Of course this is what the Dock is for. I'm not saying you CAN'T plaster icons all over the desktop if you want to, just that you don't HAVE to do that.
For example, if you put the Applications folder into the right side of the Dock (which automatically creates an alias, the actual folder doesn't go anywhere) and right-click to change the icon back to a folder (it wants to do a "Stack" by default), voila, you now have one-click access to EVERY application you own!.
The left side of the Dock is completely customizable too (except for the Finder icon, that doesn't move and always stays on). Top your top dozen or so must-used apps there, remove the ones Apple put there if you like, make it your own.