How Agencies Can Make Design Matter More to Clients, with John Gleason
August 19, 2026
Welcome to Episode 170. This is a fascinating one if you work in or with design agencies, or if you’ve ever wondered why brilliant creative work doesn’t always get the influence it deserves inside client organisations.
I chatted with John Gleason, Founder & President of A Better View Strategic Consulting who help corporate organizations elevate and leverage design as a strategic business competence and catalyst for growth, help agencies become more relevant for the markets and clients they aspire to inspire while becoming better businesses, and enhance the client/agency relationship to be better, together.
John is one of the most vocal advocates for the role, power, influence, and BUSINESS impact of Design that you will ever meet. Interested in helping those who lead design... to better lead a strategic design proposition.
In this conversation we talk about:
- Why design has been pushed further down the value chain in many businesses
- What John learned from his time client-side at P&G
- How he's now helping both corporate organisations and agencies work better together
- The rise of in-house teams
- Why agencies often struggle to sound different from one another
- How account managers can have more strategic conversations with clients beyond projects, deadlines and budgets
John shares some brilliant advice on helping clients navigate their own internal politics, ask better questions, and translate design into business impact.
I found it such a useful reminder of what clients are really dealing with internally, and why agencies need to understand the human and political dynamics inside client organisations - account managers can add huge value by helping them make the case internally.
You can connect with and find out more about John Gleason here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johngleason/
THE FUTURE OF... conference (www.TheFutureOf-conference.com)
11 Influencers Who Elevate Packaging Design - Packaging Digest (https://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/11-influencers-who-elevate-packaging-design)
How To Innovation When You Are Asked to Cut Costs - Packaging Digest (https://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/how-to-innovate-when-you-are-asked-to-cut-costs)
Webinar + Panel: Beyond free pitching: building stronger, smarter client relationships [DESIGN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION member content] (https://www.dba.org.uk/resources/beyond-free-pitching-building-stronger-smarter-client-relationships/)
Podcast: Finding Our Way: Episode 59: Design Isn't Dead, But It's Seen Better Days (ft John Gleason) - https://findingourway.design/2025/06/06/59-design-isnt-dead-but-its-seen-better-days-ft-john-gleason/
'Is Design Dead?' - Design Leaders Wrestle With The Question - FAST COMPANY article, by Mark Wilson, Global Design Editor (https://www.fastcompany.com/91299152/future-of-design-leaders-executives)
If you’re listening before September 2026 and you’d like to join me in Atlanta, I’ll be co-hosting the next AM:PM Event on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th, an in-person event for agency leaders focused on the future of account management, project management, client retention and growth. You can find out more and register at https://theampmevent.com
Welcome to Episode 170. This is a fascinating one if you work in or with design agencies, or if you’ve ever wondered why brilliant creative work doesn’t always get the influence it deserves inside client organisations.
I chatted with John Gleason, Founder & President of A Better View Strategic Consulting who help corporate organizations elevate and leverage design as a strategic business competence and catalyst for growth, help agencies become more relevant for the markets and clients they aspire to inspire while becoming better businesses, and enhance the client/agency relationship to be better, together.
John is one of the most vocal advocates for the role, power, influence, and BUSINESS impact of Design that you will ever meet. Interested in helping those who lead design... to better lead a strategic design proposition.
In this conversation we talk about:
- Why design has been pushed further down the value chain in many businesses
- What John learned from his time client-side at P&G
- How he's now helping both corporate organisations and agencies work better together
- The rise of in-house teams
- Why agencies often struggle to sound different from one another
- How account managers can have more strategic conversations with clients beyond projects, deadlines and budgets
John shares some brilliant advice on helping clients navigate their own internal politics, ask better questions, and translate design into business impact.
I found it such a useful reminder of what clients are really dealing with internally, and why agencies need to understand the human and political dynamics inside client organisations - account managers can add huge value by helping them make the case internally.
You can connect with and find out more about John Gleason here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johngleason/
THE FUTURE OF... conference (www.TheFutureOf-conference.com)
11 Influencers Who Elevate Packaging Design - Packaging Digest (https://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/11-influencers-who-elevate-packaging-design)
How To Innovation When You Are Asked to Cut Costs - Packaging Digest (https://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/how-to-innovate-when-you-are-asked-to-cut-costs)
Webinar + Panel: Beyond free pitching: building stronger, smarter client relationships [DESIGN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION member content] (https://www.dba.org.uk/resources/beyond-free-pitching-building-stronger-smarter-client-relationships/)
Podcast: Finding Our Way: Episode 59: Design Isn't Dead, But It's Seen Better Days (ft John Gleason) - https://findingourway.design/2025/06/06/59-design-isnt-dead-but-its-seen-better-days-ft-john-gleason/
'Is Design Dead?' - Design Leaders Wrestle With The Question - FAST COMPANY article, by Mark Wilson, Global Design Editor (https://www.fastcompany.com/91299152/future-of-design-leaders-executives)
If you’re listening before September 2026 and you’d like to join me in Atlanta, I’ll be co-hosting the next AM:PM Event on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th, an in-person event for agency leaders focused on the future of account management, project management, client retention and growth. You can find out more and register at https://theampmevent.com
I chatted with John Gleason, Founder & President of A Better View Strategic Consulting who help corporate organizations elevate and leverage design as a strategic business competence and catalyst for growth, help agencies become more relevant for the markets and clients they aspire to inspire while becoming better businesses, and enhance the client/agency relationship to be better, together.
John is one of the most vocal advocates for the role, power, influence, and BUSINESS impact of Design that you will ever meet. Interested in helping those who lead design... to better lead a strategic design proposition.
In this conversation we talk about:
- Why design has been pushed further down the value chain in many businesses
- What John learned from his time client-side at P&G
- How he's now helping both corporate organisations and agencies work better together
- The rise of in-house teams
- Why agencies often struggle to sound different from one another
- How account managers can have more strategic conversations with clients beyond projects, deadlines and budgets
John shares some brilliant advice on helping clients navigate their own internal politics, ask better questions, and translate design into business impact.
I found it such a useful reminder of what clients are really dealing with internally, and why agencies need to understand the human and political dynamics inside client organisations - account managers can add huge value by helping them make the case internally.
You can connect with and find out more about John Gleason here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johngleason/
THE FUTURE OF... conference (www.TheFutureOf-conference.com)
11 Influencers Who Elevate Packaging Design - Packaging Digest (https://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/11-influencers-who-elevate-packaging-design)
How To Innovation When You Are Asked to Cut Costs - Packaging Digest (https://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/how-to-innovate-when-you-are-asked-to-cut-costs)
Webinar + Panel: Beyond free pitching: building stronger, smarter client relationships [DESIGN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION member content] (https://www.dba.org.uk/resources/beyond-free-pitching-building-stronger-smarter-client-relationships/)
Podcast: Finding Our Way: Episode 59: Design Isn't Dead, But It's Seen Better Days (ft John Gleason) - https://findingourway.design/2025/06/06/59-design-isnt-dead-but-its-seen-better-days-ft-john-gleason/
'Is Design Dead?' - Design Leaders Wrestle With The Question - FAST COMPANY article, by Mark Wilson, Global Design Editor (https://www.fastcompany.com/91299152/future-of-design-leaders-executives)
If you’re listening before September 2026 and you’d like to join me in Atlanta, I’ll be co-hosting the next AM:PM Event on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th, an in-person event for agency leaders focused on the future of account management, project management, client retention and growth. You can find out more and register at https://theampmevent.com