… and so begins a really awesome post on the tinygigantic blog, regarding the expansion of the definition of design and a more inclusive approach to the creative community in general. Here’s an excerpt (but check out the whole article if you have a minute–its worth a read):

Design is not the making of posters and logos and brochures and websites. It’s not title sequences and motion graphics. It’s a way of doing which can be defined as making things that solve problems.
Here’s how it goes:
-You figure out what the problem is
-You figure out other ways to frame the problem
-You come up with a sh*tload of ideas
-You test a few of them out
-You decide what solves the problem and what doesn’t
-You refine it and make something dope

The comments also mentioned an apt quote from Saul Bass regarding his approach to a new design project (from a 1989 Communication Arts interview):

“A client comes to you with a definition of the problem, or ideas about what they want to accomplish. Sometimes they have a sophisticated view of it, sometimes they don’t. I find myself frequently spending time with the client redefining the problem, backing up, going back to the beginning. Not infrequently the “problem” turns out to be the “symptom.” You have to sometimes move back, in order to move forward to really understand what the nature of the solution should be.”