Design Leadership · Monthly
Senior design leadership,without a full-time hire
Senior design leadership without a full-time hire. Your designers keep doing the design work. We help them decide faster, raise the quality bar and hand over work that engineering can build.
- Who it’s for
- Teams of 1–4 designersWith no senior lead, or a stretched one
- The rhythm
- A weekly reviewWritten feedback within one working day
- The commitment
- Month by monthContinue, adjust or stop at each recap
Common at scale-ups
When design leadershipis stretched
- The founder or CPO reviews every design and doesn’t have the time.
- Design reviews turn into debates about opinions, or don’t happen at all.
- Work gets redone late because priorities weren’t clear at the start.
- What engineering ships doesn’t match what was designed.
- Your designers are capable, but no one senior is helping them grow.
What you get each month
Weekly reviews, coachingand a monthly recap
By the end of the first month your team has a priority map, a record of key decisions and feedback tied to user needs and constraints. These give reviews a consistent basis and help avoid reopening settled questions.
- 01
Kick-off and priority map
A 90-minute session and a one-page map of what to design first, why, and what’s out of scope.
- 02
Weekly design review
A 60-minute live review, plus written feedback on work in progress within one working day.
- 03
Decision log
A shared record of key decisions, the reasons behind them and open questions.
- 04
Design quality checklist
A short checklist written for your product, used before work goes to review or engineering.
- 05
Designer coaching
Two one-to-one sessions per designer per month, each ending with agreed actions.
- 06
Month-end recap
What changed, what’s still open, and whether to continue, adjust or stop.
The first month
The first month,week by week
After the first month we keep the same rhythm, or adjust it to what your team needs next.
- Week 1
Understand
We meet your product sponsor and designers, review current work and agree the three to five decisions that matter most.
- Weeks 2–4
Review and coach
Weekly reviews, written feedback and one-to-one coaching.
- End of month
Recap
What changed, what’s still open, and a recommendation to continue, adjust or stop.
Is it the right fit?
Senior support,not a replacement team
Your team keeps day-to-day delivery and line management. We take on a small number of teams at a time, so each gets real attention.
Good fit if
You have one to four designers and no senior design lead, or a lead who’s stretched too thin. You have one product initiative that matters right now, and a sponsor who can make decisions.
Not a fit if
You need screens designed hands-on; see Complex Workflow Design. You’re looking for a full-time Head of Design, or you don’t have a designer on the team yet.
Larger teams
More than four designers? We can focus on one squad or initiative, or on your design leads. We’ll agree the shape in the first conversation.
Experience behind the work
Leadership experiencebehind the service
Marian Cozma has line-managed and mentored designers in banking and consultancy, helped set up review processes for growing teams, and was named a Top 50 mentor on ADPList.
“His reviews covered not just visual consistency, but interaction logic, edge cases, and long-term maintainability.”
Further reading: Fractional design lead or Head of Design: which do you need?
Getting started
Tell us aboutyour team
How many designers you have, the initiative that matters most right now, and who sponsors design decisions.
Discuss your teamRhythm, scope and start date agreed in writing before we begin.
What we need from you
- A product sponsor: a founder, CPO or head of product.
- A team able to act on feedback.
- Access to your design work and constraints.
- One primary initiative to focus on.
How much of your time do we get?
A weekly 60-minute review, written feedback within one working day, and two one-to-ones per designer each month, plus the kick-off and recap. The exact rhythm is agreed up front.
Do you design screens?
Not in this service. Your designers own the work; we help them make better decisions. Hands-on design is Complex Workflow Design.
Can we continue after the first month?
Yes. Each month ends with a recap and a recommendation to continue, adjust or stop. There’s no minimum term beyond the current month.