We’re honored to share that Design Centered Co. has been named one of the Ottawa Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Companies in Ottawa for 2025. This recognition is more than a milestone—it’s a reflection of a vision that started small but was always built to scale with purpose.
From the beginning, we set out to change how organizations think about design. Not just human-centered design, but Impact Centered Design—an approach that looks beyond usability and aesthetics to ask: what value does this create for people, for systems, for society?
“When I developed Impact Centered Design, I wasn’t setting out to start a company. I was trying to help organizations unlock their potential to do good—strategically, creatively, and measurably,” says Urooj Qureshi, Founder and CEO of Design Centered Co. “This recognition is a testament to how far we’ve come and the power of staying rooted in impact.”
Planting the Seeds: A Framework for Doing Good
The seeds of Design Centered Co. were planted in 2019, when Urooj began leading workshops for social enterprises—equipping organizations with a clear framework to define strategy and assess their social impact. What started as a tool to guide mission-driven startups quickly gained traction across sectors.
One early workshop turned into a transformational collaboration with Parkdale Food Centre, helping them articulate a strategic vision and deepen their impact on food security across Ottawa. Another project led to work with BC Assessment, a Crown corporation responsible for property valuation in British Columbia.
There, the Impact Centered Design framework helped fuse big data with public service goals, ensuring that impact wasn’t just measured—it was designed.
These early initiatives demonstrated the framework’s versatility—and its value in helping organizations align their actions with the outcomes that matter most.
Expanding Our Reach: Designing What’s Next for Canada and Beyond
Today, our work spans the public and private sectors, as well as the non-profit space. From digital tools that serve broad communities to collaborative initiatives with national institutions and global industry leaders, we continue to focus on creating meaningful, measurable outcomes.
In 2023, Canadian Venture named us one of “the most influential agencies in Canada”, recognizing our growing impact across industries. That same year, we deepened our commitment to innovation through thought leadership and product development.
We’ve had the privilege of contributing to initiatives that support public service learning and innovation, such as SpyQuest—a gamified experience promoting cyber-safe behaviors in the Canadian federal public service. The goal was to make learning not only effective but engaging.
“SpyQuest is a game-changer—literally! Design Centered Co. nailed it, creating a product that not only boosts cyber-safe behaviors in the federal Canadian public service but will also make learning enjoyable. Their attention to detail and user experience was outstanding.”
— Ulrich Dorig, Manager, Government of Canada
Whether working on internal tools, learning platforms, or external-facing services, we bring our core philosophy to every collaboration: start with impact, design with purpose, and deliver with care.
Adapting to the Moment: A New Model for Resilient Design
We understand the challenges that small businesses and product teams are facing today. In an era marked by economic uncertainty, shrinking budgets, and rapid technological shifts, design and innovation can often feel out of reach.
That’s why we launched the Design Accelerator—a subscription-based service designed to give small businesses, product teams, and marketing leads on-demand access to high-quality design and research support. Whether it’s building a brand, improving accessibility, streamlining user experiences, or producing fast-turnaround marketing assets, the Design Accelerator helps teams stay agile and competitive.
“Design Centered Co. delivers high-quality design solutions without the overhead of a full-time team. Their fractional design services have streamlined our branding, marketing, and UX, helping us scale efficiently. If you need design expertise on demand, they are the team to call.”
— Tunch Akkaya, Founder & CEO, GameStrat
Tunch’s experience reflects a broader trend: organizations need flexible, expert support that scales with their needs. That’s exactly what the Design Accelerator is built for.
“We saw the earthquake hitting the industry—and we didn’t freeze. We rolled up our sleeves,” says Qureshi. “Design Accelerator is our way of ensuring Canadian entrepreneurs stay competitive, agile, and impact-driven, no matter the storm.”
More than a service, the Design Accelerator is our contribution to keeping innovation and equity alive in challenging times.
Bridging the Gap: Why We Built the Impactor App
Through years of consulting with large enterprise teams, we often found ourselves in a familiar cycle. During our engagements, we created safe, inclusive spaces—environments where teams could surface tensions, align around values, and make thoughtful decisions together. But once our work wrapped, something shifted.
We saw how low psychological safety and a disconnect between strategy and delivery often re-emerged. Teams had insights and momentum but lacked the structure and support to carry them forward.
“I really like how we can gather everyone’s contribution and perspective in a really organized way, all documented in one place. We can put our thoughts down asynchronously and then get together to merge similar ideas and prioritize together. It’s a game changer for making action-ready decisions, policies, programs, and processes.”
— Kathleen Fehr, Product Manager, Transport Canada
In 2023, we decided to respond to this issue by launching Impactor App—a digital solution designed to bridge the gap between strategic vision and meaningful action. Built for complex enterprise environments, Impactor supports inclusive team collaboration, idea management, and decision tracking—making it easier to move from diverse input to aligned, action-ready outcomes.
In 2024, Impactor received the Disruptor Award at the Bootstrap Awards—recognizing its growing influence on how teams collaborate and lead with intention.
Rooted in Identity: A Team Reflecting Canada’s Diversity
At the heart of Design Centered Co. is a diverse, interdisciplinary team that reflects the richness of Canada itself. Our team is made up of strategists, designers, developers, researchers, and storytellers—from different backgrounds, disciplines, and lived experiences.
“We are proud of our Canadian identity as a business, and our diversity as a team,” says Qureshi. “Diversity isn’t just part of who we are—it’s our superpower.”
This diversity informs how we think, how we work, and how we lead. From inclusive design practices to multilingual engagement strategies, we believe that impact is most powerful when it’s built by many voices, not just a few.
Growing with Intention: Partnerships That Power Progress
Yes, growth matters. But to us, it’s never been about growth for growth’s sake. It’s about growing with intention, with integrity, and with the people we serve in mind.
We’ve grown through strategic alliances—with nonprofits, startups, government agencies, and enterprise organizations who see design not as a luxury, but as a necessary tool for achieving their mission.
“To me, this moment isn’t just about what we’ve accomplished,” says Qureshi. “It’s about who we can build with next. We’re not here to win alone. We’re here to build a stronger, more values-aligned ecosystem of partners who care deeply about the future of our communities and our planet.”
We’re also mindful that recognition like this is never earned in isolation. It’s the product of shared work, mutual trust, and a commitment to excellence across every relationship and every project.
An Open Invitation: Let’s Design What’s Next—Together
To every entrepreneur, public servant, industry leader, and changemaker reading this: we want to work with you.
Let’s find solutions that support one another.
Let’s build a business community rooted in shared values.
Let’s create systems that are inclusive by design, and impactful by default.
We believe the future is something we design together—and that every step forward should serve not just business, but people and the planet.
Contact Us
For media inquiries or partnership opportunities, please contact:
hello@designcentered.co
