Design with a Capital D

The first article in a series with Uncommon’s Chief Design Officer Lisa Smith on why design is a driving force in brand, business, and culture.

Design is power.

Not a finishing touch or aesthetic flourish, but a force of strategy, scale, and influence. It’s why we choose one brand over another. Why we believe one message and ignore the rest. Design doesn’t just make things look good–it shapes belief. It builds businesses. It sparks movements.

And yet, for all its power, design is still too often misunderstood and underused. We treat it like decoration, something ornamental rather than fundamental.

I came to design because it felt limitless. At university, I explored every form I could: publication, packaging, spatial, digital, exhibition. Each one revealed new possibilities, new ways of communicating ideas and emotion. And when I graduated, that sense of potential only grew. Suddenly, design wasn’t just in the studio–it was everywhere.

Working in-house at Chobani, I saw firsthand how transformative design can be. It didn’t just support the business, it changed it. It fueled growth, shifted perception, and helped redefine the category. At Apple, design is equally core. It’s not confined to packaging or product, it’s in everything they do. That’s why every product proudly bears the words: Designed in California. There, design isn’t a surface-level detail. It’s a philosophy. A worldview. A driver of value.

But here’s a hard truth: despite its proven impact, the design industry often plays it small. We judge work by personal taste rather than measurable impact. We obsess over fonts while ignoring bold ideas. We compete with one another when we should be collaborating. Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost sight of what design is truly for: to move people, shift culture, and change outcomes.

Because when design is done right, it doesn’t just make things prettier. It makes things happen. It builds emotional connections. It makes brands famous. It drives results.

And yet mediocrity has crept in. “Blanding” is everywhere. The industry has become saturated with sameness. Across categories and continents, brands are becoming indistinguishable. Distinctiveness is disappearing. And with it, the standards we once held ourselves to are starting to slip.

Today I will step into the role of President of D&AD, one of the most iconic creative organizations in the world. It’s a huge honor. But it also comes with a question that’s been keeping me up at night: How do we protect creative excellence in an age of algorithmic design and disposable ideas? How do we demand more–from ourselves, from our peers, from the next generation?

D&AD has always stood for more than just “design and art direction.” Today, it represents creativity across every discipline. It’s a global benchmark for brilliance, and its Black Pencil remains the hardest creative award in the world to win–for good reason.

Earlier this year, I sat on a design jury and heard comments that made me pause: “I don’t like the font.” “I’ve seen this before.” “I could have done it better.”

And with those words, great work was dismissed. But in the Graphic Design category, I witnessed something different. The jury president fought to bring back a piece that had been overlooked. That work went on to win a Black Pencil. It reminded me just how much leadership matters in our industry. Design juries, award shows, and critique sessions cannot be filled with safe choices or small thinking. That’s not how we raise the bar. That’s not how we evolve.

Perhaps I’m speaking most directly to graphic designers–the people behind visual identities, brand systems, and storytelling. But this is bigger than graphic design. Design is everywhere. It’s in the digital tools we use, the products we rely on, the systems we navigate daily.

Design isn’t just influence, it’s infrastructure. It shapes behavior, guides decision-making, and molds culture. At Uncommon, we see design the same way: not as a bolt-on, not as a “nice to have,” but as central to our offering and embedded in our culture. It’s in everything we do. And business that hasn’t realized that critical truth is behind.

From the logos that earn our trust to the user experiences that define our daily routines, design guides what we buy, what we believe, and how we feel. It’s the difference between forgettable and iconic. Between ignored and irresistible. Between invisible and unmissable.

Which brings us back to responsibility.

Our industry doesn’t need more design–it needs braver design. We need to raise our standards, not lower them. To champion originality over imitation. To embrace generosity, not gatekeeping. We need more ambition, less ego. More courage, less compromise.

Because Design with a capital D is not a commodity. It’s a force for clarity, beauty, change, and progress. It’s not just what we make, it’s how we make meaning. And it’s up to us to ensure it remains as limitless as it’s always been.