- A showcase of 100 design quotes to ignite your inspiration
A showcase of 100 design quotes to ignite your inspiration
Creativity is all around us – in the homes we live in, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, and the food we eat.
When you’re looking for creative inspiration, where do you turn? Do you do a quick Google search, scan Behance, or dive into Dribbble? Inspiration comes in so many shapes and sizes, but for designers often the best inspiration comes from those who’ve been there and done it before.
Let’s take a look at 100 curated quotes by some of the most creative designers in history.
01. “Everything is designed. Few things are designed well.” - Brian Reed
Brian Reed(opens in a new tab or window) is a front-end developer, musician, and self declared ‘ghostbuster’. This quote revels in the fact that everything we interact with is designed, but few things are designed properly and with thought.
Related: Generate your own quote or poem with Canva's Poem Generator.
02. “Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.” - Paul Rand
Paul Rand(opens in a new tab or window) was an American graphic designer best known for corporate logo design, like IBM and ABC. This quote brings attention to the fact that design itself is a simple idea, but the act of doing it is not as simple.
03. “Design is not for philosophy, it’s for life.” - Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake(opens in a new tab or window) is a Japanese fashion designer known for technology driven designs and exhibitions. This quote shows how important design is, and how it isn’t just an academic discipline, but a way we live our lives.
04. “Bad design is smoke, while good design is a mirror.” - Juan-Carlos Fernandez
This quote shows that bad design is misleading, and obscures the truth, while good design is reflective and truthful.
05. “Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.” - Robert L. Peters
Robert L. Peters(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer actively involved in design education. This quote puts the notion into context that design inadvertently shapes the future.
06. “Thinking about design is hard, but not thinking about it can be disastrous.” - Ralph Caplan
Ralph Caplan(opens in a new tab or window) is a design consultant, writer, and public speaker. His quote shows that design can be a daunting thing, but it must be taken seriously, and if it isn’t it will be a real detriment to society.
07. “Design is the intermediary between information and understanding.” - Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann(opens in a new tab or window) was a teacher and painter, as well as one of the most important postwar American artists. His quote paints design as the mediator, as it helps relay information to bring understanding to the masses.
08. “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” - Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was an American businessman most famous for his co-founding of Apple. This quote proves that design isn’t just a tactile or aesthetic thing, but actually functional.
09. “The alternative to good design is bad design. There is no such thing as no design.” - Adam Judge
Adam Judge is the author of two design books, ‘The Little Black Book of Design’ and ‘The Little Blue Book of Design’. This quote drives the notion home that everything is designed. No matter if it is good or bad, someone somewhere took the time to make it.
10. “Color does not add a pleasant quality to design – it reinforces it.” - Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard was a post-impressionist painter and printmaker. His quote brings to light that a design should not rely on its coloring to make it look ‘pretty’, but should be used to complement the design to its full advantage.
11. “Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.” - Joe Sparano
Joe Sparano(opens in a new tab or window) is an American graphic designer and teacher. This quote instills the idea that great design can often go unnoticed or be taken for granted because it is so effective.
12. “The dumbest mistake is viewing design as something you do at the end of the process to ‘tidy up’ the mess, as opposed to understanding it’s a ‘day one’ issue and part of everything.” - Tom Peterson
This quote brings design to the forefront, and makes it an apparent need in everyday life rather than being an afterthought and only something that makes things look nice.
13. “Technology over technique produces emotionless design.” - Daniel Mall
Daniel Mall(opens in a new tab or window) is a creative director, advisor, and band member of Four24, a Philly-based contemporary Christian band. His quote about technology and technique shows that tech cannot surpass traditional technique. Traditional technique is important in giving designs meaning.
14. “Simplicity, carried to an extreme, becomes elegance.” - John Franklin
This quote shows how simplicity, on of the most important aspects of design, can be viewed as elegant if it is used in just the right way.
15. “Design is intelligence made visible.” - Alina Wheeler
Alina Wheeler(opens in a new tab or window) is in the business of strategic imagination and brand identity. Her quote shows that design is simply a way of physically showing intelligence. Intelligence becomes something you can touch and see when you pair it with design.
