5 design quotes to live by

There are many inspirational individuals who have coined some profound design quotes over the years, and it is a rather fun exercise to google some of these quotes and take a moment to ponder them. We’ve selected a few quotes to inspire and motivate you in your design journey and life.

“I don't think about art when I'm working. I try to think about life.” -Jean-Michel Basquiat

This is a quote shared by Luiza Dos Santos. Luiza completed her Higher Certificate in Architectural Technology at the Cape Town campus in 2018. She then decided to further her studies and is currently in the first year of the Bachelor of Design degree. In her own words, “I highly resonate with the wise words of Jean-Michel Basquiat, not only because he’s my favourite artist, but also because all amazing art comes from the life in oneself; inspiration from another’s life or even life in objects. Art originates from life, it is life!”

I love this quote that Luiza shared because it embodies what Inscape is about and echoes a similar ideal found on our website; “The Inscape brand and its people are represented as a ‘way of thinking’ promoting the concept of Design For Life.”

 “If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.” -Ralf Speth

Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, highlights the economic effect of design as well as the cost associated with good or poor product design. There is no quick fix when it comes to designing a product or service that is aesthetically pleasing, functional and enduring.

“Whitespace is like air: it is necessary for design to breathe.” –Wojciech Zieliński

Good design really needs to be something of substance and meaning but this does not require it to be complex or overly detailed. Sometimes, less really is more! What is the essence of your design? Focus on that and remove what is not essential.

“Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.”- Jeffrey Zeldman

This quote reflects our Ideation Design discipline. Ideation students focus heavily on content when solving design-related problems. Time is invested in research and information gathering to aid decision making.

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like, design is how it works.” —Steve Jobs

As designers, the end user should always be considered. Put yourself in the user’s shoes and start conceptualizing from that perspective. Is your design beautiful, functional and user friendly?

Take a moment to consider one of your favourite design quotes. Now, contemplate why this quote is worthy of being a quote to live by!