22 Best Graphic Design Quotes That Define Design Excellence

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Graphic design is the craft of creating visual content to share ideas and messages with people. It is also known as communication design.

Through graphic design software, graphic designers engage consumers through text, graphics, and images. A graphic design is one way to promote and sell products. It is also a form of expression.

Here are some quotes about graphic design from experts to know its importance.

Graphic Design Quotes

1. Laura Busche: “Design is the ultimate influencer.”

  • Design has a massive impact on how people think and feel. It can change opinions, inspire action, and influence decisions. It’s like the boss of persuasion!

2. Chip Kidd: “Commercial Art tries to make you buy things. Graphic Design gives you ideas.”

  • When you see an ad that’s trying to sell you something, that’s commercial art. But graphic design is more about sparking your imagination and sharing thoughts or concepts rather than just persuading you to buy stuff.

3. Neville Brody: “Digital design is like painting, except the paint never dries.”

  • Unlike traditional painting where the paint dries and becomes fixed, digital design is always changeable. You can keep editing and modifying digital designs even after you’ve finished them, just like wet paint that never dries!

4. Mokokoma Mokhonoana: “Graphic designers judge a cover by its book.”

  • Graphic designers pay attention to how something looks on the outside (like a book cover), but they also care about the content inside. They understand that the cover should reflect what’s inside accurately.

5. Laura Busche: “Great design is no longer an advantage, it’s a prerequisite. Brands: get sharp or get cut out.”

  • Nowadays, having a great design isn’t just a bonus for brands; it’s a necessity. If brands don’t have well-designed visuals or products, they might get left behind or ignored by consumers.

6. Ellen Lupton: “Working within the constraints of a problem is part of the fun and challenge of design.”

  • Designers see limitations or problems as exciting puzzles to solve. They enjoy finding creative solutions within these constraints, making the design process both enjoyable and challenging.

7. Frank Chimero: “Good design is all about making other designers feel like idiots because that idea wasn’t theirs.”

  • This quote humorously suggests that exceptional designs can make other designers feel a bit jealous or astonished because they didn’t come up with that brilliant idea themselves. It highlights the power of impressive design concepts.

8. Saul Bass: “I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares, as opposed to ugly things. That’s my intent.”

  • Saul Bass, a designer, emphasizes his passion for creating beautiful designs, even if they go unnoticed by others. His main goal is to produce visually appealing and impactful work, regardless of whether it receives recognition.

9. Liz Brown: “Design before development leads to dead ends.”

  • Liz Brown means that if you don’t plan and design things properly before starting work, you might face problems later on. It’s like building a house without a plan—it might not turn out how you want it to.

10. Edward R. Tufte: “Graphical excellence is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space.”

  • This quote talks about making designs that give lots of information quickly, using as little space and ink as possible. It’s like saying a good design is one that tells you a lot without taking up too much room or using too much ink.

11. David Carson: “Graphic design will save the world right after rock and roll does.”

  • David Carson is being a bit funny here! He means that while graphic design is important, there are other things (like music) that people care about more. So, he’s saying that graphic design won’t save the world right away—it’s not the top priority!

12. Shannon L. Alder: “Art is nothing more than creating an emotion in your own form.”

  • Making art means expressing feelings or emotions in your own unique way. Whether it’s a painting, a drawing, or any other creative work, it’s about sharing feelings through your own style or method.

13. Thomas Bohm: “Helvetica is good for typographers who do not know what to say.”

  • This quote is a bit cheeky! It means that Helvetica, a popular type of font, is simple and clean. So, if someone doesn’t have much to say or wants something straightforward, they might use Helvetica because it’s easy to read and doesn’t distract from the message.

14. Hermann Zapf: “Typography is two-dimensional architecture, based on experience and imagination, and guided by rules and readability.”

  • Typography (working with fonts and letters) is like building a structure on a flat surface. It’s created using past experiences, creativity, and rules to make it both visually appealing and easy to read.

15. Herb Lubalin: “You can do a good ad without good typography, but you can’t do a great ad without good typography.”

  • You can make an okay advertisement without paying much attention to the fonts, but if you want to make a really amazing ad, you need to have excellent typography. Fonts play a big role in making an ad stand out and look fantastic.

16. Maggie Macnab: “Directive design gives an either/or choice, similar to a traffic sign. The interpretive design allows for personal choice, in the same way symbolism allows for individual meaning.”

  • When a design is directive, it’s like a sign that tells you exactly what to do (like a stop sign means “stop”). But interpretive design gives you room to choose, just like symbols can mean different things to different people. It lets you find your own meaning.

17. Maggie Macnab: “Effective problem-solving in design requires a balance of strategy and spontaneity, intelligence and creativity.”

  • To solve design problems well, you need both a plan (strategy) and room for creative ideas (spontaneity). It’s about using your brain smartly (intelligence) and your imagination (creativity) to find the best solutions.

18. Maggie Macnab: “Design is a human ritual of understanding.”

  • Design is a way people communicate and understand things. It’s like a ritual—a customary way of doing something—that helps people make sense of information or messages.

19. Susan Kare: “Good design’s not about what medium you’re working in. It’s about thinking hard about what you want to do and what you have to work with before you start.”

  • Creating good design isn’t just about the tools or materials you use. It’s more about planning and figuring out what you want to achieve and what resources you have before you begin.

20. Paula Scher: “It’s through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good.”

  • Making mistakes is part of learning and improving. You need to make some bad designs before you can make good ones. Every mistake teaches you something new and helps you become better.

21. Milton Glaser: “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.”

  • When people see a design, they might react with “yes” (liking it), “no” (not liking it), or “WOW!” Making a design that gets a “WOW” reaction is what designers aim for—it means it’s amazing and impressive.

22. Fabrizio Moreira: “Many people think that being a graphic designer means going to an expensive art school and buying expensive software that will cost you thousands of dollars. This is so far from the truth. There are hundreds of online education centers that offer top-notch graphic design training.”

  • Being a graphic designer doesn’t always mean spending lots of money on fancy schools or expensive software. There are great online places where you can learn graphic design without spending a fortune. Talent and skill matter more than the cost of your tools.

I hope you liked the above Graphic Design Quotes. Don’t forget to mention the best line that you liked most from the above lines in the comment box below.

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