Hybrid design studio in Shanghai : from the creation to the future steps

The goal of this thesis is to discover how it will be possible to create and develop an entrepreneurial business, based in Shanghai, offering consulting and design services to a B2B and B2C audience. The hybrid design studio, founded by the authors, is called Panglossian. This thesis will focus on B2C services and communication. The background research, examined from chapter 1 to chapter 5, refers to the creative process Panglossian went through from April 2014 till now. It includes the reason why China will be the right place where to start a new venture and the motivations related to the culture, the mindset and the potential of this Country. It continues mentioning several working case studies by Panglossian that, day by day, shaped the skills and the core business of the studio. It explains how the PSSD approach was applied to different real job opportunities, focusing on MYLK case study. It analyzes how business and service design can work together and it considers, thanks to Steven McCarthy’s contribution, how much the role of designers is evolving: “from designers serving as commercial ‘hired guns’ to assuming the more empowering roles of design authorship”. The main purpose of this study is to understand deeply the creative, communicative and economic process a new design studio has to go through to build a coherent and system around its business. From the chapter 6 to 8 it will be presented the future strategy plan of Panglossian, the services provided and how “experience design” will be at the core of its concept development. In conclusion, this thesis relates a future business and services perspective starting from the next September 2015. It will be presented the market’s positioning and next steps related to B2C strategies.