Systemic design crafts products, services, and organisations at the scale of the entire system: its actors, its flows, and its interdependencies, instead of addressing each problem in isolation.

Thinking in systems is not just a metaphor; it is an active discipline. Donella Meadows formalised this in Thinking in Systems (2008): a system is a set of elements interconnected by flows and feedback loops, whose behaviour emerges from relationships rather than individual parts. Moving one element reshapes the balance elsewhere. This leads to the foundational conviction of our practice: a symptom is almost never its own cause.

Design also inherits from Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber, who in 1973 coined the term wicked problems: those ill-defined, unstable challenges with no definitive solution, where every attempt at resolution redefines the problem itself. A long queue, a low service uptake, employee turnover: these are systemic knots that no extra service desk can ever untangle. And Bruno Latour, from whom we draw our name, reminds us that systems are populated by both human and non-human actants: a form, a policy, or a software program acts on the system just as much as a person does.

The real challenge is that the more we map, the more interdependencies we uncover, and the greater the risk of paralysis. Everything is connected, so nothing is straightforward. This is exactly where simplexity comes into play—a term Alain Berthoz uses (Simplexity, 2009) to describe the elegant solutions living organisms invent to act quickly and accurately in a complex world, without denying its reality. Designing systemically is not about adding complexity to complexity; it is about discovering the beautifully simple form that respects reality without diluting it.

In practice, we work in layers: first, systemic mapping to bring actors and flows into clear view; next, stakeholder analysis to align interests and surface tensions; then, identifying leverage points, those strategic areas where a small spark triggers a massive impact; and finally, co-designing with the very people who make the system run. A brilliant solution never emerges from an isolated mind: it is co-created through a vibrant dialogue between operational teams, front-line experience, and executive strategy.

Our core philosophy is simple: we do not just design isolated solutions—we transform systems so they continuously generate better outcomes and experiences.

What is happening elsewhere: the ecosystem (the system viewed as a network of actors), service design (making the system effortlessly liveable for the user), transition design (guiding the system's evolution over time), stakeholder engagement, strategic exploration, and feedback loops.

References: D. Meadows, Thinking in Systems (2008) · H. Rittel & M. Webber, « Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning » (1973) · B. Latour, Actor-Network Theory · A. Berthoz, Simplexity (2009).