16. “Creativity is to think more effectively.” - Pierre Reverdy
Pierre Reverdy was a French poet inspired by Surrealism, Dadaism, and Cubism. His idea portrayed in this quote is that being creative not only a way of thinking, it is the smartest way.
17. “Nail the basics first, detail the details later.” - Chris Anderson
Chris Anderson’s quote shows the importance of a solid base idea. If you don’t start with a strong idea, no amount of embellishments will make it a good one.
18. “Art is solving problems that cannot be formulated before they have been solved. The shaping of the question is part of the answer.” - Piet Hein
Piet Hein(opens in a new tab or window) was a Danish architect, mathematician, and poet. His quote shows that design is all about problem solving, and that the problem must be looked at closely and fully understood before an answer can be reached.
19. “The function of design is letting design function.” - Micha Commeren
Micha Commeren(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer from Amsterdam. His quote about design drives home the fact that design must function in order to serve its purpose.
20. “A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.” - Paul Rand
Paul Rand(opens in a new tab or window) was an American graphic designer who specialized in corporate logos. He believed that logos needed to have a strong backbone, and that the logo itself could not be the backbone.
21. “Art is the only place you can do what you like. That’s freedom.” - Paula Rego
Paula Rego is a Portuguese visual artist who is known for her prints and paintings inspired by storybooks. Her quote shows that with art, you can express yourself however your heart desires.
22. “Love blinds us. Don’t love anything – an idea, a tool, a graphic, a technique, a technology, a client or a colleague – too much.” - Adam Judge
Adam Judge is the author of two design books, ‘The Little Black Book of Design’ and ‘The Little Blue Book of Design’. He points out the fact that we shouldn’t get too attached to anything in the art world, because it is ever changing and we shouldn’t rely on a crutch.
23. “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risk, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.” - Mary Lou Cook
Mary Lou Cook was an actress, singer, and dancer. This quote on creativity leaves no stones unturned, and encourages everyone to live life to the fullest in everything we do.
24. “Everything is design. Everything!” - Paul Rand
Paul Rand(opens in a new tab or window) was an American designer most well known for his logos. This quote, one of his many, shows that everything is designed – no matter what it is. The homes we live in, the products we buy, the cars we drive, the list goes on and on.
25. “When you are stuck, walk away from the computer and draw. It will teach you how to see.” - Gerard Huerta
Gerard Huerta(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer and letterform creator. His message about getting away from the computer helps us see that we can’t always rely on technology. We need to get traditional from time to time and rediscover what design is really about.
26. “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” - Mark Twain
Mark Twain was an American author. This quote relies on the importance of imagination, and how if we aren’t imaginative we won’t see wonderful ideas.
27. “Every great design begins with an even better story.” - Lorinda Mamo
Lorinda Mamo(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer and creative director. Her quote brings to attention that design relies on a story, and without a great story, you can’t have great design.
28. “The life of a designer is a life of fight: fight against the ugliness.” - Massimo Vignelli
Massimo Vignelli(opens in a new tab or window) was an Italian minimalist designer. His quote shows that designers are constantly trying to make things beautiful, and we must eliminate the ugly things one at a time.
29. “Design is thinking made visual.” - Saul Bass
Saul Bass(opens in a new tab or window) was an American graphic designer and filmmaker. This quote relays the fact that design is a thought process, and the final thoughts are seen in the final design.
30. “Accessible design is good design.” - Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer is an American businessman and former CEO of Microsoft. His quote on design points out that if your design is accessible to the masses, it serves no purpose.
31. “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Antoine de Saint-Exupery was a French writer and poet. His quote shows that design is a complicated process, and that we often over embellish things.
32. “The ultimate inspiration is the deadline.” - Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Bushnell(opens in a new tab or window) is an American engineer and entrepreneur. This quote shows what all designers despise most, but how it encourages us to work.
33. “An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.” - Dr. Edwin Land
Dr. Edwin Land was a physicist, scientist, and inventor (he invented the Polaroid camera). His quote about creativity serves as a comfort, and lets us know it’s okay to fail. In order to be creative, we will fail, but we can’t fear it otherwise it will hinder us.
34. “Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.” - Jeffrey Zeldman
Jeffrey Zeldman(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer, author, and podcaster. His quote gives true meaning to design, and sets it apart from what people uneducated on the subject view it to be. Design needs substance, decor does not.
