The purpose of this paper is to report on an investigation into pupil beliefs about designers and designing conducted as part of a research project focusing on Designerly Activity in Secondary Design and Technology which builds upon a pilot study (Barlex and Trebell in "Int J Technol Design Educ," 2007). Four research questions drove this element of the study: (a) What do pupils believe designers do? (b) What do pupils believe about the knowledge and skills designers must possess? (c) What do pupils believe designers are like? (d) What do pupils believe about the design decisions made by the designer of a given product? This paper compliments the work of Welch et al. ("Designing the future: The design and technology association international research conference 2006," University of Wolverhampton, Telford, 2006) relating to student beliefs about designers and designing by drawing on some elements of the research design to inform this study. Pupil responses to questions relating to the role of the designer, what designers are like and what designers need to know are in line with the findings of Welch et al. ("Designing the future: The design and technology association international research conference 2006," University of Wolverhampton, Telford, 2006) in their study of elementary students beliefs about designers and designing with both studies concluding that the qualities ascribed to the designer are positive and non-stereotypical--they can be young or old, female or male.