Frequently Asked Questions

Working With Ronnestam Creative Studio
What is the philosophy behind Ronnestam Creative Studio?
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The studio is built on the belief that creativity, strategy and innovation must work together to create brands that matter. Every project blends insight, imagination and execution — without unnecessary layers or bureaucracy. You get senior expertise from start to finish, with a focus on clarity, originality and long-term value.
Do you take on assignments outside Sweden?
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Yes — absolutely. I work with clients across Sweden, throughout Europe and in many cases far beyond. Much of my work at Ronnestam Creative Studio is international, whether it involves brand strategy, creative direction, digital transformation or keynote speaking. Working with companies outside Sweden often brings new cultural perspectives, heightened ambition and broader creative possibilities — something I value deeply.

Whether your organisation is based in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, London or elsewhere in Europe, the collaboration model adapts seamlessly. Workshops can be run on-site or remotely, and projects are structured to fit different time zones and ways of working. The goal is always the same: to bring clarity, creativity and strategic direction — no matter where in the world you are.
What is it like to work directly with Johan Ronnestam?
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Working with me means you get a hands-on creative and strategic partner throughout the entire journey. I’m deeply involved in every phase — analysis, workshops, concept development, design direction and launch. Clients describe the collaboration as fast, insightful, energising and grounded in decades of real experience.
How do you structure collaboration throughout a project?
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We follow the Ronnestam Process:

– Analysis & Strategy – learning, mapping and direction-setting
– Create & Innovate – shaping ideas, concepts, prototypes and design systems
– Implement & Launch – execution, training, quality control and optimisation

