The term 'Design' is often used extremely liberally in a variety of contexts. That is partially the subjective beauty of the term, that its' meaning spans a broad ranges of practises and trades. However, that is also the part that tends to need context to further describe a personal role in the action of designing.

I refer to myself as a designer. One who designs, who solves, who communicates, who creates. All of these things, and design is a term that I can use that applies to all of those actions and spans across a number of fields. While my trade by day is Graphic Design, I would call myself a designer, for my job is not solely limited to printed matters. This is all referring to the Design (with a capital D) as the practise, or being of Design (though design itself does not have existence. Another topic for another post.)

Design as an act is an entirely different matter and one that is used without refrain too often. As a designer, I commit a certain amount of knowledge in the execution of a piece. For example, I design a poster by setting type, choosing images, selecting color, creating composition, and so forth. I design a brand by finding the tools necessary to communicate through an audience, then form them to be most effective using a lot of actions I used in the sentence prior. I design a chair by creating the form, molding the features, and accentuating the spatial nuances. These are examples of design. Designing is not choosing the color of a hub, design is not taking pre-existing graphics and changing the type to say another company, and design is not art. Design takes more insight and process than simply choosing color or 'stealing' artwork created by someone else. Someone who thinks they are designing without any actual knowledge of the practise they are executing is fooling themselves and casting a poor light on Design. I personally am very wary of saying I have designed anything that has not solely been created by me. In my office, projects can be handed to various individuals throughout the creation. I can not say that I designed these pieces. They are not my idea, and I am working from pieces that have been created by someone else. My voice is only a part, and unless my voice is by far the loudest in the process, then 'I' have not designed it. 'We,' the design team have. Another example is I even become wary of people who 'design' shoes saying they design them. They really do not design anything, but choose from a list of materials and colors, and in that sense, anyone with a Nike ID account is a designer. That notion degrades design to a common level, which is not the case. Design is not something everyone can do. While some people are naturally inclined, try going to school for it, and you will learn that it is a long road of learning to become a designer.

I am personally troubled by this and am writing about it since it is my life. It is what I have chosen to do for a living, and like design, I am critical. I observe and question everything around me. This is just something that I have noticed recently, and want to expose this thought so that others may realize the differences in design. While not everyone can see the intricacies in design, or even what may be differences between ok and amazing design, the hope to create a critical, yet constructive dialogue exists.