Design Leadership.
Without the Full-Time Hire.
Most startups invest early in product and engineering leadership — but wait too long to add design leadership. That gap leads to missed opportunities, scattered user experience, and costly rework.
The Design Rodeo’s Design Leader On Demand gives you access to a seasoned design leader — when you need it, without the commitment of a full-time hire.
Why this matters
Design is more than aesthetics — it’s how strategy turns into customer experience. Without leadership, design teams drift into delivery mode, and organizations lose sight of the bigger picture.
A fractional design executive provides:
Vision and strategy alignment
Team coaching and mentorship
Design maturity assessment and process building
Executive stakeholder guidance
Hiring and org design support
Expertise
About Lisa Garel
With 15+ years in design and over a decade in leadership, I’ve built, scaled, and coached design teams at organizations like Zillow, eBay, Lululemon, and LTK.
Highlights:
Provided strategic alignment to teams of up to 150+ people
Established career ladders, compensation frameworks, and design ops for ROI
Aligned leadership teams around mission and vision for long-term success
Adjunct professor at UC Berkeley, and founder of The Design Rodeo
Strategic Leadership
Design operations & efficiency strategy
Mission + vision alignment
Stakeholder relationship building
Research integration for better decisions
ROI planning and financial modeling
Tactical Fluency
Figma & FigJam mastery
Design systems, wireframes, prototyping
Visual design and content mapping
Leading workshops & design sprints
Design Leadership on Demand
-
Light Retainer
Investment: $3,500/month
Time Commitment: ~6–8 hours/month
Includes: Advisory calls, async support, and high-level strategy -
Growth Retainer
Investment: $6,500/month
Time commitment: 12–15 hours/month
Includes: Strategy leadership, team mentoring, recurring meetings -
Executive Retainer
Investment: $9,500/month
Time commitment: 20–25 hours/month
Includes: Deep engagement with leadership, design ops, and stakeholder management
Other packages
-
Quick Wins
Half-Day Workshop
A focused, high-energy session to kickstart alignment, solve a nagging issue, or introduce a new way of working.
Popular formats: Design Jam, Process Tune-Up, Vision Workshop
Investment: $2,000
-
Deep Dive
2–3 Day Engagement
An immersive program designed to surface blockers, unlock collaboration, and embed new practices. We combine multiple workshops, strategic audits, and team coaching to get your team unstuck and moving with purpose.
Popular topics: Design Process Intensives, User Insights Bootcamp, Strategy Alignment
Investment: $4,000 – $6,000
Thought Leadership
Author of Principles of Agile UX
Author of Business Acumen for Designers
Host of The Design Rodeo Podcast