A Simple Path to Clarity
Start with Insight
When moving fast starts to feel risky, that’s where we come in. We help organizations look beneath the surface to understand what’s really shaping outcomes. Thoughtful research, structured sense-making, and clear frames for decision-making so action is grounded in insight, not momentum.
Build Shared Understanding
When perspectives are fragmented and alignment feels hard to reach, that’s where we come in. We bring the right voices to the table to make sense of complexity together. Structured dialogue, synthesis across viewpoints, and shared frames that turn individual insight into collective clarity.
Decide What Comes Next
When the stakes are high and the path forward isn’t obvious, that’s where we come in. We help teams translate insight and alignment into clear decisions. Decision-ready strategies, thoughtful tradeoffs, and plans teams can commit to, so progress moves forward with confidence.
We've Been Here Before
We’ve seen how easily organizations move fast without moving forward—launching initiatives, responding to pressure, and making decisions before the picture is fully clear. Over time, that urgency creates fatigue, misalignment, and second-guessing.
Our work helps organizations pause at the right moment, make sense of what’s really happening, and choose a direction that holds—so progress is intentional, not reactive.
Don't Fall into the Solution Trap
Pressure to act often comes before clarity. Design Futures works with organizations at this moment.
A short consultation helps determine whether our approach is useful.
The consultation is a short, focused conversation to understand the problem you’re trying to solve and the decisions involved. We’ll talk through what’s at stake, what’s already in motion, and whether our approach is useful at this stage.
How We Engage Clients
"Brian helped us develop enrollment models and market research that transformed how we serve our higher education clients. His insights into enrollment trends, best practices, and student behavior patterns gave us insights and concrete tools to better demonstrate value and predict outcomes. I'd recommend Brian to any organization that wants to bring real analytical depth to their work."
Seth Odell
"Brian has a rare ability to deliver hard truths in a way that opens minds rather than shutting them down. I've watched him walk into rooms full of skeptics armed with data they didn't want to hear, and by the end, those same people were leaning in and asking how to move forward. Brian doesn't sugarcoat the challenges, but he presents them alongside genuine paths forward. That combination of expertise and honesty builds trust fast."
Beth Gillon
"I've watched Brian tackle some truly complex organizational challenges over the years. He has an exceptional ability to diagnose problems others miss—seeing how different pieces connect across departments and systems. He brings diverse stakeholders together to build consensus around solutions. His collaborative approach consistently turns complicated situations into clear paths forward."
Kristen Fox
Chief Executive Officer
Business-Higher Education Forum
Ready to Talk?
Contact Us to Begin Transforming Your Organization