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In the last decade, the buzz around design has captured global attention. People everywhere are increasingly interested in design and seem to recognize how it impacts nearly every facet of our lives. Popular culture also places a high value on design, yet the corporate C-suite too often walks a different path. Leading companies such as Apple, IBM, Nike, and PepsiCo have historically understood the transformative power of design. Recognizing that design is not just about aesthetics, theyve leaned on design as a business driver to differentiate their brand, create customer loyalty, and deliver market value. Apple is a perfect case study. Its rise from the early 2000s to become one of the worlds most valuable companies is often credited to its focus on beautiful products and intuitive interfaces, from the iPod to the iPhone, making design part of everyday conversation. For a time, organizations across industries seemed to understand design as a strategic advantage. But today, in an era marked by what Ive heard called a “design-cession, many companies seem to have lost track of this insight, marking design as a cost center to manage. Moreover, theres an alarming absence of designers at the highest levels of corporate decision making. Even in companies that claim to be design-led, or in the management consultancies who have gobbled up small to mid-sized innovation and branding agencies, we rarely see designers in the boardroom. I keep wondering, why not? And how do we fix this? The problem The obvious question is: Why are designers so underrepresented in places where key strategic decisions are being made? After all, design is not just about products, packaging, or digital platforms; its about creating innovative user experiences, improving services, and designing better ways of working within organizationstransforming the mundane into the extraordinary. In recent years, companies have grown increasingly risk-averse, unsure how to navigate an unpredictable future. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to take shortcuts to survive, particularly in areas deemed nonessential like design. Even as conditions stabilized, this mindset lingered, often leaving design excellence deprioritized. The rise of AI has further complicated the role of design in business and culture. While many companies now lean on artificial intelligence for speed and efficiency, human designers have been further pushed from the equation, despite that AI lacks the creativity and empathy to understand human needs unless guided by human input. At the same time, a troubling gap exists between business and design education, with little overlap in training or collaboration. All this to say, despite general awareness, consumer passion, and decades of telltale research showcasing how the intangibles of brand and design drive corporate value, too many companies now see design as a cost to work around rather than a key contributor to innovation and profitability. As Uli Becker, a friend and mentor of mine and the former CEO of Reebok said to a room full of design leaders recently: If you all dont do your jobs well, I have nothing to sell. The undervaluation of design is not only detrimental to business, but to our world as a whole. Good design relies on research to define problems, ideate solutions, prototype, and test. It serves as a valuable tool for addressing some of the worlds most complex challenges, from climate change to inequality. I firmly believe that design matters. The solution As an MBA who has spent most of her career at the intersection of business and design, I often ask myself where are all the designers? Despite consistent evidence showing that companies that embrace human-led design tend to outperform their competitors, why do business leaders still insist on seeing design as a soft skill versus the competitive advantage it is? In 2015, the Design Management Institute published a study with Microsoft, revealing that design-led companies outperformed the S&P 500 by an astonishing 211% over a 10-year period. In 2019, McKinsey released a report showing that design-driven companies saw an increase in both revenue and shareholder returns at nearly twice the rate of their industry peers. From this data, one clear fact emerges: Design is not only a differentiator; it is a critical driver of financial performance. So how can the worlds companies ensure they utilize the power of design? The answer is simple: Re/introduce designers into the boardroom. In the words of Beth Comstock, then SVP of GE, “What business needs now is design. What design needs now is making it about business.” Its a two-way problem and a holistic solution. Heres what needs to give: Companies need to invest in design. This means committing to the ongoing leadership training of designers across all levels, and providing learning and development opportunities to bring more designers into senior leadership roles. Designers need to learn and design schools need to teach business fundamentals. If designers of all levels could speak the language of businessROI, gross margin, net profit, market share, brand equity, etc.then perhaps their voices will be louder and more confident, their contributions taken more seriously, and their paths to the C-suite made more obvious. Public and private sector investments should be made in secondary and university education to nurture the next generation, to understand the value of good design and why it matters to all of us. It would that ensure young people will be more properly equipped to help solve tomorrows challenges. Meanwhile, business and design schools can partner to provide future leaders with hands-on experience. My alma mater, INSEAD (Singapore) did this with ArtCenter (Pasadena); while I may be biased, it was one of the best courses offered. Smart, future-focused companies understand the need for strategic design. It is neither a luxury nor a cost to cut. It is a core component of successful business strategy and contributor to the continuous improvement of human life. As we confront myriad present and future uncertainties, we need design to help us navigate complexity. Designers must have a seat at the decision-making table, but they must be equipped to speak the language of business to communicate clearly with those already there. Companies that embrace this paradigm and invest in design(ers) are the ones that will end up on topjust like they always have. This is a good outcome for us all, because in the end, design is an act of optimism. It creates something that looks forward and helps propel humanity towards tomorrow. And ultimately, isn’t that what life is all about? Lisa Gralnek is global head of sustainability and impact for iF Design, managing director of iF Design USA Inc., and creator/host of the podcast, FUTURE OF XYZ.
