Having your cake and eating it too — the pro's & con's of building an inhouse team
A guide in which we describe the dynamics between internal and external teams and how to get the best of both worlds.
The inhouse design team is the new agency
Where design was once the primary domain of groups of specialists, who once in a while refreshed a corporate identity, the explosive growth of digitization has created a continuous demand for design. The rapid change in the digital landscape means that the periodic revision of a brand identity has made way for a gradual evolution. The focus on digital revenue models means that products and services themselves go through a shorter, more iterative development cycle, in which the design of a product or service changes from a defined trajectory to a continuous process of updates and expansion.
Institutional knowledge and a fresh perspective
The increasing complexity of digital products means that a high degree of background knowledge and overview is required in order to arrive at realistic solutions. This knowledge arises when a design team works on a product for a longer period of time and has come into contact with all aspects of the product. Designers without this background knowledge run the risk of reinventing the wheel or bumping into the same stone twice. An internal team also develops an emotional affinity with the product: whether a particular choice is on brand or not. Both forms of knowledge are indispensable to ensure consistency and efficiency