35. “Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” - Charles Eames
Charles Eames(opens in a new tab or window) was an American designer who made major contributions to architecture and furniture. His quote on design points out the the fact that design serves a purpose and accomplishes a goal.
36. “Design is in everything we make, but it’s also between those things. It’s a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy.” - Erik Edigard
Erik Adigard is a designer and media based artist. His quote takes on a deeper investigation into design, and shows how far it really goes.
37. “Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.” - Charles Eames
Charles Eames(opens in a new tab or window) was an American designer who worked with architecture and furniture. This quote proves that design is a solution for a problem.
38. “Graphic design will change the world right after rock and roll does.” - David Carson
David Carson(opens in a new tab or window) is an American art director, designer, and surfer. He is comparing design to rock and roll, which is a great compliment. Rock and roll was a pivotal point in music history, and impacted many all over the world, just like design will.
39. “I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.” - Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury(opens in a new tab or window) is an American fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery fiction author. This quote is inspiring, because to be so full of wonderful ideas that you start everyday fresh and alert because of them is a great way to live.
40. “Design is so simple. That’s why it is so complicated.” - Paul Rand
Paul Rand(opens in a new tab or window) was an American designer most well known for his corporate logos. Here he is talking about design as a construct, how it in itself is simple, but the act and execution is complicated.
41. “There is only one type of designer – the type that cares about type.” - Rohan Nanavati
Rohan Nanavati(opens in a new tab or window) is an art director at Roar Studios in India. His quote addresses how important typography is to design, and how it shouldn’t be an afterthought.
42. “Typography needs to be audible. Typography needs to be felt. Typography needs to be experienced.” - Helmut Schmid
Helmut Schmid(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer and typographer. His quote about typography shows that it isn’t just about pretty letters, but creating a feeling with those letters and phrases.
43. “It is no secret that the real world in which the designer functions is not the world of art, but the world buying and selling.” - Paul Rand
Paul Rand(opens in a new tab or window) was an American graphic designer most well known for his logos. This quote is a declaration that while design is art, it serves an economical purpose.
44. “When people say, ‘I don’t get art’...that means art is working.” - John Maeda
John Maeda(opens in a new tab or window) is a Japanese-American designer, computer scientist, and author. His quote about art is that art isn’t straightforward, and not everyone will appreciate its complexities.
45. “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.” - Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser(opens in a new tab or window) is one of the most well known designers in the United States, famous for his I Love NY image. This quote shows that you don’t want to just get by with alright design, you should want to dazzle with your work.
46. “You can have an art experience in front of Rembrandt…or in front of a piece of graphic design.” - Stefan Sagmeister
Stefan Sagmeister(opens in a new tab or window) is a New York based graphic designer and photographer. He is comparing design to classic pieces of art, and giving credibility to both.
47. “It’s through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good.” - Paula Scher
Paula Scher(opens in a new tab or window) is an American graphic designer, painter, and educator. Her quote suggests that mistakes are a part of living. You need to make them in order to change.
48. “Digital design is like painting, except the pain never dries.” - Neville Brody
Neville Brody(opens in a new tab or window) is a London born graphic designer. His quote suggests that when we design digitally, it never feels quite complete.
49. “Socrates said, “Know thyself.” I say, “Know thy users.” And guess what? They don’t think like you do.” - Joshua Brewer
Joshua Brewer(opens in a new tab or window) is a graphic designer based in San Francisco. His quote suggests that you should consider others when designing, because not everyone thinks in the same manner.
50. “I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares, as opposed to ugly things. That’s my intent.” - Saul Bass
Saul Bass(opens in a new tab or window) was an American graphic designer and filmmaker. His quote about creating beautiful things for himself is inspiring. He doesn’t care if anyone else needs it, he’s creating it for him.
51. “I strive for two things in design: simplicity and clarity. Great design is born of those two things.” - Lindon Leader
Lindon Leader(opens in a new tab or window) is a graphic designer, and the creator of the award-winning FedEx logo. This quote is informative, and tells you two of the most important things in design.