This structure creates clarity without limiting creativity.
Who will we interact with during the project?
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You primarily work with me, supported by a project manager, and a curated team of senior experts when needed. This ensures top-level knowledge and consistent creative direction. You never get handed off to juniors — something that sets the studio apart from traditional agencies.
How do you ensure projects stay on track?
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Through structured governance, clear milestones, transparent communication and ongoing reviews. I guide teams with a focus on quality and momentum, ensuring decisions are grounded in strategy and the project never loses sight of its goals.
Can Ronnestam Creative Studio collaborate with our existing partners?
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Yes. We regularly collaborate with internal departments, external agencies, architects, designers, developers and marketing partners. The studio often acts as the strategic and creative “north star”, ensuring all parties move in the same direction.
Do you take on both small and large projects?
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Yes. Some clients come with discrete challenges that require sprint-style engagement; others bring in the studio for large-scale brand transformations, product development or digital experience projects. The model is designed to scale without losing quality.
What industries does the studio work with?
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I work across design, tech, interiors, lifestyle, architecture, manufacturing, consumer goods and culture. The studio’s strength lies in connecting strategic thinking with creativity, regardless of industry.
What makes Ronnestam Creative Studio different from traditional consultants?
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Experience, agility and direct senior involvement. Instead of layers of account managers and junior teams, you work with an experienced creative director and strategist throughout the entire journey. Decisions are faster, thinking is sharper, and the work is more original.
Business Strategy
How do you approach business strategy from a brand perspective?
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Business strategy and brand strategy are deeply connected. My approach begins with understanding market dynamics, consumer expectations, competition and your long-term business goals. At Ronnestam Creative Studio, we translate these insights into strategic direction that shapes your brand, product decisions, communication and customer experience.
Do you help companies redefine their business model?
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Yes. Many organisations come to me when shifting from product-focused thinking to experience, service or ecosystem models. I help map growth opportunities, define new strategic pathways and build brand platforms that support future business directions.
How do you integrate innovation into business strategy?
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nnovation isn’t an afterthought — it’s embedded from the beginning. I explore emerging technologies, cultural shifts, behavioural change and category trends to shape strategic decisions. This approach ensures your business evolves with the world instead of reacting to it.
How do you support leadership teams during strategic change?
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I work closely with executive and leadership groups to clarify vision, align priorities and make confident decisions. Workshops, advisory sessions and strategic direction-setting help teams move forward with clarity and unity.
Do you work with start-ups on growth strategy?
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Yes. I help founders define their direction, sharpen their proposition and build a brand that can scale. Start-ups benefit from my experience across product design, digital strategy, communication and business acceleration.
Can you help established companies compete in new categories?
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Definitely. Many established brands engage me when entering new markets or redefining their offer. I help you translate strengths into competitive advantage and shape a brand narrative that resonates in the new category.
How do you evaluate a company’s competitive landscape?
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Through analysis of market data, consumer behaviour, competitor positioning, industry trends and brand differentiation. This gives us a strategic foundation for identifying opportunities, defining territory and building a sharper, more relevant brand.
How do you ensure business strategy translates into creative action?
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By linking every strategic recommendation to execution. Brand, product, experience and communication decisions all stem from the strategy. The Ronnestam Process ensures nothing is theoretical — everything is designed to be implemented.
Can business strategy and brand strategy be done simultaneously?
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Yes — in many cases, they should be. Business direction shapes brand direction, and brand strategy strengthens business impact. Working on them together creates alignment that accelerates growth and simplifies decision-making.
Creative Consultancy & Advisory
How do ongoing advisory engagements with you typically work?
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Advisory work is structured around clarity and momentum. Some clients bring me in as a long-term strategic thinker, others rely on me for creative direction or innovation guidance. The engagement is tailored to your needs — regular sessions, project-specific checkpoints or leadership-level input. You always work directly with me, supported by the expertise of Ronnestam Creative Studio when required.
Can you act as an external creative director for our leadership team?
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Yes. Many organisations choose to have me guide their creative direction at a senior level. As an external creative director, I help leadership teams sharpen brand vision, evaluate design decisions, strengthen storytelling and maintain creative integrity across markets. This model works especially well for companies growing rapidly or transforming internally.
How often do you interact with clients in an advisory setup?
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Frequency depends entirely on your goals. Some brands prefer weekly touchpoints, others opt for monthly strategic sessions, and several hire me for quarterly innovation and brand reviews. We determine the rhythm that best supports your organisation’s pace and ambition.
Do you help evaluate agencies and creative partners?
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Absolutely. Many companies rely on me to assess agency performance, review creative work, or help select new partners. As someone who has worked on both sides — agency and brand — I bring an unbiased, experienced eye to ensure your collaborations deliver real value and maintain your brand’s direction.
Can you coach our internal team on creativity and brand thinking?
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Yes. I often coach leadership groups, marketing teams, design teams and innovation units. Coaching sessions combine strategic frameworks, real-world case studies, creative methods and actionable guidance. The goal is to elevate internal capability so your organisation becomes more creatively self-sufficient.
What’s the best way to work with you on a long-term basis?
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A structured advisory or retainer model works best for long-term collaboration. This gives your organisation ongoing access to my experience in brand strategy, design, innovation and communication. It also ensures that decisions stay consistent with your brand’s long-term direction while still allowing creativity and agility.
Do you offer workshops for leadership teams or boards?
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Yes. I design workshops tailored to strategic challenges, brand development, innovation, creativity and future business thinking. These sessions can be intense and energising, helping teams align, reset direction or unlock new opportunities.
What’s your role in reviewing and refining creative concepts?
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My role is to elevate ideas, not water them down. I assess creative concepts through the lens of brand purpose, strategic impact, originality, feasibility and emotional resonance. Whether it’s a campaign, product, experience or identity system, I help teams refine concepts until they’re clear, powerful and ready to launch.
How do you help us maintain creative consistency across markets?
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Consistency comes from strong design systems, clear guidelines and internal alignment. At Ronnestam Creative Studio, we build flexible-but-coherent systems and train your teams to apply them across markets. The aim is to protect the core of the brand while allowing local teams enough space to adapt.
Design, Innovation & Product Development
How do you approach product innovation from a brand perspective?
