Taking on self-doubt and insecurity as a designer

The design community is amazing, right? Go on Twitter/X and you will find incredibly talented, resourceful and inspiring designers doing their thing, pushing boundaries, setting trends and paradigms that sweep industries. There is so much to be said about sharing great work, great wins and having great people leading the way in some of the most influential companies around the world.

There is, however, another thread woven into being a designer, and it’s something we don’t really talk about as a community. So many of us go through it, most of us are wrestling with it all week, and yet you would be hard pressed to go find conversations where it’s openly talked about. But it’s the idea of self-doubt and the battle with insecurity that I really want to dive into today. I want to peel back the curtain on this challenging side of being a designer, tell some stories about my first hand experiences and the learnings I have gained along the way.

It can be hard to quantify and categorise the scenarios in which self-doubt can arise. Simply put it will be a combination of the challenges you face and the state of your subconscious when you face them. It can sprout from something as simple as a conversation, or as jarring as being let go. However, I have always found that regardless the scale or importance of the event, it always tends to trigger the same thoughts and feeling, and some incantation of these questions:

Am I good enough? Do I deserve this? What if I had done something differently?

What I find interesting is that these heavy thoughts will show up all throughout your career. Sometimes they weigh a lot, sometimes they weigh less, but every now and then you have to carry them.

No matter the battle scars, or your level of success, taking an L on something you care about tends to mean these difficult thoughts are getting catapulted your way. You will have to deal with them one way or another, because if you don’t you can be sure that they will start knocking over anything not nailed down. Including that delicate and ornate Ming vase titled ‘self-worth’. Yeah, it gets really messy.

Just like any type of imposter syndrome, the questions that flood our subconscious can have this innate ability to drag us down and bury us. What starts off as an innocent fleeting thought, starts to snowball into this giant orb of static, seeping into everything we do and every decision we try to make. Within design it may manifest as losing your instinctive design drive, or perhaps thinking that you aren’t good enough to pitch for a job or apply for a role. Sometimes it stops you from sharing work altogether. The fear of failing becomes stronger than the drive to seek innovation or goals.

But what if it didn’t? What if our response to these questions could be something that drives us and fills us with energy? Something that gives us the motivation to grow and get better. What if we could redirect the inertia of those anchor like thoughts, turn them around and ride them up the mountain?

Getting in the ring with self-doubt

I have been a designer for 12 years and worn many, many hats in that time. I’ve owned two design agencies, worked in three different product teams and more recently consulted directly for some really wonderful companies. As a conservative estimate, I’d say I’ve faced rejection about 50 bajillion times. Some rolled off my back, I dusted myself off, took my learnings from it and went on with my day. On other occasions some really set me back, and hurt my ability to be a good designer and a fulfilled, happy human.

A couple years ago I was working in a small team on the design for a brand new product. For the first couple months I was the most senior designer, and was the effective design lead. I had structured the initial design systems, design direction, prototypes and took care of all the cross-functional stuff. Then one day it turned out we had hired a staff designer, who would immediately become the most senior designer and took over leading. As time went on I really struggled to adapt to this change, it sent me spiralling in a way I had never experienced before. Right on cue, I was encumbered with those heavy, negative thoughts and struggling.

Over the next 6 months I battled with intense anxiety, thoughts I wasn’t doing a good job, wasn’t improving fast enough and wasn’t as good as this new guy. As these feelings spread, I began to get destabilised by other ideas that I was unfulfilled, had fallen out of love with being a product designer and that I didn’t really care about the job anyway. I lost my enjoyment, motivation and desire to contribute because of the way I handled rejection.

I will concede this is quite an extreme reaction to have, but it stemmed from a mostly typical situation that unfolds within a design function all the time. It took me a long time (and plenty of therapy sessions) to understand where that reaction came from. It’s a story I wanted to tell you because it almost derailed my career and the way I reacted came about because of how I framed the experience.

What does it mean to frame an experience?

The story you tell yourself largely dictates the experience you have, that is particularly true when it comes to situations where we don’t get the results we wanted. The story I originally told myself was one that limited my ability to grow from it. I had boxed myself into a way of thinking that meant the place I was at as a designer was one that I couldn’t get out of, it was static, finite.

Eventually what changed was the realisation about the narrative I’d crafted around the situation. I was filling in too many blanks, whilst looking through the lens of inadequacy. If you weren’t aware; this was a self-sabotaging, nightmare one-two punch.

