Predicting and designing for the future

In our world, uncertainty is the norm, making most predictions about the future unlikely to play out — a waste of time and resources. At Material, we use a unique scientific approach — which includes semiotics, ethnography, and social analytics — to help our clients identify and design against probable futures.

As strategic consultants and design thinkers, we’re more partner than vendor, collaborating with your teams to envision what’s possible in order to better address current problems and topics. We focus on examining ongoing cultural shifts to quickly identify early-stage opportunities, prioritizing collaboration, ideation, and action.

We’ve helped clients such as Everlane and Visa move beyond the “most likely” scenarios and envision a broad range of potential outcomes. We’ll help you “build the foresight muscle” within your organization to compound the benefits of our work in the long run — meaning that you’ll be ready for whatever comes.

OUR APPROACH ON Cultural Foresight

What makes us different

Moving from transactional moments to transformational relationships.

We leverage a science-based engine for understanding people as well as systems of ongoing learning + design to create customer-centric business models and experiences.

Product Design

Lifetime value for customers through transformative design.

Brand Tracking

Ongoing systems of learning and action for always-on improvement.

Market + Customer Insights

Investing in deep human understanding to put the customer first.

Experience + Data Platforms

Sophisticated technology designed with beautiful simplicity.

Our Work

Recent cultural foresight projects

RESOURCES

Latest thinking on cultural foresight

"*" indicates required fields

Interested in . . .