INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: what Directors and VPs often get wrong

A lot of design leaders think they are screening for senior judgment. What they are often screening for is the presentation of seniority.

A polished portfolio, sharp renders, and a confident interview are easy signals to read. Real seniority is harder to see. It shows up in how someone reads the market, turns broad vision into consistent design decisions, and carries that intent through engineering, sourcing, marketing, and production without losing the important parts or becoming a nightmare to work with.

Most hiring loops never test that part of the job. Try putting the candidate in front of a weak brief, conflicting stakeholder pressure, and a real tradeoff. Then watch how they frame the problem, what they protect, and what they let go.

Everything else just gets them in the room. Senior judgment is what holds up when the work gets messy.