Design is about Clarity!

"If you think of the phrase ‘by design,’ it means the act of consciously, deliberately making a choice. And that is the essence of design. It’s not so much about thinking/making, physical/virtual, product/service, or disciplines and applications—at its core, design is about clarity and conviction born out of that clarity, as shared by Mohor Ray."

With this view of design, I would argue that design is non-negotiable for any organisation. I would also hazard a guess that most organisations, brands actually do employ design (both thinking & making), sometimes without that label and often without thinking of it as a thread that runs through the organisation. The later bit, is what leads to the fractured perception of design, and its interpretations in silos within an organisation.

The effort that is needed today, is to create a continuous stream of thought that can run across, so that clarity & conviction flows through every component of a business. And people can call it whatever they want to really :) - Design or Strategy or Mission etcetera - as long as it is a conscious choice.