Design leadership is a lot like being a leader in a game of pretend. Imagine you're playing pretend with your friends and everyone gets to be a different character. When your friends need help figuring out what their character should wear, what their character should say, or how their character should act, you can be the one to help them. That's kind of what design leadership is all about.
You see, when grown-ups make things like buildings or phones or apps, they need help from people who are really good at designing things. These people are called designers. But sometimes, when a lot of designers are working on the same project, they need someone to be the leader and help make sure everything turns out the way it should. That's where the design leader comes in.
The design leader is kind of like the captain of a sports team. They help everyone work together and play their best. They might give instructions to the designers, like "We need a logo that looks fun and friendly" or "This app needs to be really easy to use". They might also help make decisions, like which design ideas to pick or what colors to use.
But being a design leader isn't just about telling everyone what to do. It's also about being really good at designing things yourself. That way, when the other designers have questions or need help, you can give them good answers. And when it's time to make big decisions, you can use your design skills to help pick the best option.
So, being a design leader is a lot like being the leader in a game of pretend. You get to help your friends create something really cool, and you get to use your own skills and imagination to make it the best it can be.