This chapter outlines a case for design ability being viewed as a fundamental form of human intelligence. It begins by noting the shifts in perspective in design research beginning around 1980, away from reforming design processes towards acknowledging the natural strengths of design thinking. The concept of design as a form of intelligence is based on Gardner’s ‘theory of multiple intelligences’. The premise of the concept is that there are sufficient significant features embedded in design thinking that, taken together, they constitute a form of intelligence that is different from, but comparable with, Gardner’s other six forms of intelligence. The chapter reviews the nature of design intelligence, and draws upon neurological research that identifies cognitive functions that are essential to design ability. It concludes by identifying some of the progress that has been made in understanding its key cognitive components that establish the case for considering design as a form of intelligence.