After nearly 20 years’ operating as a traditional design agency, OneSpring has made a significant shift in our business model. Although traditional agencies aren’t going anywhere, it’s important to pay attention to trends and market demands.   Even though the word “traditional” denotes what’s tried and true; it also signifies risk for those of us in the technology field. 

As the world around us quickly changes we must be open to adapting.  After much deliberation, restless nights, and discussions, it was decided that OneSpring needs to transition from traditional to something new.  Although we still offer high-quality design support across the spectrum of CX, UX, UI, and Service Design, our engagement model needed to change.  As of April 2025, OneSpring moved to an on-demand, subscription-based model—a move that reflects both where we believe our industry is headed and what our clients have been asking for.

The Design World Is Changing

When we look at the design landscape today versus when we founded OneSpring, the differences are striking. For example, the UX talent pool has expanded dramatically. What was once a specialized role understood by few has become a recognized profession with established career paths, educational programs, and professional communities. This growth has created new possibilities for how design talent can be accessed and deployed.

Additionally, over the last few years, technology has transformed design workflows. Cloud collaboration, design systems, and AI-assisted tools have compressed timelines and changed what's possible. These changes continue to happen at an accelerated rate.  Work that once took weeks can now happen in days, and geographical barriers to collaboration have largely disappeared.

Business cycles have also accelerated. Our clients operate in environments where market conditions shift rapidly, digital products evolve continuously, and the ability to pivot quickly can mean the difference between success and failure.

These and other changes have highlighted limitations in the traditional agency model that have become increasingly apparent. 

The Friction Points We're Solving

Over the past few years, we've had countless conversations with clients who love our work but struggle with aspects of the conventional agency relationship.  Some common themes we heard from include, "We need to get started now, but procurement says contract approval will take weeks,” or "We need intensive design support now, but in two months, we'll need research instead." These friction points aren't unique to OneSpring—they're built into the traditional agency model itself. And they're becoming more problematic as business moves faster and design needs grow more dynamic.

Why On-Demand Makes Sense Now

The subscription model emerged as our answer to these challenges for several compelling reasons:

1. It matches how design work actually happens

Modern product development rarely follows a neat, linear path. It's iterative, responsive, and often occurs in concentrated bursts followed by periods of integration and refinement. Our subscription model accommodates this natural rhythm, allowing clients to access different intensities of support as their needs evolve.

1. It removes unnecessary barriers

The traditional agency model creates artificial barriers—contract negotiations, scope definitions, change orders—that impede progress. By shifting to a subscription approach, we're removing these obstacles and creating direct pathways to the expertise clients need, when they need it.

1. It provides meaningful flexibility

With our new model, clients can scale their design resources up during intensive phases and scale down during quieter periods. They can shift between research, design, and development as their projects evolve. This flexibility creates a more responsive, efficient relationship.

4. It brings predictability to both sides

For clients, subscriptions mean predictable monthly costs and clear expectations about service availability. For our team, it means more stable workloads and the ability to focus on delivery rather than constant business development.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Our new on-demand model gives clients access to numerous service areas, and the list continues to grow.

• UX Design: From wireframes and prototypes to full design systems.

• UI Design: Interface design and testing.

• Research: User interviews, usability testing, competitive analysis, and more.

• Visual Design: Graphical design and high-fidelity visual elements.

• Front-End Development: Bringing designs to life with clean, maintainable code.

• Service Design: Mapping and optimizing end-to-end experiences.

• AI Enablement: The practical use of AI in business and on product teams.

Clients subscribe at the tier that makes sense for their needs, then submit requests through our streamlined platform. Our team responds quickly, typically beginning work within 48 hours. No RFPs, no SOWs, no procurement delays—just direct access to the expertise they need.

Not Just a Different Way to Bill—A Better Way to Work

This shift isn't just about changing our pricing structure—it's about fundamentally rethinking how design services are delivered. We're moving from a model built around projects to one built around partnerships.

In the traditional model, we'd work intensively with a client for a defined period, then disengage until the next project. Now, we'll maintain ongoing relationships, providing continuous access to our team's expertise at whatever level makes sense for each client's current needs.

This creates better outcomes for everyone:

• Clients get more responsive support that adapts to their evolving needs.

• Our team builds deeper knowledge of client businesses and challenges.

• Work happens when it's needed, not when contract processes allow it.

• Resources are allocated more efficiently across our client base.

Looking Forward

We believe this transition represents not just an adaptation to market conditions but a fundamentally better way of delivering design services. The future of creative work is increasingly on-demand, responsive, and integrated with how businesses actually operate.

Some of our clients have already experienced this model through our pilot program, and their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. They appreciate the flexibility, the speed of response, and the ability to access different capabilities as their needs evolve.

For our team, this shift creates opportunities to work in more diverse and dynamic ways. Rather than being assigned to single projects for extended periods, our designers, researchers, and developers will engage with varied challenges across different industries and contexts.

We're excited about this new chapter for OneSpring and look forward to partnering with both existing and new clients in this more flexible, responsive way. If you're interested in learning more about our subscription options or have questions about how this model might work for your organization, we'd love to hear from you.

The design world is evolving—and so are we.