52. “It is far easier to build something new than to rework someone else’s attempt.” - Adam Judge
Adam Judge is the author of two design books, ‘The Little Black Book of Design’ and ‘The Little Blue Book of Design’. This quote informs you that you should always try to be original and come up with innovative ideas, rather than recycle others’ ideas.
53. “Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up.” - Tate Linden
Tate Linden(opens in a new tab or window) is an American branding and strategy expert. His quote on design shows that successful design doesn’t have to come to an end, it can continue on and continue being informative.
54. “Design cannot rescue failed content.” - Edward R. Tufte
Edward R. Tufte(opens in a new tab or window) is a statistician, artist, and professor at Yale University. This quote informs us that if your story isn’t great, no amount of design can save it.
55. “Good design encourages a viewer to want to learn more.” - Alexander Isley
Alexander Isley(opens in a new tab or window) is a brand strategist and identity designer. His quote tells us that design’s goal should be not only to educate, but to intrigue viewers and make them curious.
56. “I’ve never had a problem with a dumb client. There is no such thing as a bad client. Part of our job is to do good work and get the client.” - Bob Gill
Bob Gill(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer and illustrator. This quote takes a different perspective on a ‘bad client’. It suggests that clients are never bad or difficult, you just need to guide them to make the best decisions.
57. “The details are not the details. They make the design.” - Charles Eames
Charles Eames(opens in a new tab or window) was an American designer who made major contributions to architecture and furniture. His quote on design suggests that the small things are what makes up the bigger picture, and every detail is crucial.
58. “Good design is all about making other designers feel like idiots because that idea wasn’t theirs.” - Frank Chimero
Frank Chimero(opens in a new tab or window) describes himself as a designer who writes. This quote is all about being innovative and inspiring envy and jealousy from your peers due to your great ideas.
59. “Graphic design is the paradise of individuality, eccentricity, heresy, abnormality, hobbies and humours.” - George Santayana
George Santayana was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. His quote regarding graphic design paints it as a wonderful thing, full of whimsy and enjoyment.
60. “It’s not about knowing all the gimmicks and photo tricks. If you haven’t got the eye, no program will give it to you.” - David Carson
David Carson(opens in a new tab or window) is an American art director, designer, and surfer. This quote brings to light that fancy programs and technologies can’t make you a good designer. You have to be a good designer before the programs.
61. “My argument is that all graphic designers hold high levels of responsibility in society. We take invisible ideas and make them tangible. That’s our job.” - Debbie Millman
Debbie Millman(opens in a new tab or window) is a writer, artist, brand consultant, and radio show host. Her quote puts design on a pedestal, right where it should be. Designers are incredibly important parts of our lives, and make the world a better place.
62. “Design is as much an act of spacing as an act of marking.” - Ellen Lupton
Ellen Lupton(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer, writer, curator, and educator. Her quote about design brings to light that design isn’t always about creating something on the page, but knowing when to not create it.
63. “Designers are meant to be loved, not to be understood.” - Fabian Barral
Fabien Barral(opens in a new tab or window) is a graphic designer specializing in innovative and unique ideas. He paints the designer as a complex creature, and one that most people can’t quite pin down – just like most creatives.
64. “You can use an eraser on the drafting table or sledge hammer on the construction site.” - Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright(opens in a new tab or window) was an American architect, writer, and interior designer. This quote makes the idea of fixing mistakes at any point during the process okay. It lets you know that you shouldn’t let something go just because it is in its final stages.
65. “An image can only be one element in constructing a sequence of understanding.” - Germano Facetti
Germano Facetti was an Italian graphic designer who worked at Penguin Books. His quote on imagery shows that designers cannot rely on imagery alone, that it has to be part of something bigger to truly be successful.
66. “Design brings content into focus; design makes function visible.” - Jennifer Morla
Jennifer Morla(opens in a new tab or window) is president and creative director of Morla Design in San Francisco. Her opinion on design is that it makes content tangible, and clearly depicts something meaningful.
67. “Design adds value faster than it adds cost.” - Joel Spolsky
Joel Spolsky(opens in a new tab or window) is a web programmer, writer, and the creator of Trello. His take on design is that when it’s done well, products become more valuable, but don’t necessarily have to be more expensive.
