Inspiring Conversations with Renee Labbe of Renee Labbe Design Futures

Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Labbe.

Hi Renee, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a creative strategist with specialization in Design Forecasting for architectural and related design industries (such as interiors, building products, furniture). My company works with brands to help them understand how evolving consumer behaviors can impact their design development of new and existing products or even their own brand strategy and identity.

I got started over 25yrs ago, when I was living in Toronto and met with a woman who led the North American operations of a Parisian-based forecasting firm. She looked at my resume (then a fashion degree mixed with arts and marketing experience) and said “you’re a forecaster, you just don’t know it yet.”

I went to work for that company, which primarily provided design forecasting services to the fashion industry but also to adjacent industries like active sports, athletics, beauty, packaging, etc. I started as an entry-level sales person and left 10 yrs later as the Director of all Canadian and west-coast US sales & consulting operations. In that time, I learned the methodology of consumer-to-design foresight, but more importantly I learned that every brand and ever creative role within each brand has different needs from forecasting. The most important part of my role was to help them navigate through the noise and find the most important story for them.

I left that company and took the role of SVP of Global Trends at a New York based global forecasting firm that was building a forecasting empire with a SaaS platform. The CEO of that firm was a Steve Jobs type visionary, and he hired me to build a team of foresight consultants around the world to customize our forecasting to the exclusive needs of our VIP clients. I used my knowledge of how creative needs differ to help realize more than a 25% increase in yearly renewal rates of our forecast subscriptions. It was also in this role that I honed a balance of right & left brain thinking – critical to developing creative strategies that yield successful design direction for brands.

After 3 years with that firm, I left to pursue building customized forecasts specific to the architectural industries – because homes and hotels and resorts were my first “design crush” in life. I love the dynamics of the built environment and how spaces impact and inform behavior. And I love helping brands uncover how to design their future environments or products to truly resonate and attract future consumers. My agency, Renee Labbe Design Futures, is where myself and my team do that.

I am fortunate that clients now come to me for not just design direction but also the design itself. We have been involved in and/or spearheaded the design of everything from logos to furniture to the interior design of office spaces, resorts, lifestyle products and even vehicles.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I had definitely not been a smooth road, but that’s to be expected in any business. When I left the more corporate level forecasting companies to start my own studio, I chose to focus specifically on the architectural world – which includes the architecture itself, architectural products, interior design, furniture, lighting and decor. It is one big industry but so multi-faceted and as a result the industry can feel quite fragmented – between developers and designers and suppliers all having different agendas. And when I first started in this focus, this industry didn’t have a lot of exposure to forecasting that was truly targeted on their segments (ie: hospitality, workplaces, residential, etc), so helping companies understand where the benefits were for them was often a new conversation. Once companies understood that we could help them see not just the future of design for their segment but the unique roll they could play within it, we were off to the races. But that took time. Often companies would not sign with us until they’d watch a prediction we made come true (and they’d missed out on it). Sometimes that’s years.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Renee Labbe Design Futures?
We are a design forecasting firm that offers customized forecasting, creative strategies, and design direction to the architectural industry. Essentially, we help companies understand how the future consumer is evolving from the current one, and what changes in programming, form, style, material, finish, color, etc for their products and or complementary products will resonate best with that future consumer. So if you’re building a resort that won’t open for 5 years, you can’t be designing it for the customer of today – you need to understand the design needs of the customer of tomorrow.

What sets us apart from others: We’re more like an Atelier, whereas most of the industry is publishing. We develop your forecast unique to your business needs, identity, and the problem you’re trying to solve. Most forecasting firms offer design direction that can be purchased at will (ie: reports) and they try to sell a single report to as many companies as possible – the result is content that covers a wide scope of information that targets no one segment deeply and offers you no ability to differentiate from a competitor buying the same report. We develop our forecasts internally, and customize them per each client based on who they are and how design-forward or timed-to-market they want to be.

I’m most proud of two things: First, how we care about our clients. We invest in getting to know the brands we work with and really listen to what they need and are constantly thinking about how we can serve them better to deliver unparalleled value. Second, I’m most proud of our design quality. We really invest in that – from the research of a forecast to the finishing touches on cabinetry or an ironic detail in a logo.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is anything with Dad in it. But he also honed my eye for building environments and making sure the minute details got as much attention as the big picture – and I’m so grateful for that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reneelabbe.com

Image Credits
John Ellis Photography for the uploads of me in the green dress, the hotel room with black wall, and the hotel room with the graffiti wall.

Aaron Thompson Photography for the conference room and meditation room photos.

No photo credit required for the other images .