Solving the Design Paradox: Budgets Come from the Top Down, But Design Happens from the Bottom Up

In my last post, I told you that to make great design happen, you have to follow the money. There are many companies--Dyson, BMW, Nike and OXO come to mind--that have design in their DNA. And more companies are getting into design as fast as I can type. New direction setting for design is often initiated top down.

For example, Bob Ulrich, the CEO of Target, recognized design as an opportunity to compete against Walmart. He established a mantra--"Trend right, guest-focused and...