This paper addresses the fact that design and project, although related, are not conceptually identical. It is pointed out that nowadays both terms are loosely employed even in technical and scientific environments, and that in the Portuguese language spoken in Brazil this fact is made worse by confusions created when translating from English texts. In order to make their point, the authors lead the reader through a brief account of the recent evolution of definitions for both terms in national and international standards related to quality. Finally, it is remarked that both terms stand at the same level when related to the concept of process