Designers are struggling more than they admit (so I wrote a book)

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the design industry is going through its hardest chapter / this book is meant to help you through it.

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Let's be honest about where we are.

Design conferences are getting cancelled due to lack of interest. Job postings have dropped 70% from their 2022 peaks. Roles that felt secure for a decade are being restructured, merged, or quietly eliminated. AI is compressing timelines, reshaping workflows, and forcing every one of us to ask hard questions about what we're for.

Half the designers I talk to are excited about the future. The other half are somewhere between anxious and exhausted. Most of us are both, depending on the day. Figma’s State of the Designer report confirms this split.

And underneath all the industry conversations about tools and skills and what's next, there's something quieter and more human going on: people are burned out, scared, doubting themselves, wondering if they chose the right career, and trying to hold it all together while the ground keeps shifting.

I wrote a book for that feeling.

And I already collected posts from Linkedin and Instagram from people that feel touched and understood by it. 🥹 Three people cried.

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It's called Surviving Design and it's now on Amazon worldwide. And here's some of what's inside: because I want this to be useful to you even if you never buy it.

Burnout is not a personal failure. It's a systemic design flaw; what happens when the environment takes more than it gives, consistently, over time. Most design environments are not designed for sustainable human output. Recognizing that is the first step to protecting yourself.

Imposter syndrome doesn't go away with seniority. When Lovable invited me to speak to their design team, my first answer was "NO, what could I possibly say to the people building the last piece of software?" Me, after SXSW and TED AI; it never leaves.

Your career is not a ladder, it's a landscape. There is no junior → senior → lead → director path anymore. There are pivots born from burnout, opportunities born from saying yes to things you're not ready for, and entire chapters that only make sense in retrospect. The linear progression is a myth, and letting go of it is freedom.

Layoffs are a real industry wound. 52% of laid-off designers in recent studies held senior or lead positions. Seniority doesn't protect you. And surviving a layoff isn't just about the next job, it's about rebuilding your sense of self after being told you're no longer needed.

The best career move you can make is understanding yourself. I spent the first five years trying to become the designer the industry wanted. I spent the next five figuring out who I actually was. The second half was harder and more important.

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This book is 10 years in design and 10 years in therapy, alchemized into something you can hold in your hands. It covers burnout, imposter syndrome, AI-anxiety, layoffs, parenthood in hustle culture, going solo, and the search for meaning when the industry feels like it's falling apart and rebuilding at the same time.

It's not a design manual. It's a companion. For anyone navigating this moment while also being human, fragile, creative, and a bit lost.

I wrote it because I needed it and it didn't exist. I hope it helps.

*and it also comes with a link to a Miro board where you can do career orientation + clarity-building exercises. 💛

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Get the book from Amazon over here.

And if you get it, tag me, DM me, leave a review. It all matters when you're an independent author. And if this newsletter alone was useful today, share it with someone in the industry who might need it ❤️‍🔥

AI & Design Love,

hugs hugs,

Ioana 🪩

/ soft machines