Design's roles

(image credit: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/ )
Is design important as an element of commerce, or are there other ways to conceive of design's role?

Design has become an important element of commerce, yes, but there are other ways to conceive of design's role, thought commerce may be it's main and most obvious role.  Design has been integrated so much into the world of commerce and commercial art that it's hard to think that it can be anything else. But it can and is!

When people think of "design," they think "designers" and when they think designers, they think fashion and everything related to fashion and big name brands, such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, etc.  The designs they release into the world run right alongside that of commerce and commercial products, no doubt. But to some extent, that's just the stereotypical role of design.  Design can do so much more, since design IS so much more than that.  That's why, for example, the University of California, Davis, offers more than just "fashion" as an emphasis in design.  There's the visual communication, the interior design, and the exhibition aspects of design.  Each emphasis represents another role of design.  Some may have more overlaps with it's commercial role, but design is not entirely about commerce.

The ways we can conceive of design's role relates directly to what we ask design to do. If we do not know what we want design to do, then we cannot recognize the roles design has.  Whatever we ask design to do, it does.