68. “Marketing without design is lifeless, and design without marketing is mute.” - Von Glitschka
Von Glitschka(opens in a new tab or window) is an illustrative designer. His quote gives purpose to both marketing and design, showing that they both need each other to be valuable.
69. “Don’t design for everyone. It’s impossible. All you end up doing is designing something that makes everyone unhappy.” - Leisa Reichelt
Leisa Reichelt(opens in a new tab or window) is a freelance user experience designer. Her take on design is that you can’t please everyone when you design. You should keep your audience in the forefront of your mind, but don’t worry about those not in your target.
70. “Design is easy. All you do is stare at the screen until drops of blood form on your forehead.” - Marty Neumeier
Marty Neumeier(opens in a new tab or window) is an American author and speaker about brand, design, and creativity. This quote pokes fun at those who don’t think design is challenging by showing how stressful it really is.
71. “Good design goes to heaven; bad design goes everywhere.” - Mieke Gerritzen
Mieke Gerritzen(opens in a new tab or window) is an Amsterdam born designer, producer, and director. Her quote is a play on a popular quote ‘good dogs go to heaven…’ but instead incorporates design. She points out that bad design is all around us, and good design can be hard to come by.
72. “To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.” - Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser(opens in a new tab or window) is one of the most well known designers in the United States, famous for his I Love NY image. His quote about communication brings to light the need to communicate in whatever ways you can, but make sure it is done in a way that is easily understood.
73. “Design is more than just a few tricks to the eye. It’s a few tricks to the brain.” - Neville Brody
Neville Brody(opens in a new tab or window) is a London born graphic designer. His opinion on design is that it is almost like an optical illusion, and your brain must work to figure it out.
74. “Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.” - Paul Rand
Paul Rand(opens in a new tab or window) was an American designer most well known for his corporate logos. He believed that you shouldn’t go into something with the aim of only keeping it simple. It should be simple when it needs to be, and it will arrive at that point when the idea is sound.
75. “The best way to accomplish serious design…is to be totally and completely unqualified for the job.” - Paula Scher
Paula Scher(opens in a new tab or window) is an American graphic designer, painter, and educator. She suggests that in order to learn and grow, you should take on challenges you don’t believe yourself to be prepared for.
76. “Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” - Charles Eames
Charles Eames(opens in a new tab or window) was an American designer working in architecture and furniture. His quote suggests that design is the solution for a problem, and is carefully thought out to achieve a goal.
77. “Practice safe design: Use a concept.” - Petrula Vontrikis
Petrula Vontrikis(opens in a new tab or window) is a designer, author, and educator in Los Angeles. Her quote is a play on another popular adage, yet takes on the idea that good design comes from a concept. It isn’t just something to look at and admire.
78. “Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” - Rachel Zoe
Rachel Zoe(opens in a new tab or window) is a stylist, designer, and editor. She presents that you can represent who you are by simply having your own style – whether it be clothing or your design style.
79. “Good design keeps the user happy, the manufacturer in the black and the aesthete unoffended.” - Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy(opens in a new tab or window) was a French-born American industrial designer who was known as ‘the man who shaped America’ and ‘the father of industrial design.’ His perception of good design is design that works for people, makes the company money, and doesn’t rub visual people the wrong way.
80. “They enjoy giving form to ideas. If designers were made of ideas, they’d be their own clients.” - Rudy Vanderlans
Rudy VanderLans(opens in a new tab or window) is a Dutch graphic and type designer. He suggests that designers bring other people’s ideas to life, and that if designers only had their own ideas, they wouldn’t do work for other people.
81. “You can’t do better design with a computer, but you can speed up your work enormously.” - Wim Crouwel
Wim Crouwel is yet another Dutch graphic and type designer. He believes that computers are only a tool in the design process. If you can’t design with pencil and paper, you won’t be able to do it with technology.
82. “Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.” - Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh is an incredibly famous Post-Impressionist painter. His quote about great things can be applied to design, meaning that small things help create great design. It’s all in the details.
83. “The client may be king, but he’s not the art director.” - Von Glitschka
Von Glitschka(opens in a new tab or window) is an illustrative designer. His quote here states that the client may think they’re in charge, but they’re not doing the design. Do good work and make the client see that it’s good work.
