“I think as designers we realize design is a signal of intention, but it also has to occur within a world and we have to understand that world in order to imbue our designs with inherent intelligence.” – William McDonough

Watch architect and designer William McDonough’s TED Talk “The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle” for his thoughts on designing for the complete product lifecycle.

1. We should treat design as a verb, a process, a way of creating positive change in the world
2. To succeed in the ever changing design world, we need to have a strong passion for what we do
3. Designers understand the interrelationships that factor into success or failure
4. Designers are gifted with a certain perspective of the world that can cause much frustration and wonderment
5. Designers should vow to produce things that are meaningful additions to the world