Abstract

Designers may believe they influence the outcome of a design including important environmental issues and sustainability to varying degrees as their thought process moves from rough concepts towards a final outcome, yet any design is already heavily influenced by the client and their perceived need(s) before the designer is even considered or approached. Design thinking begins with a brief and ends with an outcome whereby the designer is managing the process in between, however a key issue of design management is framed by whom or what is directing design and where the designer is placed in this play of forces as a compliant or resistant subject. How do designers think about themselves? Design suggests a thought process has taken place to address a problem and provide a creative solution or outcome. Does the term creative suggest a different approach to the thought process for the designer when in design mode and is creative thinking enough? If design is the link between art and science, where both borrow from nature then should design thinking not model itself on nature and therefore evolution or natural development? To achieve this designers have to become leaders and not service providers, they have to become reflective and creative thinkers, proactive and re-directive. Making critical design decisions that continuously question their role and responsibility at every level of design they must determine the real problem through solution risk mapping not the perceived problem and provide the optimum solution from every aspect of human behaviour through concept risk mapping and understand the future impact of the optimum solution through virtual risk mapping of the impact upon the environment or lack of and how the design fits into our overall lifestyles.