Here is a selection of my students' thoughts on how to define design:
Design is a solution to a problem that also evokes some kind of emotional response, whether positive or negative, while still providing function. It differs from art, which evokes emotion without necessarily solving a problem or being functional. Design does not need to be attractive in order to be successful. -Nikki Stapleton
The question prompts another; “what isn’t design?” Everything in our hyper-conscious world is designed: the computers on which we work and play, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the houses in which we live. We might say that design is anything that affects our lives, except that I can name things that affect my life and could not be considered design, like garbage, pollution, disease. So how does design differ from art or craft? Art is a response to the world in which we live, but so is architecture. Craft denotes work by hand with little aid from machines, but that can be considered a response to the world. This suggests that there is no difference between design and art or craft, but that can’t be right. Design provides something useful, while art provides that which enriches our lives. But isn’t that useful? And design enriches life as well. So…back to the question. -Elsie St. Leger
Design can be viewed as an art, since it has the potential to evoke emotion, make a statement, and convey a message, but it differs from art in the sense that there is no “design for design’s sake.” 
Contrary to the objective of “art for art’s sake,” design always has a purpose or function, and more. Art feeds the soul and sets no boundaries. Design feeds the soul, while accommodating the physical boundaries of the human form. -Ilona Birnberg
Design is the development of harmonious function into both process and product. It incorporates form and function, art and craft. Design differs from art and craft by elevating form with the integration of function, use-based objects, spaces and experience. -Sarah Muchow
Design is an outlet through which intellect may be channeled. Unlike art, design serves a purpose that has the possibility to go beyond aesthetic and intellect into the realm of physical and figurative function. -Michael HaroldImages from top: Posted by Judith Gura on September 15, 2009
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