When I first picked up Marzia Aricò’s recent book Design Leadership Chronicles, I was intrigued by its unique format—a graphic novel exploring design leadership through case studies. As someone familiar with Marzia’s work in journey management (she’s the creator of the A.V.O.C. framework for journey management and holds a PhD in the field), I was curious to see how she’d translate complex leadership topics into a visual narrative. Spoiler: it works surprisingly well.
The case studies are accessible and cover a range of topics relevant to design leadership, such as journey management, service design, managaging stakeholders or building in-house design teams. Some stories especially in the beginning of the book follow a straightforward narrative where initiatives or transformations seem to succeed more or less right away. While these were enjoyable, I found myself gravitating more toward the stories with deeper layers—the ones that delved into the design leaders’ career paths, the roadblocks they faced, and how they navigated them. These felt more relatable and offered richer lessons. After all, in my experience, the real challenge for design leaders isn’t the expertise—it’s getting buy-in, accessing the right stakeholders, and convincing management to embrace a customer-centric perspective. I would have loved to see even more of these nuanced struggles explored.
The book features nine case studies, each told through the lens of a design leader at a well-known organization. The stories are grouped into themes like Making Sense of the Status Quo, Seeking Change, and Envisioning Alternative Futures. The graphic novel format was a refreshing change from the usual text-heavy leadership books. Though I haven’t read a comic since my Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck days, I quickly found myself immersed in the storytelling.
I think this book is a fantastic resource for designers transitioning into leadership roles or those planning to do so. It provides a clear picture of how strategic design leadership can play out in real-world scenarios and introduces practical tools and approaches to try in your own organization. Even seasoned leaders will find fresh ideas. For me it was the “Mountain Method” described in the Adidas case study. It provides a metaphor and a way to break down your large scale plans (the mountains) into doable first milestones to address and only try to get buy-in for these little steps also from your stakeholders instead of a huge transformation project.
The book’s digestible format makes it a great addition to any design team’s library. Each case study is perfect for a quick read during a break or over the weekend. It could also spark some great team discussions. And let’s not forget—it makes an excellent gift for your design leader friends.
Now, for my one critique: the cover. When buying the book, I assumed Marzia had illustrated the book herself. After all, the cover prominently features her name alongside John Maeda’s (who wrote the foreword) and it is not too far-fetched to think that a designer could have a passion for illustration. It wasn’t until I flipped to the back that I discovered it was illustrated by the artists Elena Mistrello, Gustavo Cañete, and Iris Biasio. Given how integral their work is to the book’s identity (it is a graphic novel, after all), I felt their names deserved a spot on the cover. It’s a small detail, but one that stood out to me.
Marzia Aricò has created something truly unique with this book. By blending the graphic novel format with design leadership insights, she’s turned what could have been a dry blog post into a vibrant, engaging read. It’s a valuable addition to the design leadership field and it shows the power of creative storytelling. Visit book page.
Images by Katharina Koberdamm
Hi, I’m Katharina Koberdamm, Design Consultant and Coach. I created the Design Leadership Framework to empower design leaders to become more strategic, build a strong design function, and drive impactful change. In this blog I share my thoughts and insights from my research and coaching practice. You can find me on LinkedIn.