A career is a niche too.
You choose it to make money on a topic that interested you.
Picking a profitable one is as important aligning with one that first your energy too.
Non-designers have multiple career options too.
Like I said in Part 1, a non-designer isn’t just someone that’s untrained or a non-professional (someone who doesn’t earn from it).
This niche has evolved so much. It’s established itself across multiple industries and legitimized itself as a description rather title that opens the door for so many career pivots.
Why?
Because it has allowed people with transferable skills to embody roles for which there was no apt title or definition before.
It’s basically allowed for professionally trained designers – who no longer wish to be concerned with visuals, but still love to talk about design or be involved with it to some degree – to pivot to roles and remits that give them the freedom of expression or the ability to perform jobs they never knew existed.
There’s a niche for every non-designer
Multiple industries require various areas of specialisations, all requiring people with either a background in design, a flair for it, a general interest in it or an aspirational one.
It doesn’t matter which one it is, if you are tasked to create visual or verbal communication, concept, strategise and design a product, you’re a non-designer.
Designers think up stuff and then build it.
Non-designers do the same, except they might not have the professional training.
All you need to know is that it is concerned with strategy, concepting and building a product (or tangible thing) that serves a purpose, ie. to educate, communicate, or enhance someone’s experience of a process. And yes, a powerpoint presentation also counts as a product.
Design isn’t art. It’s two different things. We’re talking about a creativity that serves a different purpose. It’s business-related.
That’s why the career aspect of being a non-designer is as relevant as who this type of person is as well as what they do.
Where they are found (as previously discussed in Part 1) and in which direction this market is trending (as discussed in Part 2) is directly tied to how the non-designer, as a career, has evolved and is still going to.
Design industries for non-designers
But, what are non-designers doing in these industries?
For instance, if they’re not the motion designer, then what is their career or job description?
Let’s look at their actual roles.
As you’re reading this, see if you can spot the potential inside any of them. Think in a ‘niche-down’ kind of way.
Don’t just accept the broad title. Is there a niche baked into the title that isn’t obvious?
My point is, don’t try to squeeze yourself into an existing box.
Look for an overlooked gap – always! – and then fill it.
| Design Discipline | Description & Non-Designer Involvement |
|---|---|
| Graphic Design | Creation of visuals, branding, marketing materials using accessible tools like Canva. |
| UI/UX Design | User interface and experience design for apps/sites; non-designers use prototyping tools. |
| Web Design | Building and customizing websites using drag-and-drop platforms like Wix, Squarespace. |
| Social Media Design | Creating posts, stories, and ads tailored to social platforms, often without formal design. |
| Presentation Design | Designing slides and visual presentations in PowerPoint, Google Slides by non-professionals. |
| Interior Design | Non-experts using apps/tools for layout, furniture placement, and color schemes. |
| Product Design | Conceptualizing and prototyping physical or digital products via no-code or 3D tools. |
| Motion Graphics/Animation | Simple animations and video content creation using accessible platforms like Canva, TikTok. |
| Information Design/Infographics | Creating data visualizations and info graphics using user-friendly tools. |
| Fashion Design | Use of apps for custom fashion sketches, mood boards, and digital patterns. |
| Event Design | Planning and visualizing event spaces and themes using basic design apps or templates. |
| Packaging Design | Designing product packaging visuals with templates and design wizards. |
| Architectural Visualization | Use of basic 3D modeling tools for non-expert architectural renderings. |
| Environmental/Exhibition Design | DIY approaches to space layout and themed installations with accessible software. |
| Service Design | Visual mapping and workflow design carried out by business users with diagram tools. |
Sources
[1] Design Without Barriers: The Evolution of Accessibility in 2025 https://bjpds.com/design-without-barriers-the-evolution-of-accessibility-in-2025/
[2] The democratization of design: A conversation https://uizard.io/blog/democratizing-design-a-conversation/
[3] Towards the democratisation of design https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978920300500/pdf?md5=350745c2a74ada47d1588fbe57273d3a&pid=1-s2.0-S2351978920300500-main.pdf
Non-designer roles
Design Advocates and Facilitators
They are involved with promoting participatory design processes, facilitating collaboration between professional designers and users, and ensuring diverse voices are heard throughout projects. They guide non-designers’ involvement and maintain engagement and motivation. This role includes managing workshops, user forums, and idea generation sessions.1
Stakeholders and Decision Makers
Non-designers often serve as project sponsors, clients, or users who define requirements, set priorities, provide contextual knowledge, and make final decisions on design directions without hands-on design work. Their lived experience and domain expertise are critical. 4,1
Problem Formulators and Requirement Definers
They frame the right problems to be solved and articulate functional and business requirements. Their role influences what designers create by ensuring solutions are relevant and useful. 4
Co-Creators and Idea Contributors
In participatory or co-design processes, non-designers contribute ideas, proposals, feedback, and validation, enriching design with diverse perspectives though not necessarily creating physical design assets. 1
Quality Assurance and Testing Roles
Non-designers often participate in usability testing, accessibility evaluations, and quality assurance to ensure the design meets user needs and expectations. 8
Content Strategists and Communicators
They focus on messaging, tone, and storytelling in design projects. This may include developing content strategies that align with user understanding and brand goals.
