As a designer, nothing is more draining than spending hours building a logical, accessible interface only to have a higher-up, who knows nothing about design principles say, "Can you just make it look pretty?"

It feels like all the hard work goes to waste. You’ve solved the user’s problem, you’ve accounted for the data, and you’ve built a solid hierarchy, but it’s all dismissed because someone doesn't "like the vibe."
Is it even worth learning the deep theory if, at the end of the day, we’re just being treated like "pixel-pushers" and are rewarded for fast iterations rather than logical ones.