In my second semester of the Master’s in Strategic Design and Entrepreneurship, I took part in a semester-long consultancy project. The project was developed collaboratively by a multidisciplinary team: graphic designer (myself), product designer Lin, business developer Bart, and experimental designer Hugo, each bringing a unique perspective to the process.

The challenge

KIRT x THOMSEN is a visionary studio working at the intersection of design, storytelling, and future scenarios. As they looked toward new markets and the integration of emerging technologies like AI, the studio encountered a deeper strategic challenge. Despite strong creative capabilities, there was no shared vision to guide their direction. This lack of organisational clarity made it difficult to align internally, communicate their unique value externally, and make confident decisions about growth. To move forward, the studio needed a clearer sense of purpose—one that could unite the team and support future expansion.

The solution

To respond to KIRT x THOMSEN’s challenge, we embedded ourselves in the studio as process consultants over the course of four months. Through ethnographic observation, interviews, workshops, and a thematic analysis of organisational dynamics, we uncovered a strategic misalignment rooted in identity and leadership. While the studio had a strong creative foundation, its internal decision-making and outward communication were hindered by a lack of shared vision.

Our proposal: the North Star concept — a strategic design intervention centered around building internal alignment through a clear and collectively owned organisational identity. At the heart of this concept is a culture handbook designed to surface and express the studio’s purpose, values, and aspirations in a way that resonates across the team. It’s not a traditional brand manual — it’s a dynamic internal tool intended to spark reflection, encourage dialogue, and strengthen unity.

To symbolically anchor the new direction, we proposed a sculptural object to be placed in the studio: a visual manifestation of the shared vision that stands as a daily reminder of who KXT is and where they’re heading. Together, these elements work to foster identity-led culture change, enabling more collaborative decision-making and creating a stronger foundation for future expansion into new markets.

Co-creation workshop, presented by Bart and me.