Design Circle Inspiring design transformation, diversity and leadership.The Design Circle is a collaboration of design leaders working together to drive positive impact on business, society, innovation, culture and design careers.This group will provide leadership insights, valuable content, and advocacy on industry issues that matter most to designers and teams. These will be featured in authored pieces and webinars on this site, and at community events. We also strive to create more visibility for design as a career path and opportunities for youth entering the field, and have launched a scholarship and mentoring initiative to support this goal.Our Members Enrique Allen Co-founder Designer Fund Tim Allen VP of Design Airbnb Irene Au Design Partner Khosla Ventures Timothy Bardlavens Product Design Manager Facebook Sarah B. Brooks Distinguished Designer IBM Robert Brunner Founder/Partner Ammunition Andy Budd Founder Clearleft Ltd; Leading Design; UX London Daniel Burka Director of Product & Design Resolve to Save Lives Antionette Carroll President & CEO Creative Reaction Lab Liz Danzico Vice President, Design NPR Katie Dill VP of Design Lyft Jared Erondu Head of Design Lattice Gus Granger SVP & Chief Creative Officer Cyxtera Technologies Erika Hall Author, Co-founder Mule Design Studio Yoojin Hong VP of Mobile UX Samsung Fura Johannesdottir Chief Design Officer Huge Jamie Myrold VP of Design Adobe Sarah Parmenter Creative Director & Founder You Know Who Cathy Pearl Head of Conversation Design Outreach Google Billy Seabrook Global Chief Creative Officer IBM iX Albert Shum CVP, Design, Experiences & Devices Microsoft Jen Simmons Senior Designer & Developer Advocate Mozilla Fabricio Teixeira Design Director Work & Co Richard Ting EVP, Global Chief Experience Officer R/GA Khoi Vinh Senior Director of Design Adobe Andy Vitale Strategic Design & Innovation Leader SunTrust (now Truist) Conor Ward Director of Design BTTHE DESIGN CIRCLESCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVEAs part of this program, Adobe will award ten (10) annual college scholarships, up to $25k per year for each recipient (up to $100k total over four years).The scholarship is ideal for students going into product design or experience design-related careers (i.e. digital, web, UX/UI, industrial design, or similar), with a focus on candidates who have been historically underrepresented in design, including but not limited to, first-generation college students, racial and ethnic minority students, students with disabilities, and those who identify as LGBTQ+.The design leaders in our program will also offer mentoring opportunities to scholarship recipients to strengthen the impact of the scholarship, while providing real-world experience to the students during their education. Learn more about the scholarship →As designers, it is our ethical responsibility to reflect the world in our work—we do not create for ourselves, but in the service of others.Timothy Bardlavens, FacebookHow to get involvedWe’re still in the early stages of this program but have been overwhelmed by the interest from the design community to get involved. We’ll be sharing updates on this page and on our social media channels on how to get involved as a member or as a scholarship recipient. More detailed information will be made available soon, so please check back. Don’t just think about who you’re designing for: think about who you’re leaving out. And then ask yourself how to include them.Cathy Pearl, GoogleFeatured Content Leadership InsightsEmpathy & Resilience in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic By Sarah BrooksIn a post-Coronavirus world, our lives may not resemble what came before, but may be better versions. Leadership Insights5 Principles for Better Designer-Developer Collaboration By Fabricio TeixeiraIn product design, the only certainty is change. 5 timeless principles for improving designer-developer communication & collaboration. Design SystemsSecrets of Successful Design Systems: From Leaders Who’ve Learned the Hard Way By Patrick FallerDesign leaders from Adobe MAX share how they approach challenges & opportunities that lead to successful design systems. Social ImpactRedesigners for Justice: Building a Community Within the Design Field Itself By Antionette CarrollAntoinette Carroll explores how the design community can help remove barriers for aspiring designers. Social ImpactBreaking Down Barriers to Achieve Equity and Inclusion in Design By Kari NorderIn this article, we asked three design leaders to share their views on organizational culture. Leadership Insights20 Levers for Communicating the Business Impact of Design By Enrique AllenAfter investing in multi-billion dollar companies across industries and advising hundreds of design leaders at Designer Fund, one… See All→Webinars and Events Collaboration at the Center of Design Strategy MARCH 2020 WebinarStrong collaboration creates some of the most successful products from a design, execution and time-to-market perspective. We explore the challenges, how to improve designer/developer hand-off, and strategies for better cross-team collaboration. Register Now Design Your Career APRIL 2020 WebinarDiscover what it takes to get a foot in the door of a design job opportunity and what skills you need to be your best and transform your career. Our speakers will share both their personal career paths, as well as what they look for when hiring designers onto their teams. Register Now The Impact of Emerging Tech on Design Teams MAY 2020 WebinarDesigners are being asked to embrace and adapt to new tech faster than ever – which also creates exciting new design disciplines and opportunities. We discuss how to factor in design for voice, AI, AR, VR and more. And how to build teams with generalists and specialists who can effectively support these new modalities. Register Now How to Demonstrate Design ROI to Propel Your Business Forward JUNE 2020 WebinarWhat’s design worth, and how do you show its business value? Now that design has a seat at the table, how do you use that leadership position to advocate for the right things? Register Now Want to get in touch? Contact us