Michelle Manczyk | Designer

Design is an Umbrella, Not a Job Title

2025.07.14

Scrolling through LinkedIn, I’ve noticed a frequent complaint among designers as they search for work. More and more job postings seek candidates with skills that span multiple disciplines of design and sometimes entirely other creative professions. At the same time, there seems to be an ongoing debate, particularly among user experience (UX) designers about if they should drop the UX label and simply be called designers. Both trends point to a deeper issue that there is a growing disconnect within the design profession itself and how it’s being communicated to the public.

Recently, I joined in on one such discussion to share my perspective that design, like engineering, is an umbrella term that covers many specialized careers. Just as titles like civil or chemical help specify what kind of engineer someone is, terms like UX, graphic, brand, or type help clarify what kind of designer you’re talking about. Although titles aren’t everything, these labels also aren’t meaningless because they help communicate a designer’s focus and expertise to the public, which I would argue is critically important.

What began as a simple comment sharing this perspective, that it’s important to use labels that reflect what people actually do, quickly took an unexpected turn. I was surprised by the dismissive and rude response I received from another user, as it wasn’t so different from the perspective of the original post nor many of the many other comments. But in a way, it only reinforced why this conversation is so important in the first place and the catalyst for this discussion now.

Design is a Field, Not a Single Discipline:

Designers regardless of discipline are all designers, but their roles, skill sets, goals and deliverables are often very different. Every designer solves problems, but the tools, outcomes, and responsibilities differ even when there is some overlap.

Here’s a quick snapshot of some common design roles:

UX Designer: Focuses on user research, wireframes, interaction flows, and usability.
Graphic Designer: Specializes in visual communication, layout, and print/digital marketing materials.
Visual Designer: Often overlaps with graphic design but focuses more on aesthetics, UI, and branding.
Product Designer: A cross-functional role that blends UX, business needs, and product strategy.
Motion Designer: Brings graphics to life through animation and movement.
Fashion Designer: Designs clothing, textiles, and accessories with both aesthetic and functional goals.
Interior Designer: Plans spatial layouts and aesthetic experiences in built environments.

Yes, all of them are “designers.” But their work, goals, and audiences are vastly different. Grouping them all under the label “designer” flattens their contributions and creates confusion

It’s not uncommon for designers to wear multiple hats, particularly in organizations operating lean teams, organizations lack understanding in the distinctions, or where it is more convenient to lump designers together. As a result generalists have become more common, however this rise in generalist does not negate the need for clarity. If anything, it increases the need for it, as grouping all of these disciplines as just designers creates confusion for everyone. Without clear distinctions, expectations become fuzzy, job scopes blur, and design becomes undervalued.

Why Clarity Matters

Reducing any design discipline to simply a “designer” is a disservice to everyone, especially where roles need to be clearly understood such as hiring, collaboration, and scope of work. Defining design roles helps everyone involved in the process.

For hiring: It avoids mismatched candidates, vague job descriptions, and wasted interviews.
For jobseekers: It reduces friction and helps them pursue roles aligned with their strengths.
For collaboration: It enables cross-functional teams to work together effectively by understanding what each designer brings.
For respect: It acknowledges the depth and rigor of specialized skill sets instead of lumping everyone into a vague category.

Just as all engineers apply scientific principles to solve problems, but you wouldn’t hire a mechanical engineer to design a chemical processing plant unless they had cross-training, the same is true in design. All designers apply design principles to solve problems, but you shouldn’t expect a brand designer to do UX research or a fashion designer to animate app transitions.

When the Conversation Gets Dismissed

Being clear is how we discuss the disciplines of design is professionalism. When we clarify the distinct special disciplines of design, we are laying the foundation for good collaboration, hiring, and even problem-solving.

So when I’d echoed that idea, similar to the original post, I did not expect to be met with condescension instead of professional discussion. The replies were dismissive, mocking, and, frankly, needlessly hostile. Rather than counterpoints, I was met with ridicule and smug anecdote meant to invalidate my perspective. It wasn’t about disagreement, it was about tone, ego and frankly gender.

I don’t say that lightly. I believe the reaction had less to do with my point and more to do with the fact that I’m a woman. I’m not interested in performative outrage or turning every unpleasant exchange into a gender war. However, women in technical conversations are often minimized not for what we say, but for how we’re perceived. It’s not new, but it needs to change. Respectful dialogue builds better design, dismissiveness does not.

The Bigger Picture

Titles aren’t everything, but at its core this conversation is about communication, respect, and how we value each other’s work. When we reduce people to vague labels like “just a designer,” we blur the lines of responsibility, set unclear expectations, and risk overlooking the true depth of someone’s skill.

Respect for all discipline under the broad umbrella of design, should not create division, rather it should build a more functional, collaborative field. Advocating for clearer language around roles and specialties make it easier to find the right fit, do better work, and give credit where it’s due. All of us, especially those in leadership, need to model better communication, respect specialization, and push back, gently but firmly, when others try to flatten the complexity of what design professionals actually do.