This paper presents a study investigating the differences between what designers and design managers say about designing and what designers do. Five datasets are analysed, labelled Samsung, Philips, Design Centre Pharmaceutical, Design Seminar, (interview designers and managers when they talk about designing) and DTRS7 (design session about designers designing). Differences between describing designing and designing are identified using a combined method of protocol analysis, word frequency count and sentiment analysis. There is significantly more Function (F) and less Structure (S) issues mentioned during describing designing than when designing. Sentiment is more positive when describing designing than when designing. Results also show that protocol analysis methods and the FBS ontology-based coding scheme can be applied to design management and descriptions of the design process as well as to designing.