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Design Surgery started because two professionals got tired of watching good products die under bad branding. Since 2009, the practice has run on one unmoving principle: diagnose first, cut with purpose, and never stop checking the vitals after the work goes live.
No investors, no manifesto launch party. Just a shared diagnosis.
Design Surgery is a 100% citizen-owned practice, built and based in Gaborone, Botswana. Since 2009, we’ve grown from a small studio into a multi-talented, award-winning advertising agency, the kind of practice clients call when their brand isn’t just underperforming, it’s actively working against them.
Today, more than 20 people move through our wards: Creative, Digital, Account Management, Production and Administration. Different disciplines, different expertise, one operating table. Every case gets the attention it deserves.
We don’t walk in with a pitch deck and a pre-written solution. We walk in with questions.
That’s where the work begins. We diagnose before we prescribe. We question before we create. Because without understanding the real problem, even the best prescription is just guessing in a white coat.
We ask what's broken before we say what's next.
The practice, in the order it actually happened.
Every story starts somewhere. For Design Surgery, it started with two people, a shared ambition and the courage to build something of their own. With its doors officially opened, the journey began.
As we grew, so did the precision of our craft. The market began to take notice, and our work started making its mark. At the Ideas Expo, we earned multiple awards, recognition that our creative surgery was being performed with precision, expertise and purpose.
By now, our methodology had been thoroughly tested and refined. What began with two people had evolved into a team known for precision, creativity and flawless execution, earning us the opportunity to spearhead the BOTS50 celebrations with several flagship installations.
As more people joined the team, our operating room grew, and with it, the depth of expertise, ideas and capabilities we could bring to every case. That year, we secured one of our most iconic wins yet: the FNB Retail Marketing contract, marking a defining moment in Design Surgery’s growth.
Today, we continue to express our creative style through art, talent and expertise. The team keeps pushing the boundaries of the craft, bringing fresh thinking and precision to every case. And just as it was in the beginning, the surgeons continue to inspire, turning ideas into work that leaves a mark.
Four rules, followed in this order, on every engagement.
The order matters more than the effort. Understand the patient before you touch the instruments — that's strategy. Strategise before you create — that's the difference between a campaign and a stunt. And once it's live, stay in the room. Accountability doesn't end at launch; that's when the real monitoring starts.
None of this is process for its own sake. It's a human approach, on purpose, because the work is meant to be felt before it's measured — the kind of brand moment that outlasts the media budget behind it. That's not a slogan. It's how the team actually works, brief after brief.
Understand the brief, then research the market, audience, and competitors behind it.
Set objectives, KPIs, creative direction, budget, and a timeline.
Develop and present concept options, then refine based on feedback.
Build the assets, plan the media, and take the campaign live.
Track performance in real time and adjust to meet the KPIs.
Deliver results and recommendations, then take client feedback into the next round.
Design Surgery is home to leading experts across our fields, based in Gaborone and working across Botswana. Send us what you want to achieve and we'll schedule your initial consultation.
GABORONE, BOTSWANA
MON – FRI, 08:00 – 17:00 CAT
INFO@DESIGNSURGERYBW.COM