So… What Is Design, Really?

Every time I ask rookie students this question, I get a confusing buffet of answers.

“Design is illustration.”

“Design means making things look attractive.”

“Design is, uh… computer graphics?”

“Creative stuff..?” 

Adorable. Misguided and age-inappropriate , but adorable.

Then we move to intermediate professionals. The vocabulary suddenly improves. Suddenly it’s all “Design is problem-solving.” Ah yes, sounds better! The holy chant of every design school manifesto. And honestly… it’s kind of overrated.

Because let’s be real: Design cannot just be problem-solving. And at the same time, design alone cannot solve a problem either.

Let me explain before someone throws an (illegally downloaded) textbook at me.

The Logo Example Everyone Loves to Misuse

So a brand walks in and wants a logo.

Immediately someone declares, “Ah! A problem to solve!”

Really?

A brand not having a logo isn’t a “problem.”

It’s not like the brand is collapsing and shouting, “HELP! I’m logo-less!”

What they actually need is a story.

A face.

A way to express who they are.

So in this case, design is storytelling.

Now, let’s flip the situation:

The same brand comes in and says they’re not getting traction or visibility.

That is an actual problem.

But will a new logo magically solve it?

Will it suddenly summon customers from the sky like unwarranted frogs?

Think again.

The brand gets traction only when the branding is used properly—right channels, right audience, right placement.

Design becomes one tool—one piece—in the much larger machine of problem-solving.

A More Useful Definition

So here’s a statement that actually works:

Design is something that helps you achieve your goal faster.

A logo helps a brand move toward visibility.

A workout app helps a user reach fitness goals with fewer brain cells lost.

A good interface helps you finish a task without cursing at your screen.

Design eases the journey.

Design improves the journey.

Design speeds up the journey.

But design alone does not magically “solve” problems by itself.

If it did, every problem in the world would be fixed with a nicer gradient.

And Now… The Ape

People say money is a universal problem solver.

Sure. But give a bag of money to an ape and see what happens.

Its biggest problem probably sounds like:

“Argh, that banana has come back again!”

Money won’t help.

The ape does not care.

This is exactly what happens when we declare “design is problem-solving” without context.

We think from the designer’s perspective alone.

We forget the “ape”—the user, the audience, the system, the environment.

Context makes a problem a problem.

Design only works when it fits into that context.

So What Is Design?

If you strip away the hype, the slogans, the fancy definitions:

Design is the accelerator—not the engine.

It pushes, guides, and sharpens—but it doesn’t replace the system.

It doesn’t replace strategy.

It doesn’t replace purpose.

It helps you get where you want… faster.

And that, honestly, is more than enough.