25 Inspirational Quotes About Design

There’s something to be said about learning from the wisdom of others. It’s too easy to get caught up in the day to day workings of our busy lives and fall into habits and patterns that aren’t conducive to living a creative life.

Which is crazy really since that’s why we became designers in the first place, right?

Since I’ve moved to tropical Queensland I’m an extra early riser (it’s the damned cockatoos!) and I’ll lie in bed and think about my day. Not in terms of organising my diary but in a larger sense; every morning when I first wake up I lie in bed for about 20 minutes and I think about my big goals and what I need to do to reach them. I think about the things that motivate me to do better, both in my business and in my creative life.

It's kind of like my morning meditation but without the tunes.

I know I may seem all about the business end of design these days, but truly, art will always inspire me. And the people who create art inspire me just as much. That’s why when I’m feeling extra stressed I’ll put up beautifully designed inspirational quotes by designers around my office and in my bedroom and bathroom so I’m randomly reminded why I do what I do.

Here are some great design quotes I’ve compiled for you, and if just one inspires you today, then I’ve done my job! 
 

1. "Don’t worry about people stealing your design work. Worry about the day they stop." – Jeffrey Zeldman
    
2. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." – Leonardo Da Vinci 
    
3. "Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent." – Joe Sparano 
    
4. "Practice safe design; Use a concept." - Petrula Vrontikis 
    
5. "Design is intelligence made visible." – Alina Wheeler 
    
6. "Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future." – Robert L. Peters 
    
7. "The worst logo applied well is better than the best logo applied poorly." – Jacob Cass
    
8. "I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it." – Pablo Picasso
    
9. "Design is not the narrow application of formal skills, it is a way of thinking." – Chris Pullman 
    
10. "Owning a camera doesn’t make you a photographer." – Gabriel Von Satzger
     
11. "Technology over technique produces emotionless design." – Daniel Mall 
     
12. "An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it." – Bill Bernbach
     
13. "Design isn’t finished until somebody is using it." – Brenda Laurel
     
14. "Everything is designed. Few things are designed well." – Brian Reed
     
15. "Stop looking at yourself as a designer, and start thinking of yourself as a deliverer of ideas." – Stle Melvr 
     
16. "Designing a product is designing a relationship." – Steve Rogers
     
17. "A designer is a planner with an aesthetic sense." – Bruno Munari
     
18. "Design should never say, Look at me. It should always say, Look at this." – David Craib
     
19. "Form follows function." – Louis Sullivan 
     
20. "Design is where science and art break even." – Robin Mathew
     
21. "The life of a designer is a life of fight: fight against the ugliness." – Massimo Vignelli
     
22. "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
     
23. "There is no design without discipline. There is no discipline without intelligence." – Massimo Vignelli
     
24. "Good design is good business." – Thomas J. Watson Jr
     
25. "Don’t design for everyone. It’s impossible. All you end up doing is designing something that makes everyone unhappy." – Leisa Reichelt

So, what motivates you to be a better designer?

I’d love to hear what gets you out of bed in the morning. Leave a message down below, I promise I read them all! 

Take care,