Friday, January 3, 2020

22 famous graphic design quotes to inspire you

Wherever you are on your graphic design journey, we all need guidance from time to time as we navigate the murky waters of creativity. What better place to look than the quotes of famous designers? After all, these men and women didn’t become icons of their industry without solving a problem or two along the way.

Here, we’ve gathered 22 famous design quotes by the top graphic designers of our time. Each reflects the past trials, pitfalls, roadblocks and triumphs of designers who eventually came out on top. Heed their words, and you just might follow in their footsteps.

1. Milton Glaser

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

Milton Glaser is a longtime famed graphic designer and cofounder of New York magazine. His iconic designs include DC Comics’ logo, Obama’s 2009 campaign poster, and the I ❤ NY logo.

Photo of Milton Glaser
via It’s Nice That
Abstract poster designAbstract poster design

2. 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.” – Susan Kare

Susan Kare, one of the very first pixel artists, designed the first icons, typefaces, and interfaces of the Apple Macintosh.

Photo of Susan Kare
via Susan Kare
Apple icons designed by Susan Kare
via Susan Kare

3. Stefan Sagmeister

“You can have an art experience in front of a Rembrandt… or in front of a piece of graphic design.” – Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister is the cofounder of design agency Sagmeister & Walsh and is perhaps best known for his work in the music industry, including designs for the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, David Byrne and more.

Photo of Stefan Sagmeister
via Sagmeister INC.
David Byrne Feelings album coverRolling Stones Bridges to Babylon album cover design

4. Jessica Walsh

“If no one hates it, no one really loves it.” – Jessica Walsh

The other half of Sagmeister & Walsh (made partner at the tender age of 25), Jessica Walsh started her career interning at Pentagram under Paula Scher and has contributed work for Levi’s, Adobe, and Print magazine.

Photo of Jessica Walsh
via &Walsh
Poster design by Jessica Walsh

5. Bob Gill

“I’ve never had a problem with a dumb client. There is no such thing as a bad client. Part of our job is to do good work and get the client to accept it.” – Bob Gill

Bob Gill is a longtime illustrator for magazines Glamour, Esquire, Fortune and the cofounder of F/F/G which later became design powerhouse Pentagram.

Bob Gill
via It’s Nice That
Dancin' Bob Fosse playbill poster by Bob Gill'...and justice for all' Al Pacino movie poster designed by Bob Gill
Photo of Paula Scher
via Pentagram

6. Paula Scher

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

Paula Scher, a partner at Pentagram, is an identity designer known for her bold use of street typography, particularly for projects concerning The Public theater, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Windows 8 logo.

Paula Shcher poster design with bold typographyPaula Shcher poster design with bold typography
Photo of Michael Bierut
via Pentagram

7. Michael Bierut

“If you do good work for good clients, it will lead to other good work for other good clients. If you do bad work for bad clients, it will lead to other bad work for other bad clients.” – Michael Bierut

Michael Bierut is another partner at Pentagram and his clients have included Disney, the New York Jets and Hillary Clinton.

Michael Bierut poster designs
via AIGA

8. Kate Moross

“The key to great ideas is not having them, it is executing them. And great ideas come from problems. As designers we call problems, briefs and we call reactions to problems, concepts.” – Kate Moross

Kate Moross is an illustrator known for their dynamic hand-lettering and vibrant colors. They have contributed designs for brands like Vogue and Cadburys.

Photo of Kate Moross
via Kate Moross
Kate Moross colorful poster designKate Moross colorful 3D hand-lettering

9. Chip Kidd

“If you can properly define the problem, then you’ve already defined the solution as well.” – Chip Kidd

Chip Kidd is the associate art director at Knopf and a prolific book cover designer, having worked on everything from classic graphic novels to Jurassic Park.

Photo of Chip Kidd
via chipkidd.com
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns cover designBlind Willow Sleeping Woman Haruki Murakami book cover design

10. Marian Bantjes

“But I find that for myself, without exception, the more I deal with the work as something that is my own, as something that is personal, the more successful it is.” – Marian Bantjes

Marian Bantjes has been associated with both Pentagram and Stagmiester, INC, and she is recognized by her baroque patterns and decorative style.

Photo of Marian Bantjes
via bantjes.com
Marian Bantjes colorful patterned magazine coverMarian Bantjes patterned magazine cover for GQ

11. Paul Rand

“The public is more familiar with bad design than good design. It is, in effect, conditioned to prefer bad design, because that is what it lives with. The new becomes threatening, the old reassuring.” – Paul Rand

Paul Rand was the designer behind a whole range of venerable brands, among them IBM, UPS, and ABC.

