The author discusses the duality of design thinking which arises from the major educational divide of arts and sciences and ascribes to this some of the reasons for our poor industrial performance, particularly in translating innovative ideas into profitable international exports. He sees design as an essentially integrating activity where objective and subjective values need to be synthesised. He discusses briefly some of the categories of products broadly within the electrical field together with design problems which arise, particularly those of identity. He sees the ultimate creative and synthesising activity as a development in management where the present divisions in understandings and operation are reconciled within an integrated design strategy.