Why good design leadership is so rare.
1. Design department/firm lead by a non designer – no understanding or passion for design and no vision.
2. Design department/firm lead by a designer – no understanding or passion for design and no vision.
What did you expect.
I have worked under a half dozen design managers – and watched others – with only one manager that deserved the position. So the next time you as a designer, or any profession, are interviewed for a position, keep in mind that the person/design-manager, on the other side of the table is just like one of these and placed into this position by others, typically non designers, for some reason and not necessarily because they were the best candidate for the job. Logo or no logo, it doesn’t insure success, but this is another discussion.