creativity and design thinking, what's the relationship

Chess

Often I am challenged about my approach to the relationship between creativity and design. Often I am noted for intertwining the two as if they are one in the same. Well, it's my hopes that I can establish a base, a framework of context to go from (from this day forward), so that I am not misinterpreted as it pertains to the relationship of these two ideas, and the sharing I do here on Beyond Pretty Things has value to you. To your organization. 

When I think about design, I am actually talking and thinking in the context of "design thinking" and when I am writing, or speaking I am talking in the context of design thinking, I rarely talk about design in the natural form of design, or the practice of making things. Pretty things.

For instance, when I say...

a blog about, design, innovation and rocket ships...

what I am actually saying is this... 

a blog about combining empathy, creativity and rationality to meet user needs and drive business success, innovation and designful organizations...  

So to the topic at hand... Creativity and design thinking, what's the relationship? 

It's critical that as a business builder, or one aspiring to be one, you understand this. Design thinking is quintessentially the practice of building up of ideas. Design thinking leverages empathy, CREATIVITY and rationality to arrive at solutions that meet user needs and drive business success. So as we can see here, CREATIVITY is a component of design thinking, however; it is not the totality of the idea. 

Creativity, the use of the imagination or original ideas. Creativity is one part of a triad strategy (design thinking), when used to it's capacity has the power to transform business and evoke innovation at new levels. 

Creativity - One part of the process of design thinking that leverages imagination and original ideas 
Design Thinking - The art of using empathy, CREATIVITY and rationality to meet use needs and drive business success