STRATEGIC DESIGN SCENARIOS

What STRATEGIC DESIGN SCENARIOS does

Strategic Design Scenarios (SDS) is a Brussels-based innovation lab founded in 2003 that delivers design consultancy, action-training, and practitioner-led research to public authorities across Europe — from villages and metropolitan cities to regional bodies, national ministries, and the European Commission. Its core services focus on public policy innovation using strategic design, scenario building, co-design with users, and community-centred approaches to address complex social, environmental, and governance challenges, and include flagship European engagements such as the Horizon 2020 CIMULACT project (engaging 1,000+ citizens across 30 countries) and multiple URBACT thematic networks.

Underlying its service work, SDS has built a proprietary methodology and a content library of approximately 20 published tools, games, and publications — including the Scenario Stretching Game (54-card bilingual card set), Evalophobia (policy evaluation card game, 2017 Prix Futurs Publics), Visions+21 (Local Agenda 21 toolkit), Phasing-in (196-page book on initiating public innovation), Temporary Use Value Creation Plan (canvas), Kit d'investigation des usages, and Les Michus figurine set. These are distributed via the SDS Lab Shop on a not-for-profit basis: digital versions are released free under Creative Commons, while physical printed versions are sold at roughly EUR 20-50 per item, with some titles on a 'pay what you want' basis. The firm is co-led by François Jégou and Christophe Gouache; no external investors or parent entities are disclosed.

The business model is essentially that of a micro-scale professional services consultancy paired with a not-for-profit content-publishing arm. Revenue derives from project fees on EU, national, and municipal consulting engagements (often co-financed under programs such as URBACT, Horizon 2020, Interreg), training sessions for civil servants and elected officials, university teaching, and physical-product sales through the shop. Customer concentration is in the European public sector (Belgian, French, and other EU municipalities, regions, ministries, and EU institutions), with content distributed free as a top-of-funnel mechanism for paid engagements. No revenue, headcount, or funding figures are publicly disclosed, and the firm operates without dedicated AI/ML capability, leaning on human-facilitated design methods.

Name

STRATEGIC DESIGN SCENARIOS

Legal name

Strategic Design Scenarios

Website

https://strategicdesignscenarios.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Strategic Design Scenarios is a Brussels-based innovation lab, founded in 2003, that provides strategic-design, scenario-building, and co-design consultancy, training, and research to European public authorities — from municipalities to the European Commission — and distributes a free Creative Commons toolkit of public-innovation games and methods through a not-for-profit shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Design Consulting

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Standards Development & Publishing (SDOs, Technical Standards) (MPAJACAB)

Keywords

• Public sector design
• Strategic design consulting
• Policy design services
• Scenario building
• Civic innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Design Consultancy: Consulting services for public authorities ranging from villages to EU Commission, providing strategic design and policy innovation expertise.
2. Training Services: Action-training for civil servants, elected officials, professionals, and educational institutions on applying design to public sector problem-solving.
3. Research Projects: Conducting research at regional, national and European levels as practitioner-researchers.
4. Publications and Tools: Sale of publications, games, and tools through their online shop. Many digital versions are free; physical printed versions are sold at prices like €20.66-24.79. Shop is explicitly not-for-profit with proceeds reinvested.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Strategic Design Scenarios (SDS) is a Brussels-based innovation lab providing design consultancy, action-training, and practitioner-research services for public authorities ranging from villages to metropolitan cities, regions, ministries, and the EU Commission. The lab applies strategic design, scenario building, policy design, co-design, and community-centred approaches to public policy innovation, social innovation, and sustainability. In parallel, SDS operates a not-for-profit online shop distributing design games, toolkits, and publications used in participatory public innovation processes.

Product overview

Strategic Design Scenarios (SDS) is a Brussels-based innovation lab specializing in public innovation, strategic design, and scenario building. The company offers three core service lines: Design Consultancy for public authorities, Action-Training for civil servants and officials, and Research at practitioner-research level. SDS also operates an online shop selling games, toolkits, and publications designed for participatory democracy, public innovation, and policy design. Key products include the Scenario Stretching Game (54-card bilingual game for co-creating disruptive scenarios), Evalophobia (policy evaluation card game), Visions+21 (local Agenda 21 toolkit), Phasing-in (public innovation process guide), Temporary Use Value Creation Plan (canvas for temporary space use projects), Kit d'investigation des usages (user research toolkit), Les Michus (wooden figurines for storytelling), and various games addressing citizen participation and innovation barriers. The shop operates on a non-profit basis, with proceeds reinvested in producing physical copies of freely available digital tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SDS LAB SHOP: The company's online shop selling publications, games, and tools related to strategic design and public innovation. Explicitly stated as 'not for profit' with all benefits reinvested in producing hardcopies of publications.