To be totally transparent it took therapy and career counselling sessions to really unpack what had happened. Over time I was able to see things in a different light and learned helpful ways in which reframe the whole situation. I took myself back to that day and chose to rewrite the narrative to one that drove me towards a positive outcome and towards growth.

How I used reframing to create a positive story

• I’m getting replaced because I am not good enough → My role is changing, the team is growing and the project is important enough to require an even more senior designer
• This guy is going to come in and force his way of thinking on us all → I am going to learn about how another talented designer thinks and approaches projects. I will have opportunities to debate design choices with another great designer.
• I don’t like sharing the design responsibilities as second fiddle → I want to be the best designer in the room, to do that I have to learn and improve.
• These are my weak spots, ignore them → These are my weak spots, I can improve on them.

Life only really makes sense in retrospect, so when I look back at what happened it’s clear the mistakes I made in how I approached things. Whilst it is important to be able to reflect and learn on things afterwards, I feel it’s just as important to be able to make positive decisions when you’re in the fray, in the middle of it all.

What to take from all this

I can hear you saying ‘cool story bro, but how does this help me?’

Well, as designers we are always looking at how we can build on our technical skill sets, get more productive, grow our understanding of frameworks, guidelines and laws. Check X and the community is looking to solve for the hard skills that allow us to apply our creativity in different mediums. Whilst these skills are fundamental and undoubtedly crucial to the craft, it’s important not to conflate an ability to re-create design trends with being a great designer. Often we forget, or straight up don’t know, about the gains that can be made through the mental aspect and things like mindfulness and improving our self-awareness.

In my case I instinctively started clambering for ways to improve my technical skills. How could I improve my ability to wireframe or prototype? What were the latest design system frameworks? What productivity hacks could I jam into my workflow? I tried to design my way out of a paper bag and, in the end, none of these skills were what I needed at the time.

What I learned was that by working on my self-awareness, I became capable of intentionally managing my reactions. With this new cognisance it became easier for me to identify the negative stories I told myself about something. I could then reframe and spin a positive story, one which provided value and an opportunity to grow.

Doing something with it

Let’s think about some practical advice then, taking what I have learned and applying it to something more concrete that you can use.

Don’t react immediately.

When we receive any kind of feedback it’s so important not to react straight away. Take a few moments just to read it at face value, don’t infer anything, don’t assume anything, don’t imagine anything. The words you have in front of you are where it starts and ends, there’s nothing else. When you give yourself time it allows you to stay purely about the facts. It allows the frame to remain neutral and then, when you are ready, you are able to respond without any emotional or subconscious blinkers on.

Think about the frame, try to keep it positive.

Self-awareness is something you have to practice all the time. Whenever anything happens your brain starts to paint a picture about the narrative. The sentiment often gets based on assumptions or just how you’re feeling that day. Try to remember that it’s you that’s in control of the frame, stick just to the facts and look for opportunities. Remember: the story you tell yourself about something, is largely the experience you are going to have. If you tell yourself that you aren’t good enough, that’s what you’ll end up believing. Try to be aware of when you might be adding your own colour to an incomplete story. It isn’t helpful and more often than not we’re way, way off the facts.

Know that there is always a way to learn

As shit as situations can be, and they for sure can feel quite shit, there will be some value to take from it. It’s not always immediately evident, but just being open to the idea puts you ahead.

Honest reflection is one of the best ways to grow

Make a habit of reflecting on events, projects, pitches, whatever. It gives you an opportunity to zoom out and critique your approach a bit. Think about what went well, what didn’t go well, what you want to do more of and what you want to do less of. This is great for accountability and sustained growth.

We are all deluded in some way, choose a delusion that’s helpful

We all have some story we tell ourselves about how things will pan out, no one has a crystal ball, it’s all just guesswork. If you’re going to believe anything, at least believe something that’s helpful to you. Why not believe that you’ll become the greatest, most famous, most hirable designer if it helps you strive for more?

Now it’s up to you

As we navigate the design landscape, rejection is an inevitable part of your career. Rejection can be destabilising, but it’s important to remind yourself that within each rejection lies an opportunity for growth — and I really mean that. Take a moment to reflect, reframe, and redirect the narrative. Design is not just about pixels and prototypes; it’s about the stories we tell, to our peers, our users and ourselves. So, when faced with rejection, tell yourself the story that pushes you forward. Your journey is uniquely yours — embrace the rejection, learn from it, and let it be the chip in your coffee cup that adds depth, character and beauty to your evolving masterpiece.

Consider sharing this article if you found it useful, or drop me a message on X and let’s try to keep the conversation going.