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I treat product innovation as a natural extension of brand strategy. When I work with clients on innovation — whether physical products, digital tools or service experiences — we align the solution with brand purpose, customer needs and long-term positioning. Ronnestam Creative Studio integrates strategic insight, design thinking and future-driven creativity to ensure new offerings strengthen the brand rather than simply expand the catalogue.
Do you collaborate with industrial designers and external studios?
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Yes. I frequently partner with leading industrial designers, architects and specialist studios whenever a project requires deep craft or technical expertise. My network has been built over decades of working across design, interiors, lifestyle products and technology. This model ensures clients get the right creative talent while maintaining a consistent strategic and creative direction through my leadership.
Can you help us define the future direction of our product portfolio?
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Absolutely. I help companies identify where they should go next by analysing consumer shifts, industry trends, brand strengths and category opportunities. Together we map a product roadmap that aligns with your brand’s long-term ambition. Clients in interiors, architecture, tech and lifestyle sectors especially benefit from this future-focused approach.
How do you ensure product decisions are grounded in consumer insight?
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Insight sits at the core of the innovation process. Whether through research, customer interviews, behavioural analysis or market data, I make sure decisions reflect real needs and emerging expectations. This is part of the early analysis phase of the Ronnestam Process and informs everything that follows — from early concepts to final product experiences.
What’s your process for translating brand positioning into physical products?
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The process moves from strategic clarity to creative exploration. Once we define your brand’s direction, we translate that into product principles, concept ideas, design guidelines, prototyping and final specifications. At Ronnestam Creative Studio, this journey ensures your products not only look right but feel aligned with your brand on an emotional and experiential level.
How do you support prototyping and iteration?
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Depending on the project, I collaborate with designers, technologists and manufacturing partners to develop prototypes ranging from concept visuals to functional builds. Iteration is built into the process — ideas are tested, adjusted and refined until they meet the brand’s creative and commercial goals. It’s a balance of experimentation and discipline.
Can you help us navigate trends and market shifts?
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Yes. I’ve spent decades advising brands on how to remain relevant in fast-moving categories like design, tech, interiors and consumer goods. Clients benefit from my ability to connect global trends, cultural signals and emerging technologies with real strategic direction. This perspective keeps your brand ahead instead of reacting too late.
Do you work with both start-ups and established brands?
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I do. Some clients come to me at the beginning of their journey, while others are international brands looking for renewal or expansion. The Ronnestam Creative Studio process scales naturally — from founder-led creative work to large corporate transformation — while maintaining clarity, ambition and originality.
What level of involvement do you expect from the client’s team?
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I expect your team to be engaged, curious and open. Workshops, decision sessions, reviews and strategic conversations are all part of building a great product. Your internal insight is essential — and I help structure the collaboration so the workload is manageable and the process runs smoothly.
How do you measure whether a product aligns with the brand?
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Alignment is measured through a combination of strategic criteria, user feedback, performance indicators and brand KPIs. We review whether the product strengthens positioning, expresses core values, enhances customer experience and supports commercial objectives. Measuring impact is a key part of the Ronnestam Process and ensures every product move is intentional.
AI, Innovation & Content
How does Ronnestam Creative Studio use AI in brand and creative projects?
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AI is used as a strategic and creative accelerator — never a replacement for human thinking. I use AI to explore ideas faster, analyse markets, build prototypes, visualise concepts and generate smarter content frameworks. It speeds up exploration while ensuring the creative direction always stays true to your brand.
What type of companies benefit from working with you on AI-driven innovation?
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Brands in design, tech, lifestyle, interiors, manufacturing and digital-first sectors benefit most. If you want to explore new experiences, experiment with future technologies or integrate AI into your product or content ecosystem, the studio’s approach fits naturally.
How do you ensure AI solutions stay aligned with our brand and strategy?
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Everything begins with strategy. We anchor AI usage in your brand platform, user needs and long-term direction. AI is used to extend your brand — not distort it. Every output is refined through human judgment and creative direction to maintain consistency and purpose.
Can you help us develop content faster using AI without losing quality?
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Yes. With the right structure, AI can dramatically shorten production cycles — from early concepting to variations and refinements. The key is having a clear narrative foundation and a strong creative direction so AI supports your brand rather than diluting it.
Do you develop digital and interactive experiences using AI?
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We work both in-house as well as collaborate with senior technologists and developers to create modern, AI-enabled digital experiences — from smart interfaces and personalised content systems to prototypes, visualisations and customer tools. These experiences strengthen your brand and help you meet future user expectations.
Keynote Speaking & Workshops
What topics do you speak about most frequently?
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I speak on future business strategy, brand transformation, creativity, AI, innovation, design thinking and navigating change. Each keynote is crafted around real experience from decades of work with global brands and future-oriented companies.
How is a keynote with you different from typical presentations?
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My keynotes are energetic, visually driven and grounded in real-world insight. I combine creative storytelling with strategic clarity, making complex ideas feel accessible and actionable. Audiences walk away inspired, challenged and ready to think differently.
Do you tailor each keynote to the event or industry?
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Always. I customise every keynote to the audience, company and sector — whether design, tech, interiors, retail, manufacturing or creative industries. Tailoring ensures maximum relevance and impact.
How long is your standard keynote?
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A typical keynote is 45–60 minutes, but I tailor timing to your event format. I also offer extended Master Classes, Q&A sessions or follow-up workshops for deeper engagement.
Do you offer workshops in addition to keynotes?
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Yes. Workshops are perfect when organisations want to turn big ideas into concrete action. These sessions focus on creativity, innovation, strategy, branding or leadership alignment.
How early should we book you for an event?
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For optimal tailoring, it’s best to book several months in advance — especially for international events. However, I do accommodate shorter timelines when possible.
Do you speak internationally?
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Yes. I speak globally and have delivered keynotes across Europe and beyond. Travel logistics are flexible, and international audiences often appreciate the Scandinavian perspective I bring to creativity, brand strategy and innovation.
Do you offer masterclasses in addition to keynotes?
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Yes. Alongside keynotes, I run masterclasses designed for teams and organisations that want to go deeper into creativity, innovation, AI or brand transformation. A keynote inspires — a masterclass equips your team with methods, frameworks and hands-on exercises they can immediately apply. These sessions are highly interactive and often tailored to leadership groups, marketing teams, design departments or cross-functional innovation units. Whether we focus on creative problem-solving, future branding, AI-enhanced workflows or building a stronger internal brand culture, the masterclass format offers the space and depth needed to turn ideas into practical capability.
Digital Transformation

