Both academic journals and business magazines show an increased interest in the concept of

design thinking (e.g. Boland et al, 2008; Brown, 2008; Leavy, 2010; Martin 2010). The

design thinking concept emphasises the actual activity of solving problems with a design

approach, associating it to the designer’s knowledge and competence instead of the intimate

link between design and the physical objects (Eneberg, 2011). Yet design consultancies still

have problems charging for intangible components in their offerings and for the role of

strategic consultants. We argue that the design thinking concept is in line with a service

dominant logic rather than a goods dominant logic, and that this approach can be the basis for

communicating the value of design to clients. The problem faced by industrial design

consultancies is not unique and hence the findings can contribute.