DtG #5: The rise of the Super IC and what it means for design

Hello! Welcome to the fifth installment of Designing the Gap. Lately, there’s been a lot of chatter in the design world about career progression, specifically, the rise of the Super IC.

For a long time, the path in design was fairly straightforward: move from IC to manager, climb the ladder, and eventually land in a leadership role. But in recent years, a different route has been gaining traction. This route is where designers stay hands-on, operate at a strategic level, and influence teams and product vision... all without taking on people management.

In many cases, these Super ICs aren’t just peers to design managers; they’re sitting alongside or even above them in the org chart.

What is a "super IC" and how is it different from traditional IC roles?

Super ICs aren’t just senior designers who execute at a high level. They’re individuals in roles like Staff Designer, Senior Staff Designer, Principal Designer, or Distinguished Designer, who are deeply embedded in product strategy, systems thinking, and cross-functional influence. They lead large-scale initiatives, define best practices, and shape design at an organizational level, without direct reports.

Unlike traditional ICs, Super ICs are expected to own complex, high-impact projects, navigate ambiguous problems, and advocate for design at a leadership level. They often work in parallel with design managers, focusing on the work rather than the people.

One of the most high-profile examples of a "Super IC" is Jony Ive, Apple’s longtime design visionary. Ive played a pivotal role in shaping Apple’s product strategy and design philosophy without taking on traditional managerial duties. A perhaps more realistic example is Wilson Miner. Wilson led several high-profile projects at Facebook and Stripe and is now doing this at Apple. His work has shaped how companies approach design systems at scale.

Personally, I love working with Super ICs. Partnering with someone highly skilled in design strategy can be incredibly rewarding, as both roles bring unique perspectives to the table. The way I see it, design managers and staff designers share responsibility for the "why" and "how," but with distinct areas of focus: the design manager is uniquely positioned to think about the "who" and "when," while the staff designer is focused on the "what."

As a result, in my experience managing Staff ICs, the dynamic often feels more like a peer partnership rather than a traditional coach-player relationship.

Why is the super IC track becoming more common?

A few factors are driving this shift:

• Orgs are flattening. Companies, especially in tech, are opening fewer management roles, so they need a way to retain senior talent without forcing them into people leadership.

• How design is valued has changed. Impact isn’t just about how many people you manage; it’s about influence, vision, and execution at scale.

• The ladder is turning into a lattice. More career paths are opening up that allow designers to grow without taking on managerial duties.

• It’s a lever for employee retention. Companies want to keep top design talent without pushing them into management roles they may not want, or may not be suited for.

The challenges of being a super IC

While the path is appealing, it’s not without its challenges:

• Measuring success is harder. Unlike managers, who are evaluated on team performance and growth, Super ICs need to prove their impact in different ways.

• Leadership opportunities can be more limited. Many companies still equate leadership with management, making it harder for ICs to gain recognition.

• Stakeholder management is crucial. Without direct authority, Super ICs rely on influence, communication, and negotiation to drive decisions.

• Career progression can feel unclear. With few well-established paths beyond Principal or Distinguished roles, advancement can be ambiguous.

How orgs can better support super ICs

For this career track to be sustainable, companies need to:

• Define clear growth paths. Set expectations for what success looks like at each level.

• Ensure competitive compensation. Super ICs should be paid in line with leadership roles.

• Recognize and leverage their impact. Their work should be as visible and valued as management roles.

• Provide mentorship and development frameworks. Just like they do for managers.

• Make clear distinctions between "senior designers" and "Super ICs" so there’s alignment on responsibilities and expectations.

How design managers and Super ICs can work together

The rise of the Super IC doesn’t mean design managers are becoming obsolete. The best design orgs make space for both paths to thrive by clearly defining roles, fostering collaboration over competition, and creating growth opportunities for both tracks.

A key part of this is clarifying the often blurry distinctions between a design manager and a staff designer. We recently went through this process at my company, recognizing that both roles share responsibility for ensuring quality, setting strategic direction, and enabling the design team. We then clarified how their approaches differ. For example, when it comes to ensuring quality, staff designers focus on mentorship and high-level execution, while design managers drive quality through team development and career growth. Both contribute to guiding quality design decisions through feedback, but with different lenses: one shaping the work, the other shaping the team.

Balancing the rise of the super IC with sustainable design leadership

The rise of the Super IC makes sense in flatter organizations, but that doesn’t mean it’s always done right. Many companies are elevating staff, principal, and distinguished designers into strategic roles, which is great… but only if they’re truly given the space to lead and think at a higher level. If organizations inflate titles while still expecting these ICs to be purely executional, the model fails.

At the same time, we need to ensure sustainable growth paths for designers who aren’t at the super senior level yet. Strong senior designers are critical to an organization’s success, and creating clear, sustainable career paths at mid-to-senior levels ensures that not everyone is forced to jump into a staff+ role prematurely.

Finally, the rise of the Super IC shouldn’t come at the expense of people leadership. Expanding strategic IC roles is a positive shift, but it doesn’t make people leadership any less critical. If organizations over-index on hiring individual strategic leaders while neglecting strong design management, they risk creating a gap in mentorship, team structure, and advocacy for designers.

Some signs your org might be misusing Super ICs:

• Super ICs are spending most of their time on execution. While execution is part of their role, these designers are meant to shape vision, strategy, and influence the broader team. If they’re primarily pixel-pushing, especially when capable Senior Designers can handle that work, it’s a sign that they’re either being misused, there’s a skills gap that needs closing, or both.

• Manager engagement starts to tank. In flatter orgs, where managers and directors juggle larger teams, keeping engagement high is critical. If managers feel stretched too thin or disconnected from their teams, it’s a sign that the balance between leadership, execution, and strategy isn’t working.

Final thought

The rise of the Super IC is an exciting evolution, but it needs to be thoughtfully implemented. Hiring at this level should be intentional, not just a way to retain or attract talent without a clear role definition. Elevating strategic ICs is valuable, but it's just as important to maintain strong people leadership. The best design orgs recognize the importance of both paths, ensuring that individual leadership thrives alongside well-supported teams and managers who aren’t overstretched.

Things I’ve been reading this week:

• The New Language of Design Leadership by Elizabeth Eagle-Simbeye. Elizabeth explores how design leadership has evolved beyond aesthetics to focus on empathy, data, and bold provocation. She reframes leadership as a balancing act; one that moves moves from polished pitches to purposeful conversations, translating empathy into actionable strategy, and fostering an environment of critical thinking and collaboration.

• Bias, Blind Spots, and Broken Systems: Why Leadership Needs to Change by Meghan Logan. This article breaks down how outdated leadership expectations shut out neurodivergent professionals and diverse thinkers. Meghan shares personal experiences and research showing that real leadership isn’t about fitting a mold, it’s about embracing different perspectives to build better teams and drive real impact.

• Head of Design Is Dead, Long Live the Head of Design! by Darren Smith. This is a great read into how the traditional Head of Design role is shifting. Instead of just overseeing execution, design leaders today are expected to amplify team impact, shape company culture, and collaborate on strategy. This article breaks down the evolving role and what it means for the future of design teams.