Paula Scher, Milton Glaser, Dave Clark, Michael Johnson - practising older designers are rarer, but still around. With an ageing population and poorer pension plans, I expect to see a lot more around in the future.

There is a perception that the most creative ideas come from younger creatives, but that isn't borne out when you really look at what goes on in agencies. It's a combination of the older and younger minds that really helps.

Many designers also go off into other fields, or move into management, as a natural progression.

I'm over the 40 mark, but I see myself continuing to practice. A lot of the time I'm the one with a better eye on the latest trends, which I find odd! A young mind maybe ;) I would be very interested in doing less hands-on and more management though…

Stuff like this scares the hell out of me. In the US, I’ve worked at maybe 20+ big offices (between NYC/SF/Chicago) with large sample sizes of people and have seen maybe 3 people over the age of 50 working as a designer.

I think it's different in the US, where people seem to think differently about retirement. I live in Austria and the social system regulates retirement, unless I set up an additional private retirement plan. But from the moment I started working, I get yearly letters about my contribution to my own pension. And in that system, I will have to work into my late 60s. Most people in my generation do not assume that they'll get a Pension anyway, that includes me.

You haven't seen any because the people just now nearing that age were the first designers. You have to keep in mind the "design" career in context to what is referred to as design now—like ux and ui design—hasn't been around that long. You should start to see older designers in the industry in the next handful of years. I'd like to think in the next 10 years.