There was a time when specialization in a particular area was highly valued and rewarded, and to this day, there is still a critical need for experts in certain fields, such as AI development, medical research, and cybersecurity. However, outside of these highly specialized areas, the demand for generalists—professionals equipped with skills across multiple domains—is on the rise. For instance, a marketer needs to understand human psychology to craft compelling campaigns, or a branding expert must be familiar with digital marketing strategies to succeed in the modern landscape. The ability to adapt and learn beyond one’s core domain has become essential. Without this, people risk becoming obsolete in an ever-evolving world.

Take startup founders as an example. They need to juggle sales, marketing, coding, product strategy, and more. This skillset either comes from experience or is learned on the job. To succeed, they must either do everything themselves or hire specialists. However, by learning these adjacent skills, they improve collaboration, increase efficiency, boost decision-making quality, and foster innovation. For product designers, this holds true as well. Their role has expanded from merely focusing on design and craft to becoming a collaborator across various disciplines. Today’s designers work not just with users but also with business stakeholders and engineering teams, ensuring every aspect of a product is thoughtfully crafted and executed.

In the future, I envision two broad categories of designers:

1. Design Generalist

2. Design Specialist

However, both types will likely be "T-shaped" professionals—individuals with deep expertise in one area and a broad understanding of several other areas. Of course, this is purely my opinion, and I’m open to insights and discussions.

Design Generalist – The Functional Designer

A design generalist is someone who can work across multiple verticals or domains. Simply put, they can manage either immediate adjacent skills or skills that are further afield. The benefits of being a design generalist include:

1. Fast iterations – Bringing ideas to life rapidly.

2. Cross-functional collaboration – Working seamlessly with different teams.

3. Holistic understanding – Seeing the bigger picture in terms of user experience, business needs, and technical feasibility.

4. Efficiency – Delivering solutions that take into account various aspects of the product.

5. Adaptability – Being flexible enough to tackle a wide range of challenges.

This set of designers excels in quick prototyping, validating ideas with users, shipping features rapidly, and eventually becoming more functional in their approach to design. Functional designers take on a more holistic role, ensuring that design decisions are well-integrated across the product lifecycle and aligned with business objectives.

The Shift from UI/UX to Product Design

In the past, UI and UX designers were often separate roles. While they still exist today, many companies now combine them into one role—UI/UX Designer or Digital Product Designer. This shift reflects the merging of skillsets. Without realizing it, we’ve already taken the first step toward a more generalist approach. Moving forward, designers should upskill in adjacent areas. For example, if I’m a Product Designer, I’ll focus on adjacent skills like user research, prototyping, data-driven design, and design systems. These are essential to advancing in today’s design world.

Of course, it’s important to choose skills that align with your capabilities and interests. Not every adjacent skill is necessary—if you don’t enjoy creating or maintaining design systems, it doesn’t have to be your focus. The key is to work on areas that excite you. After all, if you’re not passionate about a certain skill, it will show in your work. Designers are increasingly solving complex problems, helping both users and businesses by directly shaping design decisions.

Design Engineer

A design engineer is a designer with a strong understanding of front-end code. They are proficient in languages such as HTML, CSS (whether vanilla or frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind), and JavaScript, with expertise in tools like Svelte or React. Design engineers primarily focus on web design, ensuring that design decisions are functional and feasible. They collaborate closely with backend developers to make web applications work seamlessly. Additionally, design engineers often work on improving performance, accessibility, and user experience, making sure that the design they create doesn’t just look good but also functions flawlessly.

Design Generalist

A design generalist may also have adjacent skills like product management or business analysis. These designers can collaborate effectively across multiple verticals, leveraging their multi-skill sets to bring together the best solutions. Generalists are able to see both the forest and the trees—they understand the granular details while never losing sight of the bigger picture.

Design with No-Code

A no-code designer is one who bridges the gap between design and development without writing code. Using tools like Webflow, Figma, and Bubble, they can build fully functional websites or applications without the need for extensive coding knowledge. This skill allows designers to quickly turn ideas into live products, making iteration and testing much faster.

Design Specialist – The Creative Visionary

While generalists play a critical role, design specialists bring a unique creative mindset to the table. They add immense value by helping companies differentiate themselves through innovative branding, a fresh approach to problem-solving, and a deep understanding of aesthetics and user psychology. For example, a specialist Product Designer might focus on motion, visual design, branding, and graphics. These specialists excel in crafting compelling, visually stunning designs that stand out in a competitive market. They help build a brand’s identity and create lasting impressions through unique interactions, animations, and aesthetic choices.

Product + Motion Designer

A Product + Motion Designer brings together the best of product design and animation. They are responsible for creating engaging, dynamic experiences that enhance the product's usability and delight users. Motion designers work on micro-interactions, animations, transitions, and visual storytelling to bring designs to life. By blending motion design with product strategy, they ensure that every interaction feels intuitive and engaging, adding a layer of depth to the user experience.

Product + Graphic Designer

A Product + Graphic Designer combines product design with strong graphic design skills, focusing on visual elements that convey brand identity and clarity. They are responsible for everything from UI elements to marketing collateral, ensuring that the product’s visual language is cohesive across all touchpoints. Their expertise in typography, color theory, and layout design helps create a visually compelling product experience.

Product + Brand Designer

A Product + Brand Designer focuses on building a brand’s visual and emotional identity within a product. They collaborate with marketing teams to ensure that the product reflects the brand’s values and voice. From logos to user interfaces, this designer ensures consistency in the brand's presence. Their goal is to create a strong connection between the product and its users through powerful visual storytelling.

This observation is entirely my own, and I understand that others may have different views. I might not be entirely accurate in predicting how the future will unfold, but I’m confident that collaboration will become more crucial than ever for designers. We’ll no longer be simply skilled practitioners—we’ll be key collaborators who help bridge the gaps between teams, users, and business goals.