Meaningful design is fundamentally human. When we encounter business problems, people often think that the solution will be found in the “what”: maybe a new brand identity, a technology system, a product, or even just a different strategy. We believe that if you instead start with the human “why” beneath the problem, you can design a “what” with deeper impact.

How we think

Our approach to transforming organizations follows a proven path of design thinking that we’ve developed after years working with clients.

Context

We begin with understanding the context of the people we serve. This context might cultural shifts, external trends, internal dynamics, or business realities.

Vision

In response to context, we help people cast a vision for the hopes and dreams of their organization.

Strategy

The execution of that vision takes the form of strategy, where we help people define and plan out the way they will work toward their goal.

Structure

Finally, strategy informs the actual tactics and expressions that people will put in place: structure. If built effectively, the structure will change the organization and its context for the better.

What we do

We solve problems with design by bringing together three ingredients. All three are present in any design effort—but in different proportions, depending on the task.

Learning

Understanding context can be messy, but only by learning what’s going on in someone’s world can you figure out solutions to really address their needs. 


Imagining

Imagination is a process of translation—converting insights into ideas. Without it, you can get stuck in how things are, rather than casting a vision for how they could be.


Making

Craft brings concepts to reality. Whether it’s a sketch or a prototype, expressing ideas visually and physically makes it possible for others to understand and help improve them.