Products and services

• Design Consultancy Strategic consulting services for all types of public authorities, from villages to metropolitan cities, regions, ministries, and the EU Commission, focused on public policy innovation through design approaches.
• Action-Training Training services for civil servants, elected officials, and professionals on applying design to public sector problem-solving, including teaching in schools and universities.
• Research Research projects conducted at regional, national, and European levels, positioned as practitioner-research rather than academic research, focused on public innovation and social innovation.
• Scenario Stretching Game A bilingual (English/French) card game containing 54 cards designed to co-create disruptive, surprising, and out-of-the-box scenarios and solutions through a collaborative gameplay experience for public innovation teams.
• Evalophobia

Quantifiable outcome

• 23 scenarios created (78 minutes) describing desired futures for zero-carbon campuses
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EU Commission (Horizon 2020)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Core partner in CIMULACT project under Horizon 2020, engaging 1000+ citizens in 30 countries to shape EU research and innovation agenda. SDS developed methodology and tools for national workshops.
• 27e RégioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Partnership for public administration access residence project exploring access to local public services in Saône-et-Loire, France, with SGMAP.
• URBACT (European programme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2012SDS has been a core partner in multiple URBACT networks including Sustainable Food in Urban Communities (2012-2015) and Social Innovation in Cities. URBACT is a European exchange programme promoting sustainable and integrated urban development.
• SGMAP (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Secrétariat Général pour les Affaires de la Mutation de l'Administration Publique for exploratory approach on access to local public services.
• Bruxelles EnvironnementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cojardinage/cogardening project supporting urban agriculture in Brussels by facilitating sharing of unused gardens.
• 21 SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cojardinage project with Bruxelles Environnement for urban gardening facilitation in Brussels.
• Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Lodging (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Rio+20 Agenda 21 future scenarios project developing three future scenarios for French Agenda 21 process.
• ETD (Essor Tertiaire)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Agenda 21 France / Rio+20 project with Ministry of Ecology.
• 4D (association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Agenda 21 France / Rio+20 project with Ministry of Ecology.
• COMUE Lille Nord de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Zero Carbon Universities programme, supporting 14 universities and schools across 5 locations in the region.
• Lille 2020 World Design CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Lille 2020 World Design Capital for Acupuncture de design publication exploring collaborative city design.
• DESIS Labs (Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of design schools and universities collaborating on Design for Social Innovation projects featured in Acupuncture de design publication.
• Cité du DesigncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership for LUPI (Laboratoire des usages et des pratiques innovantes) methodology development for collaborative product/service design over 3-month periods.
• Fédération Wallonie-BruxellescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCase study in Phasing-in publication: organization of Innovation Day at Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.
• Service Public de WalloniecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCase study in Phasing-in publication: establishment of Public Innovation Lab at Service Public de Wallonie.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Global design consultancy with a public sector practice and human-centered design methodology; broader portfolio but overlapping approach to public innovation and policy design.
• Nesta: UK innovation foundation with substantial public sector innovation, citizen participation, and democratic design programs — comparable in applying innovation methods to public challenges but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Think Public: Public-interest design consultancy working with UK and international governments on participatory policy and service design — highly comparable in public sector design focus.
• Participle: UK social design organization pioneering participatory design with public authorities — comparable mission of citizen co-creation with government, although now reduced in activity.
• InWithForward (Blooom): Social-purpose design practice working on public services and citizen-led innovation in Europe and North America — closely aligned with SDS's practitioner-researcher model in social and public innovation.
• Livework: European service design consultancy with public sector practices, applying co-design and user research to government services — comparable in methodology and public sector focus.
• Snook: UK-based service design agency focused on public sector and social innovation, working with governments and charities on citizen-facing service design — directly comparable in mission and client base to SDS.
• Dark Matter Labs: Design and technology organization working on civic and public innovation with explicit futures and scenario-building orientation — directly comparable to SDS's strategic design and desirable futures mandate.

Others

• The Young Foundation: UK research and action tank working on social innovation and public service reform — adjacent in mission and European public sector research network.
• Policy Lab (UK Cabinet Office): UK Government in-house design and innovation lab applying design methods to policy development — analogous in function to SDS's public authority engagement, though operating as a government unit rather than independent consultancy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategic-design-scenarios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STRATEGIC DESIGN SCENARIOS