Beyond the Buzzwords: How Strategic Foresight and Language are Expanding the Role of Design

Design is more than a coat of paint, a beautiful object, or an aesthetic choice—it’s a powerful driver of business, equity, and human success. 

Yet, far too often, the conversation about its value gets stuck on the surface.

In a recent episode of the Thrive In Design Podcast, I sat down with Cheryl Durst, Executive Vice President and CEO of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), for a deep dive into what it truly means to elevate design from a passive luxury to a strategic necessity.

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation that every design leader and manufacturer needs to understand:

1. The Language Shift: From Aesthetics to Outcomes

For design to earn its rightful place in the C-suite, we must fundamentally change the vocabulary we use. 

Cheryl, who comes from a background in journalism and economics, stressed that words matter.

The biggest disconnect in the design ecosystem is often a failure to translate design intent into business results. 

When conversations stop at "beauty" or "aesthetics," design is easily categorized as an expense or a luxury.

The Strategic Trifecta:

To build a compelling case for design's value, Cheryl advocates for designers to be proficient in communicating design as a three-legged stool:

• Art: The foundational understanding of beauty and interior environments.
• Science: The rigorous, research-based discipline that relies on data, metrics, and evidence-based principles (like in healthcare design).
• Business: The connection to the bottom line, using terms like impact, return on investment (ROI), and revenue driver.

The goal is to speak the language of outcomes, helping clients understand the measurable impact design has on human behavior, well-being, and organizational change.

2. Forecasting vs. Foresight: Designing for the Next Market

In an industry constantly chasing the next trend, Cheryl introduced a higher-level capability: Strategic Foresight.

Many are familiar with forecasting, which tends to be short-term, specific, and based on current data (like a color or trend forecast). 

Strategic Foresight, however, is a systematic, long-term discipline designed to anticipate and explore multiple futures. 

It is not about foretelling, but about analyzing a disparate set of signals—economic, social, cultural, and technological—to be proactive in decision-making.

The Manufacturer's Competitive Edge:

For product manufacturers, this capability is a game-changer. Cheryl offered a powerful example:

• The Scenario: A manufacturer is embedded in the K-12 education vertical.
• The Foresight Exercise: Combine seemingly unrelated facts:
  1. Birth rates are declining.
  2. There is a looming educator shortage.
  3. A boom is occurring in junior colleges for upskilling/reskilling older generations.
• The Outcome: The manufacturer anticipates a drastic shift in educational space needs and can proactively adjust product lines to target new cohorts (like two-year programs) and new classroom structures years before the traditional market shrinks.

Foresight gives brands more control over a preferred future by allowing them to design products and strategies for their clients' next rather than just their now.

3. Shaping a Multi-Generational and Diverse Future

The conversation wrapped on two crucial pillars of industry health:

• Intergenerational Connection: Discussing IIDA’s Industry Roundtable, Cheryl highlighted the importance of breaking out of "age cohorts." The modern workplace is multi-generational, and learning from peers—both older and younger—is essential for broader-minded, more impactful design.
• Diversifying the Pipeline: We discussed IIDA's Design Your World program, which introduces interior design as a viable, rewarding career path to under-championed, under-resourced high school students, particularly Black and brown youth. This critical initiative is playing the long game, nurturing the next generation of professionals who will bring new perspectives and experiences into the field.

To truly expand the role of design, we need to leverage this holistic view—one that connects the measurable impact of strategic language, the proactive vision of foresight, and the essential strength of diversity and human connection.

Start Your Journey

🎧 Listen to Season 9, Episode 2

Expanding the Role of Design: From Buzzwords to Better Business— available on Apple, Spotify, and Podbean.

If your brand feels active but not compounding, start here.

📊 Take the Free Spec Ready™ Assessment

Get a clear snapshot of your positioning, sales alignment, and designer understanding.

Explore at specready.co

📅 Schedule a Discovery Call

Ready for clarity beyond visibility? Book a strategy conversation with Nicole Lashae Hall.