The Method
How the Index decides who leads design in the AI era — and why you can trust the order.
Balance, not spikes — and people, not just output.
Most “best designer” lists rank reach or follower count. This one ranks balance: whether a leader carries the business, holds the craft bar, and grows the people around them — at once.
And it takes a side on AI. The leaders who rise here use AI to elevate the people they lead, not to explain why they need fewer of them. A leader who sheds the team to look efficient doesn't climb — the rubric is built to stop that.
CCBEI — five dimensions.
No spiking one strength to cover a gap
A leader has to clear a bar across the fundamentals — drop too low on one and the score is capped. A spiky 10·10·2 can't outrank a balanced 7·7·7.
The elevate-vs-hollow test: “innovation” that replaces craft or sheds the team is scored low, not high. AI adoption only counts when it lifts people.
75% editorial judgment, 25% verified peers.
The community half can lift a leader within the rubric — it can't override the floor. The rank recomputes on a cadence, so no single endorsement moves the list.
Hands-on with the shift — building, leading, or moving orgs through it.
You're here if you're hands-on doing with AI, hands-on leading with AI, or moving an organization through the transition. Senior ICs who lead through influence — publishing, setting the craft bar, mentoring — count; titles are deflating while the work isn't.
AI naysayers and trope-repeaters aren't included — unless they've had a bigger, lasting impact on design that earns the seat. A separate design-adjacent track credits people influential for design who lead from outside the discipline.
Endorse and add a story — from verified peers, kept honest.
Endorse
Pick what you rate someone for, by dimension. Positive only — no downvotes. Capped (a few a month) and bound to a verified identity, so it's prioritization, not a popularity poll.
Add a story
A first-hand account of how a leader helped you — the direct evidence behind the score. Reviewed before it publishes.
Only verified peers (one tap with LinkedIn) move the score — that's what makes “142 peers endorsed” mean something rather than a bot poll. Your name stays private; we show role and industry. An AI moderator screens every submission instantly; anything borderline goes to a human.