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E-Commerce
AI-generated models have now made their way into the hallowed pages of Vogue. In the August print edition of the magazine, a Guess advertisement features an almost-too-perfect model wearing a striped dress and a floral playsuit from the brands summer collection. In very small print, there’s a note saying that she was created using AI. While Vogue states the AI model was not an editorial decision, the fashion magazine has still faced considerable backlash online. Some critics have gone so far as to call it the downfall of Vogue. the downfall of vogue. their covers are trash. no creativity. and now using AI. https://t.co/BAyKAcUqB0 pic.twitter.com/8lgJZOFXWy— (@streetlightsdy) July 24, 2025 One X user posted: Had to end the Vogue magazine subscription Ive had for years because the latest magazine used AI models ??? In Vogue? AI models in Vogue? Had to end the Vogue magazine subscription Ive had for years because the latest magazine used AI models ??? In Vogue? AI models in Vogue? pic.twitter.com/vVZMiPEHkX— julius LORDE SUMMER (@WEBBYMCGEE) July 23, 2025 Although the AI-generated model appeared in an ad campaign rather than a fashion editorial, for many, thats beside the point. Note to publications doing things like this: It makes you look cheap and chintzy, lazy and hasty, desperate and struggling, another user wrote. Note to publications doing things like this: it makes you look cheap and chintzy, lazy and hasty, desperate and struggling. A successful enterprise has no need to do things like this; we need to reinforce these optics https://t.co/Zh5w5g8Gu4— Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse) July 24, 2025 This isnt the first time an AI model has appeared in Vogue. The June 2024 Vogue Portugal issue featured an AI-generated model on its cover, while the May 2023 edition of Vogue Italia used artificial intelligence to create the background of a cover featuring Bella Hadid. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in our daily lives and workflows, its now infiltrating both digital and analog media. Fast Company previously reported that one in three Gen Z consumers now makes purchasing decisions based on recommendations from AI-generated influencers, according to research from Whop, a marketplace for digital products. Could the same apply to AI-generated models? Seraphinne Vallora, the agency behind the ad, created the AI model after being approached by Paul Marciano, Guesss cofounder, via Instagram DMs. The company’s Instagram page, which has over 225,000 followers, features hundreds of similar AI-generated supermodelsall conforming to the same Eurocentric beauty standards, devoid of human flaws or unique features. The founders told the BBC that theyve attempted to feature more diverse models, but those posts failed to gain traction. (Fast Company has reached out to Vogue, Guess, and Seraphinne Vallora for comment.) As one X user wrote: As if beauty standards havent become unrealistic enough, now girls will be competing with and comparing themselves to women who arent even real. Incredible work, everyone.
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E-Commerce
In Silicon Valley, it seems that everyone’s aspiration is to “Be A Founder.” I chatted with Jon Westenberg, who thinks that most people should focus on building a small business instead of chasing the startup dream. Why do you think Silicon Valley culture encourages startups over small businesses? JW: Silicon Valley lives and breathes on VC money, and no fund is able to justify investment without the promise of a 100x return. I don’t have any real criticism of that process or system. The angle that I come from is that while every VC firm needs to be funding high growth companies, not every entrepreneur should be trying to build one. Do you think there are general differences entrepreneurs who aspire to be founders and those who want to be business owners? JW: I think founder is a title that people want because it has connotations, it has prestige and it has that “cool” factor. We’ve reached a point in entrepreneurship where startups are mainstream now. It’s like a reality TV singing contest. This is an example I use all the time. When you read about the wannabes who go on X Factor or Idol, they’ll always say that their life long dream is to be a singer. They never say their dream is to sing. And this is because what they really want is the success and the lifestyle and the glamour of being a singer. That’s why they’re jumping in front of a camera. If what they really wanted was to sing – they’d be out there every night playing gigs and building an audience and doing what they love. Even though you’d advise most people to focus on building a small business, are there any situations when you believe that they should pursue a startup instead? JW: I think if you want to achieve success in certain verticals, you can’t operate as a small business. Uber, for example, are a sticky growth company that needed huge levels of funding to build their user base among drivers and riders. Facebook, Twitter, Vine – platforms like that can’t grow as small businesses. So, the first thing you’d consider is whether or not the business needs to scale in order to succeed. JW: Starting a big, huge, fancy, sweating tech company isn’t the be-all and end-all, and choosing not to do that doesn’t make anyone stupid. In fact, going in the opposite direction is likely to make you happier, healthier, wealthier and a [lot] wiser. I don’t disagree that startups are the cause of a lot of heartbreak but you’ll have to walk us through what you mean by “it’ll make you happier.” JW: You Can Focus On Simplicity:You’re literally building something small, within clear limits and boundaries. There’s no giant pressure to add features, meaning you have the freedom to focus on the smaller things that matter deeply to you and your users. People Matter More: When you stay small, you can spend more time with the people who really matter in your business. A small business is about people. Keeping Things Personal Is Easier: I love seeing a personal touch in every business and every product. You can take the time to ensure that your users and customers are given a little magic every time. Small Doesn’t Mean Poor: Small means lower overheads, lower cash burn rate–and the chance to keep all profits within your own company and your own pocket. You Don’t Have To Stay Small Forever: If you do want to grow, you’ll have a much better chance of doing it from a position of power with a successful, profitable smaller company. If you’re just talking about being profitable enough that you don’t need investors, then that’s called bootstrapping. JW: I don’t think that necessarily captures it. To me, bootstrapping just means funding a company yourself. Starting a small business means funding a company, setting boundaries and limits, understanding your product or service and what you want it to accomplish and working to a plan of meeting your limits. If you do that, you’re not going to be a billionaire. But you could be a very happy millionaire. And to me, that’s a pretty good option. By Cynthia Than This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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E-Commerce
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