Creativity and innovation

Creativity is part of human intelligence but, in design, creativity is sometimes confused with innovation. But a distinction can be made in that creativity is about idea generation whereas innovation also involves the practical matters of idea implementation ("putting ideas to work"), and typically in a business or technology context, from products and services to methods and processes. In this sense, innovation is market- or technology-driven creativity that carries follow-through responsibility and organisational and commercial risks involving many stakeholders. In other words, having an idea is necessary but not sufficient for innovation.

Ideation culture

Coming up with a great idea is often seen as the most important step in design and innovation. But more than generating ideas, designers need the ability to communicate their ideas to project teams and other stakeholders, including management, developers, and users. Moreover, in order to realise their ideas, designers need to create an ideation culture where stakeholders engage in activities which support and promote innovation. For example, Thesis Couture, a US footwear design firm, brought together a team of experts, including a rocket scientist, an orthopedic surgeon, and a fashion technologist, to redesign the stiletto shoe replacing the traditional metal rod in the heel with one made of mouldable plastic. Such a cross-domain ideation culture highlights designers' relationship to industry that goes beyond issues of aesthetics, to give them a role in the application of new materials and technology.