Visual Communication

I have been thinking about the statement "Design is not about the visual". I understand the thought process that social literacy needs to take precedence over aesthetic literacy... we truly do need to become more aware of our culture. So where does that leave designers? should art majors be eliminated from universities? if we are not being innovative, or creative independently, would it be more efficient to have to pick a different, non-art concentration from the beginning of school, and study and learn about the different aspects and needs that could be addressed there? How much of the aesthetic do we compromise, when visual communication carries an equal weight to verbal?