Project Managers and Coordinators
Overseeing design projects without engaging in design execution, they manage timelines, budgets, stakeholder communications, and ensure alignment with strategic goals.
Design Conflict Mediators
They help resolve disagreements around design choices by balancing business, user, and technical needs, facilitating consensus without specialized design skills. 6
Educators and Trainers
Non-designers can educate other non-designers or end users on basic design principles, promoting design literacy and effective tool usage.
These roles highlight that non-designers play vital, diverse parts in shaping design outcomes, primarily through collaboration, decision-making, facilitation, and advocacy rather than hands-on design execution. 6, 8, 1,4
Sources
[1] Advocating for Participation in Design https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/250956/1/Article%20designers-non%20designers_postprint%20auteur.pdf
[2] Laura Carrick on building a career around the … https://creativelivesinprogress.com/articles/non-design-roles-in-creativity
[3] What Non-Design careers can a graphic designer … https://www.reddit.com/r/graphic_design/comments/rof8yg/what_nondesign_careers_can_a_graphic_designer/
[4] How Nondesigners Contribute to Designing the Right Things https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2020/07/how-nondesigners-contribute-to-designing-the-right-things.php
[5] Work at a company that is design-agnostic, not … https://blog.prototypr.io/work-at-a-company-that-is-design-agnostic-not-design-mature-6d13dd9da640
[6] Handling Design Conflict as a Non-Designer | Marvel Blog https://marvelapp.com/blog/handling-design-conflict-as-a-non-designer/
[7] Why we never hired a designer. Part 1 https://uxplanet.org/why-we-never-hired-a-designer-40ee7b2d17a3
[8] The UX Design Process Explained in Simple Terms | Blog https://gojilabs.com/blog/the-ux-design-process-everything-a-non-designer-needs-to-know/
[9] Recognizing non-designers’ contribution in the process of … https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/design-science/article/recognizing-nondesigners-contribution-in-the-process-of-designing-information-on-visual-management-boards-a-metaphorical-approach
Strategic roles for non-designers
Strategic non-designer roles in product and service design are critical to bridging the gap between user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility, without necessarily engaging in direct design execution. These roles focus on collaboration, strategy, facilitation, and decision-making to ensure designs are user-centered and business-viable.
Product Owner / Business Stakeholder
Defines the vision, goals, and priorities of the product or service, aligning design efforts with business strategy and customer needs. They provide essential domain expertise, validate solutions, and make decisions on feature acceptance. 2
Service Designer Facilitator
Guides the holistic design of services, ensuring alignment between user experience, business objectives, and operational realities. They act as translators among stakeholders and bring qualitative user insights to inform design choices while fostering collaboration across teams. 5,2
User Researcher / Data Analyst
Collects and interprets user data and feedback to identify real problems and opportunities. They frame the right questions and inform iterative design improvements with evidence-based insights, enabling strategic decision-making. 2
Project Manager / Coordinator
Oversees timelines, resources, communication, and cross-functional collaboration, ensuring the design process stays aligned with strategic goals and delivers value on schedule and budget.
Customer Experience (CX) Strategist
Focuses on optimizing the overall customer journey and experience touchpoints. They use business data and user feedback to develop strategies that enhance satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy, linking design impact to financial outcomes. 3
Business Analyst
Translates user needs and business goals into functional requirements and success metrics. They help ensure the technical feasibility and viability of design concepts within operational constraints. 2
Design Advocate / Stakeholder Liaison
Facilitates communication between design teams and other business units or clients, advocating for design thinking across the organization and helping align diverse perspectives to a shared strategic vision. 8,2
Quality Assurance / User Testing Facilitator
Coordinates usability and acceptance testing to validate designs against user needs and business objectives, ensuring high-quality outcomes and continuous iteration.
