“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.” R. Buckminster fuller I love this quote because it gives me a constructive way to work with beauty as a strategic imperative. Beauty is, after all, subjective,…

“Simplicity is not the goal. It is the byproduct of a good idea and modest expectations.” Paul rand There are lots of influential design quotes about simplicity, and lord knows we all get beat over the head with the idea that good design is inherently simple enough to make us all sick. That’s why I…

“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.” Chuck close We’ve probably all seen this idea expressed by a lot of creative professionals because, let’s face it, people often think of what we do as something less than real work and need to be reminded. I’ve always liked…

“Don’t try to be original. Just try to be good.” Paul Rand I’ve always loved this quote. When I was primarily a graphic designer, it was a reminder that originality is not job number 1. In graphic design, communication is usually job number one, and everything else is in service to that. When I transitioned…

A brief explanation of why I decided to share the quotes that inspire my design practice.