CROSSING BO R D ERS Giving clients just one reason to say yes isn't enough. Here's how two design firms of dramatically different sizes have created a multidisciplinary offer aimed at giving them a competitive advantage. ANY GOOD DESIGNER knows how to find common ground with clients in charrettes and brainstorming sessions. What they need to do now is take a page out of hoteliers' playbooks when it comes to business strategy. Just as hotel companies continue to roll out brands to make sure they have something for every guest, design firms are building out their service offers to answer client demand for everything from brand strategies to genre-crossing expertise to graphic design. If they're going big, design powerhouses have be able to leverage economies of scale to outcompete in multiple sectors and locations with equal flair. That might be mixed-use developments or cruise ship restaurants. If they're thinking niche, then it's a question of supplying services beyond design that enable them to give owners a 360-degree identity to one property. Here's how two firms on opposite ends of the size spectrum are working to become one-stop shops. 40 boutiquedesign.com MAY 2016 C O U R T E S Y O F PAC I F I C A H O T E L S BY ORIANA LERNER 1 Layering textures in this model room for The Sommerset Suites Hotel gives Studio 11 Design's vision a residential feel.http://www.boutiquedesign.com