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Following evidence of its positive contribution to innovation and company performance, many firms are seeking to elevate design to a strategic level. However, little is known as to how this can be achieved. This study draws on the literatures concerned with elevating organizational functions and with organizational legitimacy, and aims to unravel and detail critical practices and potential tensions influencing the elevation of design's status in firms. To do so, 53 in‐depth interviews were undertaken with key informants, representing a range of functional specialisms, in 12 companies, including large multinational companies as well as small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Findings show how six practices—top management support, leadership of the design function, generating awareness of design's role and contribution, interfunctional coordination, evaluation of design, and formalization of product and service …