Design is often used as a noun, “I will do a design for you” is common. However, when you think about it, design is not just a thing, an end product, it is a process of moving from an idea, through iterations, to a final form.
It is a verb.
“To design” should be a verb to be valued. Steve Jobs knew that, and executed on it, and as a result Apple became for a while, the most valuable corporation in the world, starting from the position of basket case.
“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works” Steve Jobs.
The “how it works” phrase implies not just that the product itself works in ways that deliver great value, but that the way it works is in sync with the mind of the customer.
Need to better define how your customers mind works?
Chances are the experience of the StrategyAudit team can help.
StrategyAudit 
Excellent observation. Nice post, Allen.
Thanks Lyn.Spread the word!!
Agreed, design is a verb, a “doing” word. Rural by Design are the actions required to design country. It fits well with “Action Management”
John,
Several of the conversations we have had were in my mind as i wrote this, and the previous post on design doing.
Unless we hypothesize, experiment, rethink, and go again, we will get nowhere. My fundamental concern in relation to agriculture is the disconnect between the “Agriculture is one of the boom industries post mining” verbiage that is emerging, and the reality on the ground.
To my mind, the institutional barriers to agricultural success, weather it be by large scale operations, or small urban agriculture are huge, and whilst I see evolving concern at the barriers, I see little in the way of remedies emerging.