Why client/agency teamwork matters more than ever

Choosing a design agency has always been part chemistry, part credentials. But the context clients are operating in has changed significantly. If you're weighing up who to trust with your next store, restaurant or retail branding project, it's worth understanding why the client/agency relationship matters more than ever right now — and what that means for how you choose.

The pressure clients are under

Each year the Up to the Light 'What Clients Think' report — produced in association with the Design Business Association (DBA) — surveys hundreds of clients about their relationships with creative agencies. It's the most rigorous, independent benchmark our industry has, and the 2026 edition, based on 700 client interviews, paints a clear picture: clients are stretched, and they're leaning on their agencies harder than ever.

Three findings from the report stand out:

•       80% of clients say their internal team has shrunk over the last two years, leaving less time for the bigger picture, strategic thinking. Tellingly, 67% expect to need more agency support, not less, over the next couple of years. Leaner client teams don't mean less ambition — they mean agencies need to pick up more of the strategic and tactical load.

•       77% say they're having to pivot and change more quickly than ever. The pace of retail and hospitality hasn't slowed down since the pandemic; if anything, the need for speed and reactivity has intensified.

•       71% feel under more pressure to invest wisely and prove results. With every pound of design spend under scrutiny, clients can't afford to gamble on an agency that can't demonstrate commercial thinking alongside creative flair.

Put those three together and the message is unambiguous: this is exactly the moment to be working with a genuine partner, not just a ‘supplier’ — one who can bring extra capacity, fresh expertise and calm judgement to a stretched client team, rather than one more thing to manage.

Why teamwork is the real differentiator

It's tempting to choose an agency purely on the strength of a slick pitch or an impressive portfolio. Both matter, but they're not the whole story. The design projects we're proudest of all share one thing in common: a genuinely collaborative client/agency team, built on trust, honesty and a shared sense of what success looks like.

That means agreeing priorities up front rather than chasing too many objectives at once. It means being clear from day one about what “success” will actually look like — whether that's turnover uplift, sales per square foot, staff productivity, dwell time, or reaching a new customer group — so there's a genuine “before and after” to measure against. And it means building a team with a real mix of perspectives, so that naïve questions and different viewpoints can flag blind spots before they become expensive mistakes.

What to look for when choosing a partner

A few practical pointers, whether you're briefing a new agency or reviewing an existing one:

•       Be clear on evolution vs. revolution. Know how big an intervention you actually want before you start comparing agencies.

•       Shortlist on relevant experience, not just size. The right-sized agency for your budget and ambition will be flexible enough to adapt, not so large that you're a small fish in a big pond.

•       Meet the people who'll actually do the work. First impressions matter, and so does knowing you'll have day-to-day contact with people who understand your business, not just the pitch team.

•       Ask about outcomes, not just output. Any agency can show you nice pictures. Ask what impact their design solutions had on the businesses they were made for.

•       Check the credibility markers. We're proud members of the DBA, the design industry's trade association — membership signals that an agency takes measured, evidence-based design effectiveness seriously, rather than design for design's sake alone.

Partnership in practice

None of this is theoretical for us. Working closely with Baker Brothers Jewellers on a major store redevelopment meant steering them through complexity as much as creativity — as directors, Lizzie and Rebecca put it, we helped them navigate “the complexity of choices and decisions associated with a redevelopment project of this scale.”

With Postmark, it's an ongoing store-development partnership built on shared passion for the brand — Mark Janson-Smith describes the team as sharing “our passion for what we do,” making “the complex business of store design and shop fitting enjoyable.”

And for OKA Restaurant, doubling the size of a much-loved site was a real risk for the owner — one that paid off, with Ohad Kastro reporting his “customers and staff love it.”

None of these projects succeeded because of a single brilliant idea. They succeeded because client and agency worked as one team, with clear priorities and mutual trust, through every twist and turn.

The bottom line

Given the pressures clients are under today — smaller teams, faster pivots, and closer scrutiny of every pound spent — choosing the right design partner isn't a nice-to-have. It's the difference between a project that adds to your workload and one that genuinely takes weight off your shoulders. Look past the pitch deck, ask about expertise and outcomes, and choose people you'd trust to be part of your team, not just your supplier.