Design: What It Can and Cannot Do

With almost a playing field that continues to be level for products and services, the value of design in driving commerce is getting more interest beyond the traditional circle of artistes.  It seems that widespread use of the PC and advances in graphic software has sparked a love affair with creativity not just in packaging offerings but maybe, even extending to the organizational management, too.

But before designers get carried away with this newfound power, Christopher Simmons reveals where design should fit in the business plan.

More design points:

Design is the language that supports the strategy, that promotes the product, that is imagined by people, that believe in a vision.

A great logo isn’t going to make shitty product any less shitty any more than a hard worker is going to make a bad boss a better leader. In this model, the inner layers affect the outer ones, not the other way around (with the possible exception that a well-articulated brand can help employees feel pride in their organization which can, for a time, boost morale).

...  a design methodology can be useful in identifying need, discovering opportunity, developing empathy and driving innovation. 

Design, then, is at the center of another process — that of mediator between consumer and product, between message and audience.

More on this excellent piece here.

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