I sat at my desk today sifting through endless pages on stocks. The market has been hurting lately. This is a great time to start investing. The last two years I have sat on the sidelines waiting for something to tell me to start clicking the mouse. I am fairly conservative with my money and I try to justify my purchases. Value. Value. Value. The amount of information available to the investor these days is mind-boggling. It's overwhelming. However, there are simple indexes which make the value of a stock understandable. They do not guarantee success, but they give you the tools to make wise decisions.

Designers tend to shy away from money issues. I have been told money doesn't mix with creativity. Maybe. What does this do for design? Design becomes less tangible because people cannot put a price tag on it. It brings the value of design down. As an investor I look for value in a company. If I was hiring a designer to work on my website I would also look for value. In an industry where there are few standards it becomes very important as a freelancer to explain your worth to a client. This means being a salesman. It is an important part of the creativity process.

Why am I so concerned about the value of design? Obviously I have a personal bias, but I also have concerns about the things being created around me. Affordable "tract housing", land-fill bound cheap plastic toasters, $9.99 "European design" nose hair clippers are all examples of products that are strictly money driven. It does not have to be this way. Design plays a valuable role in our lives and will continue to play a larger role in the experience economy. The challenge is up to designers to establish themselves as important pieces in the product cycle. Until then our services are simply overlooked as a commodity.