What is design?

I think about this question all the time. Design is many things. Design makes the invisible visible. A good designer can sit in a room and synthesize diverse opinions into real, tangible output. Design is exploration. Design explores the opportunity space and playground of ideas. Design is how it works. Like Steve said, design is not just the way something looks, but how the function forms an experience. Design is the details. A single detail may seem insignificant, but a finished design represents the sum of hundreds of tiny decisions. Design is deciding. Whether or not you hire a designer, somebody is making choices that become design. Design makes things better. Done correctly, design should materially improve its subject. Design is quality. Quality is intrinsic, valuable, and understood by the end user. Design is care. The best design comes from those who care the most. Design is not giving up. Pushing past the obvious. Finding the second, the third, and the fourth idea. Mixing and remixing until the details come together. Design is obvious. Ironically, the best designs feel inevitable. Design is desire. It has a soul, a vibe, and energy. Design should make you feel something. Design is resolution. The elements must become cohesive in the end. Design is divisive. If you want people to love something, other people will hate it. Design offers something for people to attach to. Design is optimism. Designers implicitly believe something can always become better. While some accept the status quo, a designer should see endless possibilities. Design is a multiplier. Add design to make other processes better. Design is everywhere. Every shoe, tire, roof shingle, and chair had a designer. It can be good, bad, ugly, cruel, or plain, but it was designed by someone. Design is hard. The best ideas sometimes require the most iteration, persistence, and sweat to uncover. Design is misunderstood. Some think of design like a coat of paint. Leaders struggle to measure the value of design. Even the best engineers can find design frustrating. These same people will pay $$$ for luxury cars and watches designed with care, detail, and taste. Design is distinct. Used correctly, design can set a business apart in the marketplace. Design is invisible. Great design is often unseen to the untrained eye.

If you think about design like I do, we should talk.