Indeed, reading between the lines of this piece in Design Week, covering the re-emergence of consulting firms buying design companies (which means the recession must be over, I’ve not seen this kind of activity for at least 10 years, when consulting firms went buying digital agencies), why buy from a design company isn’t such a dumb question either.

Apparently, “The design process is increasingly being applied outside its conventional tangible context to developing whole service experiences that engage and influence consumers”. You’d have to batshit-insane not to recognise that but interestingly the debate about ‘experiences’ continues to be set by authors of the digital realms.

While digital agencies seemed to have cornered the market on the “rapid innovation, experimentation, hybrids of talented team” principle, a note of caution. Not everything unfolds on-screen. A digital diploma in data and analytics isn’t the only skill-set business’ that buy design, or from design companies, need.

In practice (as well as in theory) the experience can only be defined and designed by design companies who’s understanding cuts right across the organisation. It’s important that companies buying into any experience strategy see that in all its dimensions.

Here’s the article:

Why buy a design consultancy?