In the eyes of manufacturing entrepreneurs, managers, and even many designers, design has always been regarded as "creating shapes and objects." The inner circle represents the professional capabilities of designers, while the outer circle represents the space for growth. When a designer or design agency's professional abilities reach a certain level of depth, "breaking out of the circle" becomes an inevitable step for personal or organizational growth.

In the ProductDesignStore "Design Breakthrough" series, we have invited four leading domestic design agencies to discuss their achievements in "breaking out of the circle."

These agencies are Hangzhou-based TuTuo Design, Hotwave Innovation, Bole Innovation, and Shanghai-based Zhinan Innovation. They have paved unique paths in different industries and sectors based on their understanding and resources.

Let's quickly review their journeys to break through the boundaries of design!

TuTuo Design

Five Levels of Breaking Out: "Inner Strength" Determines the Scale of Expansion

TuTuo Design's brand incubation experience is a process of divergence and focus:

1. First Level of Breaking Out: From the design circle to the product circle. Due to the success of the design service business, designers' capabilities and values are infinitely magnified, which promotes many projects simultaneously. After a project "dies," new projects are continuously created, just like an "indestructible cockroaaach."
2. Second Level of Breaking Out: Cross-border integration of the supply system. Through countless project experiences, TuTuo learned to deal with the supply system, forming a normalized business logic, risk control, and innovations in "formalized innovation," "structured innovation," and "functional innovation" for bags.
3. Third Level of Breaking Out: Channel Breakthrough. The transition from B2B to B2C was a forced, desperate counterattack. The chaos caused by a few dealers in B2B operations directly threatened the company's survival. Thus, in 2019, the Trailblazer brand was established, and Li Licheng expelled all dealers with a history of misconduct, establishing a close connection with B2C fans as soon as possible. This ultimately led to discovering the "interest-based e-commerce" where target users were most concentrated.
4. Fourth Level of Breaking Out: Breaking through the target audience. Transforming a "general population" into a "precise audience" willing to repurchase and reach the 5A level is essential for creating private domain traffic. Therefore, "no one can be overlooked" – find all the interests and hobbies of the target users, cater to them, and connect them with products, brands, and user-friendly policies.
5. Fifth Level of Breaking Out: Evolving from a single product to a matrix and serialized product brand associated with the entire industry. Fans who like the Trailblazer backpacks also anticipate the brand's performance in other travel products. In the expansion of new categories, Trailblazer breaks through along the path of "bags—functional clothing—travel accessories & digital products—shoes."

The Trailblazer backpack is the founder of TuTuo Design, Li Licheng's "all-out effort." Establishing the Trailblazer brand allowed TuTuo's "inner strength" to level up. In response, Li Licheng advises, "Only when the 'inner strength' reaches a certain 'level' can it expand to a corresponding size; otherwise, rapid expansion may cause an explosion, so every entrepreneur must master their own pace."

NYCD Design

Design services and independent brands empower each other.

On one hand, the experience of establishing an independent brand allows them to go through a complete business chain for a brand's creation and survival.

They gain different perspectives on demand, users, sale traffic, supply, and channels under the four key aspects of people, goods, factories, and venues. This understanding enables them to better grasp the real needs and ultimate business goals of their design service clients.

At the same time, they are adept at using design service business segments to deepen their understanding of the market environment, emerging industries, tools, and business models, keeping their independent brands active and proactive.

The process of breaking out of the circle is not only about identifying and filling gaps but also about subverting and reconstructing one's understanding. They re-examine "design" and gradually recognize the real role of "design" in each link, moving away from blind confidence in creation.

They reevaluate what users truly need, the tools and paths to meet those needs, and how to reach users. They consider how to use "design" skills as a tool to solve problems and integrate design thinking into the business.