Electricurrent Blog

It's been a while since the design department has spoken up on here so I would like to take this chance to say as many things as possible! The other day I stumbled onto a blog post entitled, 80+ Inspiring Quotes about Design.

I have taken the time to go back and pull out a few of my favourites and jot down a few notes of what they mean to me.

Everything is designed. Few things are designed well. — Brian Reed
This statement is such a simple profound truth. Anyone can design anything and throw it out there for the world to see. The Internet has made that especially true over the last decade. However, very few things are designed well and really deserve the accolades they receive.

Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration. — Jeffrey Zeldman
In my career there have been times when I have been asked to “just start the design” and content will be provided as we go. From those experiences, I've learned that it's better to hold off on design until content is approved because doing otherwise results in reduced quality on the end piece. Design is a medium for delivering information. Starting a design before having content is akin to starting to construct a building without materials - it just doesn't work.

Designers are meant to be loved, not to be understood. — Fabien Barral
I love this quote! On some levels, design is art. When I make some design decisions they are based on aesthetics. Not everything I do can always be explained in plain terms that can help someone else understand where I am coming from. This quote represents the utopia I wish I lived in.

It’s art if can’t be explained. It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation. It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation. — Wouter Stokkel
This is another fun quote. In a unique and contrasting fashion it gets across the entire mission of graphic design.

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
If graphic design had a Bible, Paul Rand would have written the equivalent to Matthew of the New Testament. This quote is so true and I have felt this way at times with clients that prefer to settle for a design that is similar to something else that has already been done or something inferior to what has been given to them.

Good design is good business. — Thomas J. Watson Jr.
There is a reason why Coke, Mac and Mercedes are world-class brands, they have world-class design.

It's been a while since the design department has spoken up on here so I would like to take this chance to say as many things as possible! The other day I stumbled onto a blog post entitled, 80+ Inspiring Quotes about Design.

I have taken the time to go back and pull out a few of my favourites and jot down a few notes of what they mean to me.

Everything is designed. Few things are designed well. — Brian Reed
This statement is such a simple profound truth. Anyone can design anything and throw it out there for the world to see. The Internet has made that especially true over the last decade. However, very few things are designed well and really deserve the accolades they receive.

Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration. — Jeffrey Zeldman
In my career there have been times when I have been asked to “just start the design” and content will be provided as we go. From those experiences, I've learned that it's better to hold off on design until content is approved because doing otherwise results in reduced quality on the end piece. Design is a medium for delivering information. Starting a design before having content is akin to starting to construct a building without materials - it just doesn't work.

Designers are meant to be loved, not to be understood. — Fabien Barral
I love this quote! On some levels, design is art. When I make some design decisions they are based on aesthetics. Not everything I do can always be explained in plain terms that can help someone else understand where I am coming from. This quote represents the utopia I wish I lived in.

It’s art if can’t be explained. It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation. It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation. — Wouter Stokkel
This is another fun quote. In a unique and contrasting fashion it gets across the entire mission of graphic design.

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
If graphic design had a Bible, Paul Rand would have written the equivalent to Matthew of the New Testament. This quote is so true and I have felt this way at times with clients that prefer to settle for a design that is similar to something else that has already been done or something inferior to what has been given to them.

Good design is good business. — Thomas J. Watson Jr.
There is a reason why Coke, Mac and Mercedes are world-class brands, they have world-class design.