The Ronnestam Creative Studio Digital Brand Scoring System
Do you follow a specific process when helping companies with digital transformation?
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Yes. Every digital transformation project follows a structured process. We start by evaluating your entire digital ecosystem using our 96-point Digital Brand Scoring System. This gives us a clear picture of what works, what doesn’t and where the biggest opportunities lie.
From there, we create a focused action plan and guide your team through the improvements — from strategy and UX to content, AI and overall brand experience. The process is simple, clear and built to deliver measurable progress.
What steps are included in the 96-point Digital Brand Scoring System?
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The scoring system evaluates your entire digital ecosystem across four strategic areas:

1. Attention & Awareness
How your brand attracts attention online — visibility, storytelling, first impressions, design quality and reach across digital channels.

2. Active Evaluation
How well your digital presence supports decision-making — clarity of information, UX structure, trust signals, product/service explanation and comparison tools.

3. Conversion
How effectively your digital touchpoints turn interest into action — landing pages, calls-to-action, checkout flows, performance, speed and mobile experience.

4. Experience & Loyalty
What happens after someone becomes a customer — onboarding, support, personalisation, content, emotional connection and long-term brand engagement.
How do you begin a digital transformation project?
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We begin with a collaborative workshop series involving your leadership and key teams. Together we map your digital landscape, clarify business goals, complete the self-assessment and scoring, and identify the areas with the biggest strategic impact. This creates a shared understanding and removes the guesswork from what needs to change.
How long does a full scoring and analysis usually take?
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The scoring and analysis phase takes 2–6 weeks, depending on the size of your ecosystem. But this is only the starting point. A full transformation programme — including strategy, content, UX, organisational adjustments, tools and execution — often spans 12–36 months. The scoring sets the direction; the transformation builds the future.
Is the scoring system a standalone product we can buy?
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No. The scoring system is a core part of the Ronnestam Creative Studio methodology, not a one-off deliverable. It’s designed to guide long-term transformation, prioritisation and decision-making across brand, digital, organisation and customer experience.
What kind of changes can a transformation lead to?
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The process often results in significant change: new brand strategy, redesigned digital platforms, improved conversion journeys, upgraded content ecosystems, adoption of AI tools, new workflows, better team alignment and sometimes even shifts in organisational structure. It’s a holistic transformation, not cosmetic optimisation.
How much involvement is required from our organisation?
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Quite a lot — and that’s intentional. Your team participates actively in workshops, self-assessment, discussions and prioritisation. Digital transformation works best when your organisation is fully engaged, aligned and invested in the process. I guide the work, but true progress comes from shared ownership.
Do you also help implement the recommended changes?
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Yes. Implementation is a core part of the process. I support your team with strategic direction, creative leadership, UX and content development, design alignment, new tool adoption, AI-enabled workflows and overall transformation management. We take the recommendations from theory to reality together.
Can the scoring system track our progress over time?
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Absolutely. Many companies run the scoring every 6–12 months to measure progress, validate decisions and maintain momentum. It becomes a long-term KPI framework that keeps both leadership and teams aligned on priorities and performance.
Is this process suitable for both large and smaller companies?
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Yes. The framework scales naturally. For smaller companies, it creates clarity, efficiency and direction. For larger organisations, it accelerates alignment, breaks down silos and gives digital transformation structure and continuity. The method adapts to your complexity and ambition.
If you have any further questions or enquiries, please get in touch with our team via the contact page.
Get in touch
Get in touch