Divergent Vs Convergent

Team Diverge has been heads-down, working on projects with clients and reaching out to our network to discuss our services and bring in new business.

While sending out our latest deck, we received feedback from a few respected individuals who weren’t quite sure where we "fit" due to our broad product offering.

When setting up Diverge, this was something I spent a lot of time mulling over.

The tried-and-tested method for developing products is to target a specific audience at launch and broaden your offering over time to accommodate new demographics.

But I ignored my own advice.

Why?

Because every new venture or problem I’ve worked on has required product, design, branding, marketing, tech, and business development elements.

We didn’t want our customers to have to go to multiple agencies for help. We wanted to offer turnkey solutions or fill gaps where functions were missing within existing teams.

The old adage "Jack of all trades, master of none" is misused today. The full quote is "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one," and was meant as a compliment.

We embody this (albeit we have our individual specialities). If you to us with a problem, we will do everything we can to solve it.

We are staffed with Divergent rather than Convergent thinkers. An exec trainer once called me "an ideas factory," which is spot on. We can’t help but come up with new ideas and new ways of working. Divergence creates space and possibilities, while convergence brings focus and direction. Both have merits, but when it comes to creative thinking, Divergence is key. So many projects fail by not focusing enough on the idea and putting too much emphasis on delivery.

Rob Ryan pointed out to me today that Damien Hirst has been commissioned to make plates, tableware, and all sorts of items that, at first glance, seem outside his wheelhouse. But the results speak for themselves.

We’re a bit like that—polymaths and divergent thinkers who can turn their hands to most things. As Rob said to me, "If someone wants me to design a chair, I’ll make the best bloody chair I can," and it’s true, he really would.

So, while we may not feel like a traditional agency or fit into any mould, we celebrate that fact. Maybe we’re making life hard for ourselves, trying to be all things to all people, but we truly believe our approach offers our customers the best possible service.

To simplify our pitch: If you have problems that need solving, give us a call and we’ll work out what you need. We have an extremely broad skill set that can be applied to many different industries and problems, and more than anything, we thrive on a challenge!