03Approach

We separate what travels from what does not.

Every method has two layers.
Most transplants fail because no one separated them.

01Two layers

The fixed layer

How problems are structured. How priorities are set.
How decisions are recorded and reviewed.
This travels unchanged.

The variable layer

Who holds authority. How consensus is reached.
How directly disagreement is expressed. How fast a decision is expected.
This is replaced for each market.

A method built for Japanese consensus decision-making will not run in an organization where authority sits with an individual — and the reverse is equally true. The failure is structural, not linguistic.

02Four engagement types

Type A Brand renewal

Identity → digital → applied materials

Type B Product 0→1

Concept → requirements → UI → build

Type C Organization build

Design function → hiring → in-house capability

Type D Method transfer

The design decision-making method, installed in your organization and documented

Type D is where we are most useful and least replaceable.

03Why we start before the brief

The highest-value moment to involve us is before you know what to build.
Once a brief is written, the expensive decisions have already been made —
usually by whoever was in the room, rather than by whoever should have been.