These strategic roles emphasize collaboration, evidence-driven iteration, and balancing the needs of users, business, and technology rather than hands-on design craftsmanship. They are pivotal in driving product and service innovations that are both user-centered and aligned with organizational goals. 1, 3, 5,2
Sources
[1] What is strategic design? A guide to your business success https://www.future-processing.com/blog/strategic-design/
[2] Service design roles and responsibilities | Wunder https://wunder.io/insights/service-design-roles-and-responsibilities
[3] Service Design and Product Management https://www.service-design-network.org/touchpoint/bridging-disciplines-service-design-and-product-management
[4] Service Design vs. Product Design: Differences and … https://aguayo.co/en/blog-aguayo-user-experience/service-design-vs-product-design/
[5] Service Design – Design is Not Just for Products | IxDF https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/service-design-design-is-not-just-for-products
[6] Service Design Is More Than a Job Title—It’s a Mindset https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/service-design-more-than-job-titleits-mindset-daniel-tuitt-amtye
[7] What Is Product and Service Design in Operations … https://insight7.io/what-is-product-and-service-design-in-operations-management/
[8] Advocating for Participation in Design https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/250956/1/Article%20designers-non%20designers_postprint%20auteur.pdf
Career trajectory for non-designers 2025-2026
Here is a table illustrating the current and projected career trajectory of non-designers in relation to visual design roles and more strategic/innovation roles going into 2026, based on recent data and trends:
| Career Focus | 2025 Stats | 2026 Outlook | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Designers Doing Visual Design | ~50-60% of non-designers create visual content | Similar or slightly increasing due to DIY trends | Many entrepreneurs, marketers, and professionals create visuals using tools like Canva and PowerPoint without formal training |
| Non-Designers in Strategy & Innovation Roles | Growing portion (est. 20-30%) in roles emphasizing strategy, innovation, and creative problem-solving | Expected to grow as companies value creative thinking beyond aesthetics | Roles such as innovation managers and creative strategists focus on storytelling, ideation, and business impact rather than technical design |
| Freelance/ Entrepreneurial Creators | Increasing blend of design and business strategy skills | Continued growth, with more hybrid roles and entrepreneurship | Solopreneurs often combine visual design and strategic business roles |
| Progression Challenges for Non-Designers | Difficulty moving into formal design roles due to lack of formal training | More accessible through online learning and tool innovations | Growth of no-code design tools and learning resources aids skill development |
Nonlinear career paths have been trending for a while now. It’s all about skill diversification – a lot of it is happening ‘thanks’ to transferable skills.
Creativity is being applied to business challenges rather than purely making visuals.
Non-designers in particular blend creativity with strategy and digital skills to become agile and relevant in fast-evolving work environments, especially remote ones.
Sources
How Non-Designers are Creating Their Own Brands https://www.adobe.com/express/how-non-designers-create-their-own-brands
Redefining Career Growth With Nonlinear Paths https://www.hrvisionevent.com/content-hub/redefining-career-growth-with-nonlinear-paths/
Unlock Creative Jobs That Don’t Require a Design Degree https://www.poozle.io/blog/creative-jobs-that-dont-require-a-design-degree
Designing is Imperative for Non-Designers https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/designing-imperative-non-designers-trevor-mclemore
How to Build a Creative Career in 2026 (Even If You’re Just Starting) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/designing-imperative-non-designers-trevor-mclemore
17 :: 5 Non-Traditional Innovation Roles https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/17-5-non-traditional-innovation-roles-sara-aguiar–7dyff
In-Demand Design Thinking Roles: Best Career Paths https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/17-5-non-traditional-innovation-roles-sara-aguiar–7dyff
Conclusion – choosing non-designer or pivoting to it later
Just because you’re a non-designer doesn’t mean you can’t pivot to actual designer.
Anything is possible, it all depends on what you want. Not what you need to do. The ‘need to do’ is practical matters. The ‘want to’ should be a motivating factor as well as a strategic one.
Being or becoming a non-designer is an amazing way to pivot from a pro designer role into one that could expose you to more strategic thinking.
Similarly, the role will expose you to professional design on a daily basis making it the perfect arena for learning more – and learning to think critically about – design itself. That experience will make it easy to pivot to professional designer roles, even without formal training.
Nothing compares to real-life studio experience or client-designer collaboration.
Formalization has it’s place, but if it’s not for you or your circumstances don’t allow for it, let it be ‘okay’. There’s enough work to go around, trust me. There’s no scarcity.
Think in systems.
Or learn to think in niches and sub-niches.
Careers are just like businesses, so treat it like one. If you don’t, it becomes a paid hobby.
So, was there a job description in the lists above that you can see yourself doing?
Any industry you’ve fantasized about working in?
Drop a comment below, I’d be interested to know more about your journey as a non-designer or designer wishing to pivot.
I’m also building Niche Career Lab, it’s still at concept stage, but I’m interested to hear your ideas on what this hub could include besides the obvious.
Any topics you think readers might need to know more about?
I’d be happy to do the research and analysis for you. If anything comes to mind, me know in the comments below.
If you missed Part 1 and Part 2 of the Non-designer analysis, read it now.
Of if you liked this article, you’ll also love this one.
Disclosure: While this publication uses AI tools for data collection and analysis support, the research questions, hypotheses, and core insights are the human author’s original work. AI assists with information processing, but all conceptual thinking, interpretation, and conclusions reflect the human editor’s and human writer’s professional expertise.
