Trusted by design leaders who want a big advantage
Trying to explain the value of design is exhausting… if you're using the standard script.
You waste precious time chasing ideas that don’t move the needle.
You put everything on your shoulders to figure out alone.
You spend a lot of energy having the same arguments.
You struggle to know what is and isn’t working.
Your momentum stalls or (worse) dips.
You do more guessing vs. taking intentional actions.
And that leads to sleepless nights and constant overwhelm. I don't want that for you.
A playbook to sell ideas, manage up, gain buy-in, and increase design's impact.
Get the pragmatic, actionable strategies that worked at Apple, EA, and USAA.
13+
on-demand courses
150+
tools and templates
30+
step-by-step guides
200+
lessons
100+
hours of video content
20+
original frameworks
Designed for action, not likes and comments.
Skip the social media noise. Get straight to what works, with tools and frameworks that solve the day-to-day challenges you face. Distilled from decades of experience into practical, actionable steps.
Progress at your own pace - no rigid schedules.
CDO School fits into your schedule, not the availability of an instructor. Build your leadership skills in minutes a day, or go deep when you're ready – whenever works for you. No rigid schedules, no instructor deadlines, no firm dates – just progress at your own pace.
Ongoing, personalized guidance for your specific challenges.
Direct guidance from someone who's been in your shoes. The value of 1:1 coaching, made accessible and affordable.
Valued, and recommended by your peers
93%
student satisfaction
+100
recommendation score
“This is exactly what I needed and has all the things nobody tells you about. Ryan is such a thorough educator and I continue to revisit the material again and again.”
Head of Transformation, North America, Anomaly
“This has given me the time and space to mature my perspectives. More importantly, I think I’m healing here.”
Design Manager, Fintech Magalu
“It's an eye-opening experience and really helped me map the work of design to the way business executives think.”
Experience Strategy Director, Firefly Health
“Best career learning I have taken so far. All the methods taught in the courses can be directly applied to your work.”
Senior Manager User Experience, Expedia
“In short, CDO School is the best money I have spent on my career.”
Senior Manager, UX aPriori Technologies
“The balance of self-paced and guided learning was absolutely perfect. I feel empowered to speak up even more in my company now that I know how I can "back up" some of my suggestions with all the various tools.”
Sr. Design Architect, Amazon Web Services
CDO School is perfect for…
Senior, Lead, and Principal Designers looking to move into management.
Managers, Directors, and Executives who lead teams and disciplines.
Service Designers, Reaseachers, and DesignOps'ers who work across teams.
Dear Design Leader,
When I moved into Senior Management at EA, I discovered something counterintuitive. While I was hired to create value through design, I quickly learned that success depended on everything but talking about design.
Instead, it was about navigating the hidden dynamics that I, and frankly most design leaders, wasn't prepared for.
Like explaining the ROI of design to a skeptical colleague. Or maintaining creative excellence while scaling from 3 designers to 30. Or knowing when to push back on an executive's pet project (and how to do it without burning bridges).
These are the real challenges that keep you up at night. Not typography or user flows.
That's why I built CDO School differently. It's everything business schools teach, and what they forgot. No theoretical frameworks or generic leadership advice. Instead, you get:
- Strategies to find Design-Company Fit
- Field-tested templates for design ops, hiring, and measuring impact
- Practical playbooks for common scenarios (like budget negotiations)
- Methods to quantify and communicate design ROI
- Proven structures for C-Suite and Board presentations
- Techniques for navigating power and influencing without authority
- Reflection practices to maintain your energy and focus
Think of it as having a seasoned design executive in your corner—someone who's helped shaped business at Apple, Electronic Arts, and USAA, and can help you sidestep the common pitfalls that most design leaders encounter.
Because great design leadership isn't just about creating beautiful products. It's about building influence, measuring impact, and scaling creative excellence across an organization.
I look forward to working with you.
Ryan Rumsey, Founder