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Omvorm and Synapse Partners — Designing for Positive Impact

When visionary design meets strategic storytelling, ideas become movements. That’s exactly what happened when Omvorm, a Belgian design studio led by Mathias De Winter, partnered with Synapse Partners to turn its philosophy of design for positive impact into a powerful public voice. Through a structured thought leadership program, Synapse Partners helped Omvorm articulate its deeper mission — showing how design can move beyond aesthetics to shape systems, behaviors, and the future itself.
October 19, 2025 by
Omvorm and Synapse Partners — Designing for Positive Impact
Synapse Partners, David Gillain

About Omvorm

Omvorm is a Belgian design studio that believes design is not only about creating beautiful forms — it’s about shaping better systems. Founded by Mathias De Winter, Omvorm uses design as a strategic tool to generate positive change across ecological, social, and organizational contexts. From circular products to spatial and systemic interventions, their work demonstrates how design can serve as a driver for sustainability, inclusion, and well-being.

The Challenge

Omvorm’s portfolio reflected deep purpose and visionary thinking — but that depth wasn’t fully visible to the outside world. Their reflections on circularity, systems thinking, and design ethics lived across project descriptions, presentations, and internal notes, but lacked a unified, public-facing narrative.

The challenge was twofold:

  • Position Omvorm as a thought leader in “design for positive impact.”

  • Translate complex design philosophy into engaging stories that resonate with business leaders, policy-makers, and fellow creatives alike.

The Partnership with Synapse Partners

To bring coherence and reach to their message, Omvorm partnered with Synapse Partners, a strategy and thought leadership agency that helps knowledge-driven organizations articulate their expertise through intelligent storytelling and AI-optimized communication.

Together, they built a thought leadership program to elevate Omvorm’s voice and expand its influence at the intersection of design, systems thinking, and sustainability.

The Strategy

1. Defining the Core Narrative

Through a series of strategic sessions, Synapse Partners helped Omvorm clarify and crystallize its positioning:

Design for Positive Impact.

This became the studio’s central narrative — reframing design not as decoration or function, but as a governance tool for transformation at every scale, from product to policy.

2. Structuring the Knowledge Base

Synapse Partners transformed Omvorm’s scattered insights into a coherent architecture of themes:

  • Circular Futures — How circular design contributes to sustainable economies.

  • Systems in Form — How design thinking can address complex societal challenges.

  • Ethics by Design — How design can embody responsibility, inclusion, and human well-being.

These became the foundation for Omvorm’s long-term content roadmap — a structure that connects everyday practice with strategic, societal reflection.

3. Creating a Signature Content Series

Together, the teams developed a digital insight series combining short reflections, long-form essays, and visual storytelling. Each piece bridges philosophy and practice, showing how Omvorm’s design principles take form in real-world contexts.

This format turned Omvorm’s ideas into a living body of thought — accessible, shareable, and deeply aligned with its mission.

The Results

Within three months of launching the new strategy:

  • Website engagement increased by 170%, with visitors spending twice as long on insight pages.

  • LinkedIn visibility tripled, drawing new audiences of designers, researchers, and sustainability leaders.

  • Omvorm received new project invitations from organizations motivated by design’s potential for impact.

  • The team gained a clear internal narrative that now guides business development, hiring, and external partnerships.

Beyond Visibility: A Stronger Voice for Change

More than visibility, the collaboration helped Omvorm express its identity in a new, authentic way.

“Synapse Partners helped us find our voice,” says Mathias De Winter, founder of Omvorm.

“We always knew what we stood for — but now our message is clear, consistent, and alive in everything we do. Our ideas are no longer confined to our projects; they’re shaping conversations about what design can mean for the world.”

Conclusion

The collaboration between Omvorm and Synapse Partners demonstrates how strategic storytelling can amplify purpose-driven design. By combining creative depth with structured communication, they’ve shown that design, when clearly expressed, can shape not only products and spaces — but also systems, mindsets, and futures.

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