Abstract
The term “strategic design” gained popularity over the last three decades. It originated in the 1990s, when design management scholars began studying the strategic value of design within business organizations. In the 2000s, terms such as design thinking and user-centered design gained traction, expanding the scope of design work and who was considered a designer. In professional networks, strategic design has been emerging as some professionals claim to be strategic designers or discuss related practices. This exploratory paper aims to identify definitions, roles, and skills associated with strategic design in the context of business organizations. A scoping of the literature and an analysis of job postings reveal three strands of strategic design practice: design management, business strategy, and design strategy. These three strands indicate divergent roles and require different skills, but all present similar challenges for designers and design-oriented practitioners seeking to work on strategy.
Keywords
strategic design, design management, business strategy, design strategy
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1108
Citation
Mejía, G. (2026) Strategic design in business organizations: An approach for design management, business strategy, and design strategy, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1108
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Strategic design in business organizations: An approach for design management, business strategy, and design strategy
The term “strategic design” gained popularity over the last three decades. It originated in the 1990s, when design management scholars began studying the strategic value of design within business organizations. In the 2000s, terms such as design thinking and user-centered design gained traction, expanding the scope of design work and who was considered a designer. In professional networks, strategic design has been emerging as some professionals claim to be strategic designers or discuss related practices. This exploratory paper aims to identify definitions, roles, and skills associated with strategic design in the context of business organizations. A scoping of the literature and an analysis of job postings reveal three strands of strategic design practice: design management, business strategy, and design strategy. These three strands indicate divergent roles and require different skills, but all present similar challenges for designers and design-oriented practitioners seeking to work on strategy.