It seems almost to obvious to state but there are a few misconceptions that plague both leaders and designers frequently. One comes in the form of something like “design isn’t just about being pretty”. The other is heard when someone says something like “it just needs to work, I not care if it looks nice”.

Both neglects the value of inner and outer design work which creates the end results of an idea which is experienced by another person.

Design is intent articulated and executed.

Much of my work has been in both sphere the of the inner and outer design work. The internal design work is the challenging thinking, and external design is communicating the intended solution to others.

Design is a broad term. It means both creating intent and the execution of that intent. There is design and designing. Without context design can be so broad that it doesn’t mean much. And there are so many forms and sub-fields of design that it can be overwhelming.

At it’s core, design is about solving problems and communicating their solutions, it’s the pair of this internal and external work that make design what it is.