Design Quotes

Graphic Design

“Graphic Design has become more than ink on paper; it has left the page to conquer space, motion and interaction.”

—Nik Hafermaas, Chair - Art Center College of Design

Inspirational

“Genius: one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

—Thomas A. Edison

“Every blink of the eye brings a picture to human mind.”

—Adrian Frutiger
Signs and Symbols: Their Design and Meaning

“The eye travels along the paths cut out for it in the work.”

—Paul Klee
Pedagogical Sketchbook

“In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything at add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.”

—Antoine de Saint Exupery

“The essence of rhythm is the fusion of sameness and novelty; so the whole never loses the essential unity of the pattern, while the parts exhibit the contrast arising from the novelty of their detail.”

—Alfred North Whitehead
Principles of Natural Knowledge

“The workman should not have to watch his instrument, his whole attention should be given to the work.”

—Eric Gill

“The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands.”

—Benjamin Franklin

“Fail early to succeed sooner.”

—IDEO

“The grid system is an aid, not a guarantee. It permits a number of possible uses and each designer can look for a solution appropriate to his personal style. But one must learn how to use the grid; it is an art that requires practice.”

—Josef Müller-Brockmann

“To have a good idea, you must first have lots of ideas.”

—Linus Pauling

“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

—R. Buckminster Fuller

“Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.”

—Charles Eames

“The designer... has a passion for doing something that fits somebody’s needs, but that is not just a simple fix. The designer has a dream that goes beyond what exists, rather than fixing what exists... the designer wants to create a solution that fits in a deeper situational or social sense.”

—David Kelley

“What works good is better than what looks good. Because what works good lasts.”

—Ray Eames

“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.”

—Design House Stockholm

“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.”

—Milton Glaser

“Good design should reflect a sense of human history—some aspect of where we’ve come from.”

—Harmutt Esslinger

“Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.”

—Paul Rand