Design like you've never seen it

We have two placards that flank our company logo in the open space between our elevators on the second floor of our office at One Market Street in San Francisco.

The top of each placard reads:

As I pass them each day, I often chuckle and think what if design is a verb?

• If that were true, the placard would be a directive as in, Design like you've never seen it, which would imply create something for someone else as if you have never seen what they want. My guess is that such a design would not go over very well. It reminds me of one of Emily Pilloton's early design failures where she attempted to design a solution for transporting water in Africa without involving the local residents her design was intended to satisfy.

• Actually I think Autodesk intends for design to be a noun as in, Design like you've never seen it, which implies "you ain't seen nothing like this before." Our software certainly aspires to help people imagine, design, and create a better world. Towards that end, last night we had a Design Night at the Gallery at One Market that showcased design in the public interest. The Design Night series happens on the first Thursday of each month. The exhibits on display represent designs like no others you have ever seen.

Double entendre is alive in the lab.