Photo of Paul Rand
via paulrand.design
A compilation of Paul Rand’s logos
via paulrand.design

12. Neville Brody

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

Neville Brody has worked as art director for magazine and album covers, working with a range of artists that include Depeche Mode and the Bongos.

Photo of Neville Brody
via Brody Associates
Editorial design by Neville Brody
via Brody Associates

13. Petrula Vrontikis

“What the visionaries had in common was a particular love of craft and a desire to play.” – Petrula Vrontikis

Petrula Vrontikis is a designer, educator and leading industry voice, serving on the board for American Institute of Graphic Arts and teaching design at the Art Center College of Design.

Photo ofPetrula Vrontikis design

14. Saul Bass

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

Saul Bass was an iconic graphic designer known for his paper cut-out style and the title animation sequences in movies like Psycho and Vertigo.

Photo of Saul Bass
via Saul Bass Poster Archive
The Shining poster design by Saul BassVertigo poster design by Saul Bass

15. David Carson

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

David Carson is the graphic designer best known for pioneering “grunge typography,” particularly in the print world with alternative music magazines like Ray Gun.

Photo of David Carson
via davidcarsondesign.com
Magazine design with bold typographyMusic festival poster design

16. Jessica Hische

“To be a good artist / letterer / designer / guitar player, it takes practice. A lot of it. More than you can even fathom when you’re starting out.” – Jessica Hische

Jessica Hische is a hand-letterer and logotype designer who has worked with Penguin Books, the California Sunday Magazine and contributed lettering to the films like Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom.

Photo of Jessica Hische
via Jessica Hische
Book cover design by Jessica HischePoster design by Jessica Hische

17. Frank Chimero

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

Frank Chimero is a brand designer and collage artist whose clients include Adobe, Facebook, and Nike.

Photo of Frank Chimero
via Frank Chimero
Illustrations by Frank ChimeroIllustrations by Frank Chimero

18. April Greiman

“I like to step into areas where I am afraid. Fear is a sign that I am going in the right direction.” – April Greiman

April Greiman is known as one of the early adopters of computer technology in graphic design and her work speaks to the strangeness and limitless possibility these technologies embody.

Photo of April Greiman
via USC
Colorful poster design by April GreimanColorful poster design by April Greiman
Photo of Lindon Leader
via Leader Creative

19. Lindon Leader

“I strive for two things in design: simplicity and clarity. Great design is born of those two things.” – Lindon Leader

Lindon Leader is the creative mind behind classic logos for brands like Avery and FedEx.

A compilation of logos by Lindon Leader
via Leader Creative

20. Massimo Vignelli

“The life of a designer is a life of fight. Fight against the ugliness. Just like a doctor fights against disease. For us, the visual disease is what we have around, and what we try to do is cure it somehow with design.” – Massimo Vignelli

Massimo Vignelli was a modernist designer known for developing identities for brands like American Airlines and creating the signage and maps for the New York subway system.

Photo of Massimo Vignelli
via Wikimedia Commons
Poster design by Massimo VignelliThe New York transit map, designed by Massimo Vignelli

21. Herb Lubalin

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

Herb Lubalin was an iconic hand-letterer and type designer known for the font ITC Avant Garde and the curving, emphatic lettering that came to define 70s type.

Photo of Herb Lubalin
via Famous Graphic Designers
A compilation of Herb Lubalin’s logo designs
via humanbeing.co

22. Muriel Cooper

“Information is only useful when it can be understood.” – Muriel Cooper

Muriel Cooper was a digital designer and art director of MIT Press. She was known for embracing electronic communication and for distilling complex digital data into digestible and stunning visuals.

Photo of Muriel Cooper
via MIT Media Lab
Muriel Cooper poster designMIT Muriel Cooper design

Famous graphic design quotes speak louder than words

Now that you’ve read some of the great quotes from famous graphic designers out there, you might realize one thing: no two are alike. Each designer faces unique challenges in their career, and each takes a unique approach to deal with them.

While there’s no telling what problems you might face, think of these quotes as friendly signposts expertly hand-painted by your fellow designers just looking to help on your way.

Need a great design for your brand?
Our designers can help you create just about anything.

This article was originally published in 2013. It’s been updated with new information and examples.

The post 22 famous graphic design quotes to inspire you appeared first on 99designs.

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