Dancing with systems: Why great design is more than the final result

At Open, we spend a lot of time thinking about systems. 

Not just technical systems, but organisations as living ecosystems, shaped by culture, habits, power structures, and the often invisible rules that influence how work actually happens. These systems are already in motion long before a new strategy, framework, or design enters the picture. 

Recently, our Lead Creative Strategist, Taariq Latiff, sat down to reflect on what it really means to design inside an organisation rather than simply delivering something to it. That conversation brought us back to a simple but important reminder: 

You don’t control a system. 
You can’t pause it. 
You have to move with it. 

Designing within an organisation, not outside it 

In organisations, nothing starts from scratch. 

Every design project enters a context with its own history, behaviours, and internal dynamics. That means design is never just about creating something new; it’s about understanding what already exists and how it will respond, whether that’s a legacy slide structure everyone relies on, an existing visual identity that people feel attached to, or a toolkit that’s already being adapted in unintended ways. 

For clients, this is often where design work succeeds or fails. 

Instead of asking only “How do we build this?”, we spend time asking questions like: 

• Where is the organisation likely to resist this change? 

• Where might it gain momentum faster than expected? 

• Which existing behaviours will this reinforce, and which ones might it slowly challenge? 

• What impact will this have not just now, but months or years down the line? 

For instance, when designing a new strategic framework, the question isn’t just whether it looks clear on a slide, it’s whether leaders will use it in conversations, and whether teams can translate it into everyday decisions without extra explanation. 

Strong design doesn’t try to overpower the organisation. It listens carefully to how the system works today, and then shapes change in a way the organisation can actually absorb. 

What systems thinking looks like in practice 

The most effective organisational systems aren’t rigid or over-designed. They’re flexible enough to work across teams, markets, and business units without losing their direction. 

We see this clearly when working with global organisations. Whether the task is building a visual framework, clarifying strategy, or connecting business priorities like performance, DEIB, EVP, and product portfolios, the challenge is always the same: the design system has to travel well, from global principles to local use, from polished decks to messy work-in-progress material. 

A well-designed system: 

• Creates clarity without restricting people 

• Makes it easy for teams to contribute while staying aligned 

• Helps people navigate complexity without oversimplifying it 

• Evolves over time without losing its core idea or purpose 

One example is a visual identity or framework that allows teams to create their own material without breaking coherence. 

This kind of design doesn’t happen by accident. It requires deliberate choices and a deep understanding of the environment the system needs to live in every day. 

Why this kind of work is often underestimated 

This type of design work can be difficult to explain, especially from the outside. 

What’s most visible is usually the end result: a campaign, a presentation, a visual identity, or a framework. What’s less visible is the work underneath: the exploration, the testing, the trade-offs, and the decisions about what not to include, such as simplifying a framework so it can be remembered and reused, rather than adding layers that only make sense to its creators. 

That invisible work is where much of the long-term value is created. It’s what makes the difference between something that looks good at launch and something that continues to work when the organisation changes around it. 

The real value isn’t just in what’s delivered, but in what the design makes possible over time. 

Creating space rather than control 

Strong systems don’t try to control behaviour in detail. Instead, they create space. 

Space for teams to interpret and apply the work to their own reality. 
Space for feedback and learning. 
Space for people to recognise their role in a bigger direction. 

When systems are designed this way, something important happens: people stop seeing the work as a top-down design solution and start seeing it as a shared tool - something they can adapt, extend, and use with confidence.  

At that point, design is no longer just a layer on top of the organisation. It becomes part of the infrastructure that supports decision-making, collaboration, and change. 

Moving forward 

This way of thinking continues to guide how we work at Open, strategically and creatively, with our clients and within our own teams. 

We’re not trying to control organisational systems. We’re working with them: listen carefully, adapt thoughtfully, and respond with intention. 

You could call it dancing with systems. 

Because real, lasting impact doesn’t come from forcing change. It comes from understanding how change can actually take root. 

 
External source: https://donellameadows.org/archives/dancing-with-systems/