What a debt we owe to Michael Bierut for advocating for us designers, and proving that the design's role in our culture and surroundings is one of importance and prominence.
To say that as designers we have a responsibility to the people we work with, and that we have power as agents of change is indeed an understatement.
In the following interview, given by AIGA Phily, Pentagram partner Michael Bierut discusses this in the context of the global economic climate, the proliferation of forces like "Target" and their ability to democratize design in today’s culture. He is also asked to comment on IBM’s Watson’s idea that “Good design is good business.”
If you had any doubts about the collective influence of the design discipline, take a listen to one of today's foremost thinkers on the subject.

