Who We Are

At Burns Design Strategy, we believe in life-centered design and the power of bringing people together to solve complex challenges through design thinking. Our mission is to help organizations foster collaboration, drive innovation, and create meaningful solutions that put people first.

Founded by Holly Anne Burns, Burns Design Strategy offers:
Tailored design strategy services to help organizations navigate change and innovation
Leadership and mentoring workshops that empower teams to think creatively and strategically
Executive coaching to develop design-driven leadership skills
Cross-disciplinary collaboration that bridges design, business, and technology

Meet Holly Anne Burns

Holly is a design thinking expert with a passion for helping teams unlock their creative potential. She specializes in:
✔ Leading engaging, results-driven workshops and training programs
✔ Applying empathetic, life-centered design to real-world business challenges
✔ Guiding organizations to foster collaboration, innovation, and resilience

Holly launched Burns Design Strategy in 2022 while working as a Teaching, Learning, and Technology Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Master’s in Design + Innovation program. After four years in product development and over a decade leading interdisciplinary teams across design disciplines, she took the leap into full-time entrepreneurship in 2023.

Today, Burns Design Strategy is dedicated to helping teams harness design thinking to drive meaningful innovation and create lasting impact.

Let us help you discover your innovation.

Schedule a Workshop

Who We Work With

  • To honor confidentiality agreements, we do not disclose the names of all of our clients. We are proud to uphold trust and discretion in every partnership.
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a client of Burns Design Strategy
  • The Madison Group is a client of Burns Design Strategy
  • WiSys VentureHome is a client of Burns Design Strategy
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is a client of Burns Design Strategy
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies is a client of Burns Design Strategy
  • The Forward Festival, Madison, WI
  • Mentoring Positives has worked with Burns Design Strategy

2025 Public-Facing Events

October 16

Scrum Day: Design Thinking for Agile Teams
Madison, WI

Get Tickets

October 21 - 28

WiSys VentureHome Level Up! Launch Pad
Western WI

October 22 - 30

WiSys VentureHome Level Up! Launch Pad
Eastern WI

November 3 - 6

WiSys VentureHome Level Up! Launch Pad
Virtual

Get Tickets

November 13

University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies: Design Thinking for Innovative Problem Solving
Virtual

Get Tickets

More to come in 2026

Stay tuned

September 9

University of Wisconsin-Madison BME 602 Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
Madison, WI

April 26

Dane Arts - The Business of Arts Conference IV The Art of Innovation: Applying Design Thinking to Your Creative Practice
Madison, WI

Get Tickets

August 19

DevFest at the Forward Fest: Design Thinking for Devs: A Crash Course to Up Your Game Madison, WI

Get Tickets

Contact me.

burnsdesignstrategy@gmail.com
Madison, WI