It's assumed that a tech startup has a CEO and a CTO, but the title a designer co-founder would get is still a bit nebulous.

Creative Director and Lead Designer are common, and I wonder why we can't assume a C-level title for a designer co-founder the same way we do for technical co-founders. Thoughts? What was your title in your startup, what influenced the choice?

I invited a couple folks that I know are designer co-founders at startups, feel free to invite more or suggest them to me on Twitter.

Sha chimed in on Twitter:

Co-founder.

Do you suggest other partners would take on just "co-founder" as a title as well? We don't use titles in our site, but people outside the company are quick to assume them for Josh and Hursh. For example, somebody we don't know filled in our CrunchBase profile with CEO, CTO and Designer: crunchbase.com

I have always wondered this myself. A little history is in order first. I think it has a lot to do with the publishing and advertising world. Traditionally they were ran buy "business" people and the creative people were the lowest on the org chart. In the earlier years in adverting the writer would would create an ad then take it to creative to have them draw something pretty on it. This still holds true for publishers. The writers decide what everything should look like and the designers are essentially to work for them.

Now we have this new medium called the web and designers have more capabilities to express their self. Because of all of this we now are asking ourself why is there no fancy titles for designers.

Cemre: Yes. Also, yikes on the Crunchbase profile.

In a startup I prefer the title "Design Co-Founder". If I remember correctly @schlaf prefers or looks for startups with design co-founders (don't quote me on that). Beyond that I like the title Chief Design Officer. I think people are realizing that a designer is just as important as the technical person.

I'm with Kennedy on the "Design Co-Founder" title, if you've gotta have a title at all*. I was "Co-Founder and head of product" primarily because, well, "Interaction Design Co-Founder" is way too long, and difficult to explain for the uninitiated.

* I'm of the belief that no one on a team smaller than 10 needs a C-level title. If you're a Co-Founder, you're leading the team in some capacity, so "<$role> Co-Founder" works well. But that's me.

"It depends."

It sounds like there's a few good options here, but it really depends on the company culture. Some companies, even young startups, can totally get away with C-level titles on day 1. Others are completely flat and never use inflammatory titles, even at scale.

If you're a founder, say so. I think whatever the designer founder's title is, it should match the style of the others. Don't think about it too hard.

Technically I have several titles, Partner, Co-founder, President none of which I use on a business card nor do I personally identify with. For legal purposes I use what is on our incorporation documents.

My first question is do you really need a title?

If it's for the purposes of a Crunchbase profile call yourself whatever best encompasses your role which I agree with Co-Founder (Designer) or something like that.

Chief Creative Officer is a corp title and I agree with Ryan on the idea that small companies sound douchey with C level titles.

Under no circumstances should you use a ___ Ninja or Dream Engineer or Director of Fun type title. This is just asking to get punched.

In our case yes, it's precisely for things like a Crunchbase profile or a press article. When we assert we don't use titles, folks tend to make them up and assign them to us, that's why I feel like having a consistent answer for those settings is good.

The C-suite titles are a bit ridiculous. We use them when necessary — to check the boxes and appease the press. But really, to use the term Chief implies that the person is the greatest among many. We have 2 co-founders. Each of us are the only members on the team that do that specific job. I am not "Chief Design Officer", head of a platoon of designers. I am the only. Creative Director works because I am in charge of the creative direction of the company. I steer that ship, and everyone on a team this size contributes. Same goes for the other roles. We currently have no two people that are dedicated full time to the same job. I like titles that describe what I do.

That said, I love the word chief as a term of endearment. Thanks chief!

I agree with the ridiculousness of having C-level job titles as a small startup (I like Keenan's phrasing, "the only"). But you don't start a startup to stay 5 or 10 people. And as you grow, the job titles you take on are proxies for press, for your employees, for investors and customers on where and how you stand as a group.

If you start off as 5 and there is CEO, CTO, and Lead Designer what does that say when you bring in an outside COO? What happens at 50?

I'm not saying that everyone should call themselves a Chief Design Officer, or whatever, but that you should keep your titles in line with each other, and your responsibilities. Either you and your cofounders are all C-Level, or you are all Product Guy, Designer Founder, etc.

It depends on what's already been established; if you're a designer co-founder and your other co-founders are assuming CEO/CTO/CMO titles, you should insist on 'Chief Design Officer'. That said, as someone who has that title myself, I always just use "Design Co-Founder". C-level titles are nice for resumes and business cards, but always sound douchey in person...

Admittedly, there's a certain ridiculousness to having members of a small team refer to themselves as the 'Chief Officer' of their field when they're the only member of that field.

It does, however, send the subtle message that your intention is to grow into a larger company. It also means less throwaway business cards if your new designer wants a 'Lead Designer' title

Great points Sha and Bretton. I should probably have clarified in the first post that this is rather a legal / organizational question than a functional one. It's a good exercise to think about the growth of the company and the team.

Thanks everyone for all the responses!

+1 Ryan, John, Sha, & Bretton

Use consistent titles with your co-founders, if necessary even chief design officer, but then you got to live up to it.

Seems like as a community we should agree on these silly title things so they actually mean something to the external CrunchBase, press etc.

Although I invest in designers who are part of the founding teams of companies, personally I've found myself shying away from saying I'm a co-founder unless necessary because I want everyone in our community to feel/behave with ownership like they're founders too. Basically avoid creating hierarchy and alienating collaborators with titles. I also really like how Cameron has referred to designers as "partners" before, that seems to foster collaboration.

Head of Design is my title at Xero. I'm a co-founder, but that's not really relevant to the role.

It is relevant that my role goes across product, marketing, brand, and business strategy. I think Head of Design conveys the breadth & depth with the right amount of gravitas, in a nice simple way.

Agree with @enrique about the functional value of consistent labeling within the industry.

The distinction I am more interested in is between product design and the graphic design / client services industry I came from. I think product design is becoming as distinct a discipline as industrial design is from graphic design. That level of distinction will matter most in how it effects design education (institutional or self taught) and early career development for designers. The title acts to direct our focus as we mature the discipline. "Product design" is still a bland and ambiguous term but it's a useful one.

Titles have a few purposes:
1 - External communication of general role
2 - Internal communication of role & responsibilities
3 - help people orient themselves to their own work and feel a sense of pride and responsibility

Looks like we're talking about #1 here.
On #1, If you're in the position where you have real need a C-level title for anyone, you're treading in special waters. It might be necessary, but I'd avoid any made-up ones that don't have industry consistency. They come across as terribly bullshit-y. CEO is common. CDO is not, and quite simply it sounds lame. Designer Co-Founder or Design Co-Founder feel accurate and defensible.

#2, Start-ups don't have this need early on.
#3, Be proud of being a co-founder.

Great perspective, Randy. Thanks for chiming in.

Have a great labor day weekend, everyone!