Frequently Asked Questions: Strategic Consulting for Design Studios

About Design Consulting

About Design Consulting

  • Strategic consulting for design studios involves helping creative agencies gain clarity about their direction, implement sound management practices, and work towards meaningful impact. This includes organizational "house keeping," strategic positioning, operational efficiency, and discovering a sense of purpose that drives better decision-making. Unlike growth-focused consulting, this approach treats sustainable success as a natural consequence of getting the fundamentals right—clear direction, good management, and purposeful work.

  • Design studios often excel at creative work but struggle with strategic clarity and organizational structure. Common challenges include unclear direction, inconsistent decision-making processes, poor operational systems, and difficulty understanding their true purpose and impact. Strategic consultants bring external perspective, proven management frameworks, and experience from multiple industries to help studios gain clarity about their direction, implement sound organizational practices, and work towards meaningful impact. The result is better decision-making, clearer purpose, and sustainable success that comes from doing things right.

  • Design studio consulting requires deep understanding of creative industries, project-based business models, and the unique psychology of creative teams. It addresses specific challenges like creative brief development, client education processes, portfolio positioning, and balancing creative integrity with commercial viability. Generic business consultants often miss these nuances that are critical to creative business success.

Working with Alejandro

  • Alejandro combines four unique perspectives: business development leadership at Cocolab (one of Latin America's largest immersive design studios), corporate strategy experience as former Head of Digital Innovation at Telmex (Mexico's largest telecom), academic rigor as a lecturer at London College of Communication and Kingston School of Art, and cutting-edge research into meaningful human connection through his ATLAS project. His hands-on experience scaling a global creative business, combined with corporate strategy expertise and research into transformative experiences, provides both high-level strategic thinking and deep understanding of creative industry challenges.

  • Alejandro holds an MA in Global Innovation Design from Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, lectures in Design Management at two leading UK art schools, and has over a decade of experience in digital strategy for major corporations. He has co-founded design magazines, established NGOs, and managed technology companies, providing comprehensive understanding of both creative and business operations.

  • While based in London, Alejandro works with design studios globally. His experience includes projects across Europe, Mexico, the UK, and internationally. He offers both in-person workshops for London-based studios and virtual consulting sessions for international clients. His multicultural background and academic affiliations provide valuable perspective for studios looking to expand internationally.

Services and Approach

  • Alejandro offers strategic consulting focused on innovation frameworks, business development strategy, team optimization, and long-term growth planning. His signature offering is the ATLAS methodology - a comprehensive workshop system designed specifically for design studios. He also provides ongoing strategic advisory services, team training in design management, and specialized consulting for studios entering new markets or service areas.

  • ATLAS (Archive for Transformative Liminal Anthropological Studies) is Alejandro's research project that designs catalysts for meaningful human connection through an experimental labyrinth where disciplines converge. ATLAS aims to physically construct an immersive environment where visitors can experience profound connections with themselves, others, and the greater whole. This research into meaning-making and transformative experiences directly informs Alejandro's consulting approach, bringing insights about human-centered design and purposeful work to strategic business consulting.

  • Consulting engagements vary based on studio needs. ATLAS workshops can be delivered as intensive one-day sessions or extended over several weeks for deeper implementation. Strategic advisory relationships typically last 3-6 months, allowing time for strategy development and implementation support. Some studios prefer ongoing quarterly sessions for continuous strategic guidance.

  • Alejandro works with design studios ranging from one-person bands boutiques to agencies with hundreds of people. His approach scales based on studio size and complexity. Smaller studios often benefit most from focused strategy sessions and growth frameworks, while larger agencies typically require more complex organisational development and innovation processes.

Process and Pricing

  • Engagements begin with a comprehensive discovery process to understand the studio's current challenges, goals, and market position. This is followed by strategy development using proven frameworks adapted to the creative industry. Implementation support includes team training, process development, and ongoing advisory sessions. Each engagement is customised based on the studio's specific needs and growth stage.

  • Investment in strategic consulting varies based on studio size, project scope, and engagement duration. Having managed budgets and client relationships at both corporate level (Telmex) and creative agency level (Cocolab), I understand the financial realities design studios face. Initial strategic clarity sessions typically range from £1,500-£5,000, while ongoing advisory relationships are structured as monthly retainers based on studio needs. I offer initial consultation calls to discuss specific challenges and provide transparent pricing that reflects both the value delivered and your studio's capacity.

  • Studios typically see immediate clarity and direction from initial strategy sessions. Measurable business improvements usually manifest within 3-6 months, including better client acquisition, improved project profitability, and more efficient operations. Long-term strategic benefits, such as market positioning and sustainable growth systems, develop over 6-12 months with proper implementation.

  • Studios can schedule an initial consultation through the contact form on ramos-saavedra.com or by emailing directly. Initial consultations are typically 30-45 minute video calls to discuss studio challenges and explore how strategic consulting can help. These conversations are designed to provide immediate value while determining if there's a good fit for ongoing collaboration.

  • Studios should prepare basic business information including current revenue, team structure, key clients, and primary challenges. Alejandro provides a pre-engagement questionnaire to ensure sessions are maximally productive. The most successful engagements involve commitment from studio leadership and willingness to implement recommended changes.

Getting Started

  • Alejandro has direct experience scaling creative businesses through his role as Director of Business Development at Cocolab, one of Latin America's largest immersive design studios. At Cocolab, he managed international expansion across four continents, developed partnerships with prestigious cultural institutions, and guided business strategy for a studio completing 70+ multimedia experiences. This hands-on experience includes client relationship management with major cultural and corporate clients, international market development, technology integration planning, and understanding the unique challenges of project-based creative businesses. Combined with his corporate strategy background at Telmex, this provides deep understanding of both creative industry dynamics and scalable business systems.

  • Studios can schedule an initial strategic clarity session through the contact form on ramos-saavedra.com or by emailing directly. Initial consultations are typically 30-45 minute video calls to discuss studio challenges around direction, purpose, and organizational clarity. These conversations are designed to provide immediate strategic insights while determining if there's a good fit for ongoing collaboration focused on purposeful, well-organized creative practice.

  • Initial consultations focus on understanding the studio's current situation, primary challenges, and growth goals. Alejandro shares relevant experience and explains how his consulting approach addresses common design studio challenges. These calls provide immediate strategic insights and outline potential engagement options tailored to the studio's specific needs and budget.

  • There's no long-term commitment required. Studios can start with single ATLAS workshops or short-term strategic projects. Many studios begin with focused strategy sessions and evolve into ongoing advisory relationships as they see value. Alejandro's approach prioritises delivering immediate value that justifies any investment in his services.

  • Alejandro offers exploratory consultations to help studios understand whether strategic consulting would benefit their situation. These conversations often reveal specific challenges that strategic guidance can address, even if studios initially thought they just needed tactical help. There's no pressure to commit - the goal is ensuring studios get the support that will most benefit their growth.