How to spot a great designer TOM SCOTT SEP 09, 2025 43 5 Share Most companies I speak to are struggling to hire great designers. The bar is higher than ever. What’s happening? Companies are looking for AI-native designers or people with deep curiosity and adaptability. Combining all this with the need for designers to be fluent in systems, pixels, product architecture to having impeccable “taste”. Many companies simply can’t afford the top % of designers. Especially in Europe, as many of these AI-native companies are in the US, and they are starting to hire in Europe also. We need to hire on potential again, not simply where the person has been before. To do this, you need to change many things about how you hire including introducing time boxed on the day tasks etc. That’s a whole other topic. In this article I’ve put some thoughts together on what I look to spot a great designer in 2025. TL;DR: They are a strong communicator They have impeccable taste and judgement They know what they are good at They are fluent with systems not just pixels They are inherently creative They don’t rely on trends They have high agency They know their value People want to work with them Portfolio is everything They are a strong communicator - “A designer’s real superpower is helping non-designers imagine. A great design with a great story makes the future tangible. It makes an idea feel worth building. A single prototype with a sharp pitch can energize a team or convince executives to place a bet in ways a document never will.” - Ozzy Urratia. The most effective designers build trust through the work. They know what stakeholders care about and ensure they are reguarly communicating the value they are bringing based on what each stakeholder cares about. They make communication a habit. They leave ego at the door and invite others into the process. That’s the trust that makes a career last. They'll create consistent communication loops with stakeholders and leave their ego at the door. They have impeccable taste and judgement - They know what great design looks and feels like, when to implement certain design decisions etc. They know what they are good at - “To be really good on a current market, designers should have super power — unfair advantage, like niche, expertise or hard skill. It can be either super deep knowledge in particular industry (e.g. understanding the whole construction process in US), particular hard skills (be among 0.001% in UI motion, iconography, work with colour), or expertise in specific ways of working (e.g. make mature companies innovate and stay fast). - Alexander Vilinskyy They are fluent with systems not just pixels - They think in systems and knowing how design fits into the bigger product, business, and technical ecosystem. They can zoom in and out. They are inherently creative - The role of a designer is changing. A lot of the design process is being automated but what can’t be replaced is that inherit creativity. That will expand and not shrink. They don’t rely on trends - They trust their judgement. They have high agency - They are obsessed with learning about how they can improve, they never stop designing, they are all in on what they do. There is no plan B for their career, this is it. They can move at speed. They know their value - They know the value design brings to a business but also they know their worth. They know how in the AI-era software is easier to build than ever and it’s the final 10% and the smallest details which make all the difference. People want to work with them - You can put them on any project and know they will be able to hold their own in product level discussions. They can speak to a product leader about product architecture and systems through to an engineer on the best way to ship a product, maybe even being able to build prototypes themselves now (much easier thanks to Lovable, Cursor etc). They attract other people to the team just by being there. Portfolio is everything -I literally don’t care where a designer has worked. It’s all about the portfolio. Looking for work is changing. It’s less about relying on fancy names, it’s about showing what you can bring. I’m looking for signs this person is going to thrive in an AI-native company (I seem to be hiring mainly in that area) so I’m looking for craft, taste, understanding of use of AI tools to prototype etc. I did a similar post last year on traits of a world-class designers which you may want to check out. Until next time! Thanks for reading Verified Insider! Subscribe for free weekly (ish) posts. Subscribe 43 Likes ∙ 5 Restacks 43 5 Share Previous Next