Thank you for the comment, Noah!

I might ask the opposite: If designer / design as an expertise and profession could only be characterized by *skills and specific knowledge*—all of which will be obsolete at some point—doesn’t that suggest just how poorly defined it is?

I’ll add a clarification: I’m not talking about roles or job titles. Those do suggest a certain amount of craft, skill, and expertise need to do that specific job. Graphic Designer. Interaction Designer. Service Designer. UX Designer. Organizational Designer. Meeting Designer. Level Designer. These all have unique requirements, but what is the common denominator that makes them all acts of Design? I’m more interested in what it is that makes someone a Designer (capital D), regardless of where or how they practice Design (case in point: I’m currently practicing Design as a Product Manager). In this sense, I guess I’m after a more *fundamental*, constant definition; all the definitions tied to a particular craft or professional title seem to expire before too long.

Accordingly, from your list, I’d tease out those titles that will be for a time, from those that might be timeless. That, and… carpenter really gave me pause. I couldn’t figure out why until it occurred to me: Carpenter begs the question: What *kind* of person is doing the carpentry? Is this person simply a hired hand (skilled labor) or something more? An artist? An engineer? A designer? I think each of these mindsets would be evident in how that person approaches something like carpentry.

With design, there can and often is a difference between what we’re hired for and what it is we actually do. I’m trying to articulate what it is we actually do (or try to do!)—behind the pretty screens or hours spent agonizing over kerning.

To be clear: None of this is how I’d package up what Designers do for others. The intent was to create an understanding of (and language for) the quirks that I’ve seen emerge when cross-functional teams are already working with a really strong designer; as a designer, this was to articulate for myself the real—often intangible—value I bring to a project.