84. “Only when the design fails does it draw attention to itself; when it succeeds, it’s invisible.” - John D. Berry
John D. Berry(opens in a new tab or window) is an editor and typographer. He shows here that bad design is noticed, yet good design remains unnoticed.
85. “We designers don’t get hired to make pretty things or win design awards. We get hired to solve business problems.” - James Bradley
This quote points out the fact that designers are problem solvers. We can take a unique and creative approach to help out businesses.
86. “Design has allowed us to stand out; to look different and show that difference boldly.” - Joe Mansueto
Joe Mansueto is the CEO of Morningstar, Inc. He brings to attention that design lets you stand out and be unique compared to everyone else.
87. “I see design as a matter of solving problems; art as a matter of inventing them.” - Karl Gerstner
Karl Gerstner is a prominent Swiss graphic designer. He juxtaposes design and art, and says that design is the solution to art.
88. “Design is the application of intent - the opposite of happenstance, and an antidote to accident.” - Robert L. Peters
Robert L. Peters is a designer actively involved in design education. His take on design is that it must be done with purpose, and should never just happen willy nilly. There should always be a plan.
89. “And when a design is completed, it should seem natural and obvious. It should look like it is always been this way. And it should last.” - Roger Black
Roger Black is a notarized magazine designer. This quote shows that design should be natural and should never look forced.
90. “Design is art optimized to meet objectives.” - Shimon Shueli
Shimon Shmueli(opens in a new tab or window) is a creative with experience in engineering, marketing, and design. This quote shows that while art doesn’t always serve a specific purpose, design does. Design solves problems, but can look like a beautiful piece of art while doing it.
91. “Designing a product is designing a relationship.” - Steve Rogers
Steve Rogers(opens in a new tab or window) is an illustrative graphic designer. His quote focuses on the need for there to be a relationship between a product and the user.
92. “Bad design is like wearing a rumpled suit. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, but it may give people the wrong impression.” - Unknown
This quote shows that good designers make bad designs sometimes. It’s important to try your best, but if you get in a rut don’t get too down. You’ll come out of it, and be a better designer after.
93. “The most important part of design is finding all the issues to be resolved. The rest are details.” - Soumeet Lanka
Soumeet Lanka(opens in a new tab or window) is an architect who focuses solely on furniture, products, and interior design. He suggests that the crucial element of design is being sure to fix problems, all of the little things aren’t as important.
94. “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.” - Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Dieter F. Uchtdorf(opens in a new tab or window) is in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This quote depicts creation as something primitive within us as humans, and something we must do to feel complete and at peace.
95. “There is no design without discipline. There is no discipline without intelligence.” - Massimo Vignelli
Massimo Vignelli(opens in a new tab or window) was an Italian minimalist designer. This quote creates a relationship between design, discipline, and intelligence. Designers are intelligent, and are disciplined in their practice in order to create their best work.
96. “Computers are to design as microwaves are to cooking.” - Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser(opens in a new tab or window) is one of the most well known designers in the United States. This comparison shows that computers are only a tool in the design world, and really only act as a shortcut. Good design doesn’t come from computers, it comes from good designers.
97. “There is no such thing as a boring project. There are only boring executions.” - Irene Etzkorn
Irene Etzkorn(opens in a new tab or window) is a clarity officer with Siegelvision. She suggests that if you’re bored with a project, you should take a different approach. If you’re creative enough, you can make anything incredibly interesting.
98. “Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” - John Maeda
John Maeda is a Japanese-American designer, computer scientist, and author. His take on simplicity is that only meaningful parts should be included in your design. Trim it down as much as possible and make it purely informative.
99. “Only those to attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible.” - M.C. Escher
M.C. Escher(opens in a new tab or window) is a world famous graphic artist. His wise quote encourages you to push the limits and go for the extremes. You won’t be able to break new grounds if you only dip your toes in the pool.
100. “ Design is not a thing you do. It’s a way of life.” - Alan Fletcher
Alan Fletcher(opens in a new tab or window) was the father of British graphic design. His quote sums up this article nicely, and tells us that design is a way of living. It isn’t a simple action, but truly a part of who we are as human beings.
Written by
Caitlin Jordan
