As 2017 comes to an end, I wanted to get back to blog posting. But what to blog about? Ah, the eternal question: a question which has seemingly endless answers. But there’s a saying when it comes to writing: write what you know.
I know design. And I love quotes about design.
“Design is everything. Everything!”
Paul Rand
The life and times of a designer.
I’m a designer. It’s what I do, day and night; whether I’m in front of my computer screen or analyzing billboards as I fly down the highway, I am always thinking about design. It may sound a bit obsessive, but what is it really? It’s passion.
I cringe when I see a user experience error at my favorite restaurant on UberEats. (They force you to pick toppings? I just want a cheese pizza, please and thank you.) I’m pleasantly surprised when I see a commercial during my favorite show which cleverly captures my attention. (Sure, they’re still trying to sell me something- be it an idea or a product- but I like to give credit where credit is due.) I’m impressed by a company’s website- one that’s innovative and unique in its own distinct way.
Considering myself always and forever a student of design, all of these interpretations and instances help me grow more as a designer myself.
Design is a big word.
Design applies to so many forms of life, it’s almost hard to keep track. You’ve got your fashion designers, interior designers, and then people like me- graphic and digital designers, who lend our eyes to creating informative and interesting (predominantly marketing) experiences. If your website isn’t readable on my phone, I’ll leave and go to another website, because who has the time for that? I just want a recipe for this chicken I’m going to bake tonight.
The type of design that I do involves being empathetic to another person’s experience. Is the website hard to navigate? Does the advertisement effectively and clearly entice the user in a fresh, innate way? Do the calls to action generate enough attention? User experience design is not just how a website or digital product looks, but it’s also how it functions. If you have a large website of recipes, but your search function isn’t intuitive and is clunky to use, then how many people are likely to search for recipes there? They’ll likely look to your competitors. In these quick paced times, individual attention is hard to come by, and it doesn’t have a long shelf life.
It’s probably pretty obvious that I could talk design until the cows come home. But instead of going on, I thought it’d be fun to collect and display my favorite quotes about design.
Quotes about design.
“3 requirements for a good designer: 1. Genuine knowledge and love of great design. 2. Sound knowledge of principles and techniques of communication. 3. Heart (passion).”
Lester Beall
“Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.”
Paul Rand
“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.”
Steve Jobs
“I’m a big believer in the emotion of design, and the message that’s sent before somebody begins to read, before they get the rest of the information; what is the emotional response they get to the product, to the story, to the painting- whatever it is.”
David Carson
“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.”
Milton Glaser
“If you want to communicate something, you’d better make sure that your design piece is well-dressed and that its teeth are fixed. At the same time, I still believe that if it is only stylistically great and it has nothing to say, it still is not going to make a lasting impression on anybody.”
Stefan Sagmeister
“Everything is designed. Few things are designed well.”
Brian Reed
“Not everyone notices the flowers you plant, but everyone will notice the fire you start.”
Unknown
“Space is the breath of art.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and have fun.”
Mary Lou Cook
“Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.”
Cecil B. Demille
“Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.”
Joe Soprano
“Good design doesn’t date. Bad design does.”
Paul Rand
(I can’t finish any list of quotes without including one from Bukowski.)
“Some people will like what you do, some people will hate what you do, but most people simply won’t give a damn.”
Charles Bukowski
Looking for more blog posts about design? Check them out here.
What are your favorite quotes about design? Let me know in the comments; I’d love to hear them.
