This is a slightly edited version of what I had written in response to a post titled Thinking Out Loud About Pro Bono, posted by Marie-Aline Oliver on the GDC listserv, on November 11, 2010. To my surprise, and judging by the on and off-line responses it generated, it appears this is a very important issue for designers everywhere, especially younger designers.

Calgary's Foundry Creative is working on a sustainability-themed annual report for the GDC and we want to include words from our members on how they view the topic.

All too often we designers can get caught up in a battle of egos with our clients. Raise your hand if you've ever said the following, "but the client hired US because WE'RE the experts! They should listen to us!" Yeah, me too. But here's something we can stand to be reminded of: our clients are the experts in THEIR field, and part of our job should be using that to our mutual advantage. They know their audience better than we do, and while we shouldn't allow ourselves to be made into pixel-pushers, we often have to learn how to better collaborate.

Say what you will about the value of design, but one thing is clear: no two people think exactly alike when it comes to defining the value of design itself. And if the question of defining the value of design sounds like a simple one, let me assure you - you're dead wrong. It's not just about dollars and cents..

It seems every other week, a web designer tells me the jig is up, my days as a print designer are numbered. Didn't you hear? About this thing called the internets? It's going to make print design obsolete. Some days, amid facebook and twitter and the increasing amount of time I spend online, I worry they're right.

The entrepreneur who picks a logo off the shelf to use, solely because it appeals to himself or herself, is more likely to fail in business than the entrepreneur that engages in a full design process. This isn't just because self-reflection can sometimes be a smokey mirror. A full design process can be defined many ways, but for this post, lets say it is is one with research, symmetrical communication between the organization and its stakeholders, and sound design thinking with evaluation. Designers know the value of the design - but how can this value be articulated and understood by those outside of the industry? How do you define the value of design?

How do you balance the sit-at-desk nature of design work with the need for physical activity in your day-to-day life? Personally, I go for walks at lunch, and sometimes I'll do the 4 kilometer walk home. If I'm lucky, I'll get some tennis in - but there doesn't seem to be a lot of time for that...

The focus of this post is the metamorphosis of a few industries that have gone under the unforgiving microscope of the internet: how would their business model succeed when the physics of their media shifted? What role does design have when entire industries lose their footing and have to re-establish themselves?