
- Key growth skill: The fastest-growing Juniors apply critique instantly. If you're given feedback on Tuesday and you’ve integrated it (and learned the why behind it) by Wednesday, you’re on the right track.
2. Mid-Level Designer: “I’ve got this.”
The leap from Junior to Mid-Level is often the most difficult. You're shifting from being a "task-taker" to a problem-solver.
- Core expectation: Own a significant feature area and drive projects end-to-end with minimal supervision.
- Focus on ‘What’: You stop asking "What should I do?" and start asking "What problem are we actually solving?" You define the approach, manage the research, and deliver the solution.
- Collaboration: You are the primary voice of design in the room with Product Managers (PMs) and Engineers. You get good at partnering with them.
- Key growth skill: You're proactive. You look at the data, spot the friction points, and propose a solution before anyone else points it out.
3. Senior Designer: “Here is where we should go next.”
Your title is no longer about what you produce, but the impact you have on the team and the business.
- Core expectation: Set the vision for a major product area and act as a "force multiplier" for the entire team.
- Focus on ‘Why’: You help write the roadmap. You challenge assumptions with data and provide the rationale for high-level strategic decisions.
- Influencing others: You mentor Juniors, mediate cross-functional disagreements, and champion the user experience at the executive level.
- Key growth skill: A Senior Designer's most powerful tool is communication. You can present a complex solution to a CEO, defend it using business metrics, and then walk an engineer through the technical constraints in the same afternoon.
The bottom line
If you’re aiming for that next promotion, look to change the kind of work you do.
Are you just executing, or are you truly owning the outcome? Start acting like the designer you want to be today, and the title will eventually catch up.
Thanks for reading, see you next week!
Anthony Faria
the Designer's Roadmap
Helping designers navigate the path to success
Design your next career chapter
I work with designers who want more clarity, confidence, and direction. Whether it’s finding new opportunities, building leadership skills, or redefining what’s next:
✓ Learn what hiring managers and creative directors actually look for
✓ Identify "red flags" in your case studies and turn them into strengths.
✓ Refine your case studies to tell a clear, compelling story
✓ Learn to articulate your value so clearly that salary negotiations become a conversation, not a confrontation.
“I negotiated myself into a slightly higher base salary and accepted the design position! This wouldn't have been possible without your thoughtful guidance. Thank you Anthony :)”— Natasha K., Product Designer
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