I think Richard addresses the importance of the roles of the individual people. His novel point is as the title suggests, that the role of _the thing designed_

I think Richard addresses the importance of the roles of the individual people. His novel point is as the title suggests, that the role of _the thing designed_ is far too often overlooked. Consider the terms Lisp-y or Pythonic. It is a strange quality which seems to lie outside ourselves, yet we somehow comprehend it. It may not even be real, but I think the essay highlights the powerful yet (often) unnoticed affect it has on human creativity.