Over the past few weeks, I’ve felt the need to put into clearer words what’s been occupying me for quite some time now. Why do you ask? Because between Montreal and Paris, my colleagues, partners – and even friends – don’t hear the same thing when I talk about strategic design, transformation design or corporate design.

And guess what? For both French and English speakers, it’s the same blur.

We tend to associate the word “design” with aesthetics. Logos that seduce. Interiors that soothe. Websites that sell. Elegant dresses. Cars that shine. Posters that pop. In short: beauty.

But design isn’t just about beauty. It’s about “how things work”, as a certain Steve Jobs once said. So, yes: – You can design a project. – A team. – A business. And it’s even better when you do it intentionally.

Think in systems. Act with intent.

Business design, strategic design, transformation design… call it what you will. These are approaches to stop patching up symptoms – and start rethinking systems.

Not to “look pretty”, but to create meaning, clarity and impact where complexity and inertia reign. We’re not looking to produce a deliverable and call it a day. We’re looking to transform a trajectory.

And to do that, you have to ask the real questions:

– And what do we avoid doing… so as not to disturb?

– Why does this problem really exist?

– Who benefits from the status quo?

This is not aesthetics. This is architecture.

Systems thinking. Strategic prototyping. Tension visualization. And collective intelligence (the real thing, not just decorative post-its).

The goal? Reveal what’s blocking. Name what’s possible. Build answers that stick.

Even when the going gets rough.

Strategic design doesn’t sell ready-made solutions. It builds futures. And it takes you along for the ride.

OK, but what does it actually look like?

Deconstruct.

Like those kids who took their toys apart to figure out how they worked. It’s the same for us – except that we dismantle structures, processes and narratives. Not for pleasure, but to understand. And to rebuild differently.

And to do that, you have to open the hood. Not just read the brief. Not just talk among experts. Yes, all consultants say that – but we’ve got a few more cards up our sleeve when it comes to method. And we don’t settle for serial workshops or bland slides.

Understanding.

You can’t understand in a closed room. We understand by listening to those who live the reality. With them. Not in their place. We don’t have all the answers, but we do have good questions, tools and ways of moving forward together. And that means…

Rebuild.

Not identical. We don’t aim for the “least worst”. We’re aiming for the preferable. And that means: realistic, applicable, sustainable. We don’t stop at the classic “cut costs, increase profits”. We stay. We help. We adjust. We build on it.

Because strategy isn’t made against teams. It’s done with them.

Beautiful won’t fix broken. Strategy might.

In a nutshell.

Strategic design is a posture, a discipline, a lever. It’s a way of asking the right questions, discovering alternative scenarios, clarifying decisions. To visualize choices. And to open the way to what we haven’t yet dared to imagine.

It’s been around for a long time. We just decided it was worth making a real profession out of it.

(Like the art of Kintsugi, but adapted to business).