[Sigia-l] Apple's success [was: Design(ers)]

[Trenouth, John]

> If I wanted to refer to STRATEGY alone, I would have used that word. I
said 
> DESIGN STRATEGY precisely because I wanted to emphasize the
relationship between
> those two words. 

I know.  But merely using the word "design" in proximity to "strategy"
simply isn't enough.  And claimin that a decade's old product management
strategy (such as Apple's whole product approach) is *design strategy*
and that it proves the power of design strategy is irredeemably weak. 

Not that I disagree with your premise that prudent, thoughtful design
can be enormously powerful in the business strategy world.  I simply
disagree with your evidence.  Its weak to the point of
misrepresentation.  Such evidence is counter productive to our moumental
task of raising the design discipline to a core strategic level in the
c-suites' esteem.   

> If you still think design is about color theory and such, there
> isn't much of a common ground for us to argue further over this.

Ha!  Well I know I've touched a sensitive nerve when Ziya starts setting
up strawmen to flail about with; something he frequently likes to accuse
others of (ah delicious irony).  Flail away sir!

> Don't know about the rest, but by the time that book first came out I
already
> had more than a decade-old design/strategy career.

I would definitely expect a more nuanced and critical perspective of
someone with, ostensibly, over a quarter century of design/strategy
experience.  

> Incidentally, if it interests you, you might want to read up on, for
lack of
> a better phrase, "design as business strategy."

Oh thank you.  I hadn't thought of that... "Design as business strategy"
you say... interesting notion.  Nah, I'll just go back to my colored
pencils.

-- john