TLDR Design · OPINIONS & TUTORIALS

BEING A DESIGNER USED TO FEEL LIKE A CAREER—NOW IT JUST FEELS LIKE A JOB

uxdesign.cc8 min read

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Design has transformed from a meaningful career into just a job as modern workflows stripped away its creative essence. Designers ironically built the very systems, design frameworks, templates, and AI tools that automated and sanitized their work while deluding themselves about design's world-changing power. Reclaiming design as a career requires small acts of resistance within existing systems, defending creative choices, and maintaining authorship rather than defaulting to safe, predictable options.