Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
What does it actually take for designers to move up and lead well?
In this AIGA Practical Institute for Creative Survival session, Andy Epstein joins host Rachel Elnar for a practical, honest conversation about design leadership. This isn’t about titles or theory. It’s about the real shifts designers face as they grow from individual contributors into leaders.
Andy shares grounded insights on how designers build influence, take on responsibility, and create the conditions for teams to do their best work. The conversation covers leadership paths beyond people management, why craft alone isn’t enough, and how leadership often shows up before a title ever does.
This session was originally delivered as a live, members-only AIGA event, where attendees had direct access to the speaker, could ask questions in real time, and participate in live giveaways. The replay is now available here for the broader community.
This talk is for designers navigating growth, scope, and leadership in the current state of the design industry.
Topics include:
• The shift from doing the work to enabling others
• Different leadership paths for designers
• How influence is built before authority
• What strong design leaders actually do day to day
Taught by: Andy Epstein, Principal, Invangelist LLC
Andy Epstein spent the first decade of his career as a freelance illustrator and designer in New York before transitioning into creative leadership roles across toy, gift, and pharmaceutical industries. He's built and led multidisciplinary creative teams ranging from 10 to 300 people at organizations of all sizes. As a consultant, Andy has developed leadership programs specifically for creative professionals. He's contributed to publications like Graphic Design USA and HOW, authored "The Corporate Creative" (recently released in its second edition), cofounded InSource, and led INitiative—AIGA's program supporting in-house creatives. Andy has spoken at AIGA and HOW conferences, RGD's Design Thinking conference, and Adobe MAX. He's passionate about helping creative teams become their best selves through practical operational and organizational insights.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andy-epstein
What does it actually take for designers to move up and lead well?
In this AIGA Practical Institute for Creative Survival session, Andy Epstein joins host Rachel Elnar for a practical, honest conversation about design leadership. This isn’t about titles or theory. It’s about the real shifts designers face as they grow from individual contributors into leaders.
Andy shares grounded insights on how designers build influence, take on responsibility, and create the conditions for teams to do their best work. The conversation covers leadership paths beyond people management, why craft alone isn’t enough, and how leadership often shows up before a title ever does.
This session was originally delivered as a live, members-only AIGA event, where attendees had direct access to the speaker, could ask questions in real time, and participate in live giveaways. The replay is now available here for the broader community.
This talk is for designers navigating growth, scope, and leadership in the current state of the design industry.
Topics include:
• The shift from doing the work to enabling others
• Different leadership paths for designers
• How influence is built before authority
• What strong design leaders actually do day to day
Taught by: Andy Epstein, Principal, Invangelist LLC
Andy Epstein spent the first decade of his career as a freelance illustrator and designer in New York before transitioning into creative leadership roles across toy, gift, and pharmaceutical industries. He's built and led multidisciplinary creative teams ranging from 10 to 300 people at organizations of all sizes. As a consultant, Andy has developed leadership programs specifically for creative professionals. He's contributed to publications like Graphic Design USA and HOW, authored "The Corporate Creative" (recently released in its second edition), cofounded InSource, and led INitiative—AIGA's program supporting in-house creatives. Andy has spoken at AIGA and HOW conferences, RGD's Design Thinking conference, and Adobe MAX. He's passionate about helping creative teams become their best selves through practical operational and organizational insights.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andy-epstein
