What is design?

After thinking long and hard about this question, I decided to check the dictionary that was sitting on my desk and see what Webster’s dictionary had to say on the matter.  And after reading a very long, eight part definition that ranged from design is “a particular purpose held in view by an individual or group” to design is “the creative art of executing aesthetic or functional designs,” I came to the conclusion that not even it would be able to help me with this question.  While all of those definitions do accurately describe the term, they just don’t quite seem like enough to define design.  Design is such a broad term that affects so many aspects of our lives that it is difficult to put into words what exactly design is.  Design is in almost everything around us from the layout of an apartment to something as simple as a water bottle, design is part of it all.  In class last week we were asked if design was a noun or a verb, and the reality is its both.  Depending on its usage, design can be considered either a noun or a verb.  You can consider the design of the new table you just bought or you can work on designing a new work of art to decorate your wall.  To me there is no definition that can completely describe what design is and the impact of it in our lives.  Design is simply design.  It’s the first thing we experience when we encounter a place or object: the design of the new restaurant that opened down the block, the design of the poster for an upcoming movie, the design of the clothing displayed in the front window of a store.