That image has stayed with me as an expression of the design process, and over time some simple words have been added to this attempt at understanding design and its place, not many words; understanding, negotiation and, often now and in different contexts, balance.
Without balance things get out of shape, without balance things fall, one side prevails for a time then the balance swings.
The ‘balance’ between work and life, between economy and environment and the difficulty of finding a ‘balanced’ view.
A balanced view takes time to consider, needs to resist the pressure for speed and may need to express an out of step, longer term view.
I caught part of a radio programme as I was being driven into town on Christmas Eve, the line ‘’so we bought a mountain” I caught as I left the car.
Google would be needed but the pub called !
In a world oddly obsessed with youth and speed you might find the approach of ‘The Long Now’ interesting, personally and as a design future ?
“http://www.longnow.org”