Design both as a profession and as a creative activity is not well understood. This has a great deal to do with the narrow base of knowledge of most commentators, but also reflects a general lack of comprehension about the role of the creative economy in the 21st century.
Ron Burnett, in a post on Apple’s use of design: The Magic Of Apple Is Really About The Magic Of Design. He chides those who tend to reduce design to a craft or to something associated only or mainly with architecture or engineering.
For me, Design is about knowledge, knowledge production and the integration of knowledge into every aspect of how a company, community and learning institution works. Design is very much about putting intelligence into objects (see the work of James Dyson) as well as brokering relationships among creative people, entrepreneurs, outputs and audiences.
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