In-House Design and the Smart Use of Skills
In recent years, more companies have been building in-house design teams. The appeal is clear: faster turnaround and potential cost savings. As a result, it’s increasingly common to see individual designers being asked to handle a wide array of work across different formats and media.
Of course, having a versatile, multi-skilled designer on the team can be a huge asset. But when that turns into the assumption that “any designer can do everything,” problems can arise. In small in-house teams with limited resources, ignoring each designer’s area of expertise can actually lead to inefficiencies—lower quality, slower progress, or both.
One recurring challenge is the communication gap between non-designers and designers. Non-designers often find it difficult to grasp the thinking behind design choices, especially the less visible aspects like layout logic or user flow. On the flip side, designers sometimes fail to explain their process clearly, assuming “the work speaks for itself.” These gaps in understanding, while subtle, can easily lead to misalignment.
To get the most out of an in-house setup, this collaboration needs attention. It’s less about expecting everyone to understand everything, and more about mutual respect—recognizing each other’s expertise, dividing roles thoughtfully, and gradually building shared language through day-to-day interaction.
Even with limited resources, a team can produce high-quality outcomes by working this way. In the final part of this series, we’ll look ahead to the future of design management and what it means for growing internal creative capabilities. (To be continued)