Advice written for the startup set often brings up the issue of missionaries versus mercenaries- basically that investors want to know that the people they are investing in believe deeply in solving the problem, rather than believe deeply that they will someday cash out in a sweet exit deal.

The thinking here is that money is a poor motivating force, and that given the choice, go with the missionaries because their commitment to the idea will carry them through the bad times.

As with most business writing, this is a neat little simplification that is true but misleading in it’s omission.

When it comes to design, you need mercenaries.

A quick list of companies with acclaimed design and the mercenaries they worked with to get there:

Apple : frog design, IDEO

Beats: Ammunition

Nest: Bould Design

Fitbit: New Deal Design

Mercenaries don’t fall in love with the mission, and contrary to popular opinion, they don’t fall in love with the money either.

They are in love with the thrill of the fight and the joy of victory. They want to keep challenging themselves with new battles in diverse locales. New companies benefit from these well-rounded perspectives of seasoned designers.

Here’s what mercenaries bring to the table:

1. They are willing to tell you when something sucks.

2. They are willing to tell anyone when something sucks, whether it’s coming from an intern or a founder.

3. They have a great collection of weirdo knowledge that can only come from real, lived experience. They have picked up unusual and effective tactics along the way.

4. They show that design is bigger world and a bigger word than you think. They take a panoramic view when everyone else is looking at the problem through a microscope.

5. They inspire. They have been around, worked on big and small projects and lived to tell about it. It gives new hires someone to look up to who is rooted deeply in design and has figured out how to translate the theory into real world practice over the long term.