I am an interior and graphic designer and I love all things design. I especially love quotes and I am particularly drawn to quotes about design. With the growing popularity of typography (the design of arranging words as art), you do not have to look far to find the latest quotes for inspiration. Just check out Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram. Here are ten of my favorite design quotes.
1. William Morris, a 19th century textile designer, poet, novelist, translator, and social activist who was most known for his contribution to the Arts and Crafts movement said "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." Simply and beautifully put, don't you agree? My take on that is if you don't use it, don't have it.
2. Charles Eames, an American designer who with his wife, Ray, were best known for their midcentury furniture said, "The details are not the details, they make the design." Beware of the details! They can make or break a design.
3. Steve Jobs, an American entrepreneur, marketer, and inventor, best known for co-inventing the Apple computer once said, "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like, design is how it works." Are you seeing a pattern?
4. Scott Adams, an American cartoonist and creator of the Dilbert comic strip said... "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes, Design is knowing which ones to keep." Ah...the mistakes! We all make them and some of them actually work.
Susan Newberry Designs
5. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a German born architect and designer, most known for his famous and now iconic Barcelona chair, penned these famous words..."Less is more." Need I say more!
6. Winston Churchill, British politician and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War said..."We shape our homes and then our homes shape us." Human beings are basically homebodies. Your home should be a reflection of you and you should be a reflection of your home.
7. Leonardo da Vinci, an inventor, sculptor, and possibly the greatest painter of all time said, "Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication." In other words, keep it simple stupid!
8. Edith Wharton, a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, short story writer and designer said "True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision." Look for inspiration everywhere and put your own spin on it!
9. Edgar Degas, a French artist famous for his drawings, paintings, sculptures, prints, and most known for his dance paintings said, "Art is not what you see but what you make the others see." Simply stated, good design inspires others.
Susan Newberry Designs
10. My all-time favorite quote was penned by the late Dorothy Draper. Dorothy was the first woman to professionalize the interior design industry by establishing the first interior design company. Draper penned the words: "If it looks right, it is right." I absolutely love this quote. I can't think of a better motto to design by and live by, can you?
What is your favorite design quote?