I'm not a designer, but I've lived and worked in 3 different continents with both proprietary and open source software, and find my appreciation and idea of what "good design" is has changed with my experience and exposure. As I moved from software development to community outreach and marketing, I learn more about how design affects every aspect of the product and promotion. To top it off, I've encountered many different understanding of what openness is, especially when related to design. In this presentation I'd like to share some observations and lessons learned, and hope it can help designers, especially open source designers, navigate and negotiate the diversity in cultures and expectations.