Yah, I know. So is everyone else these days.
This will be my third…and it won’t focus exclusively on design. This one includes lots of quotes, some “war stories,” reflections on what I’ve learned (mostly from you!) over the years and some design wisdom.
It’s pretty much done. But don’t try to order an advance copy just yet: “pretty much done” means it’s probably gonna take me another few months to polish it.
For this month’s column, I thought I’d offer you a brief glimpse by sharing some of the design quotes with you. There isn’t one here that I wouldn’t be proud to display on my office will. But I am kinda partial to one of them. I’ll let you decide which one that is.
So, read on…and be inspired!
“Design is the art of gradually applying constraints until only one solution remains.”
Unknown
“I’ve been amazed at how often those outside the discipline of design assume that what designers do is decoration. Good design is problem solving.”
Jeffrey Veen
“Like all forms of design, visual design is about problem solving, not about personal preference or unsupported opinion.”
Bob Baxley
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”
Charles Mingus
“ ‘Form follows function.’ That has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
“The details are not the details. They make the design.”
Charles Eames
“Questions about whether design is necessary or affordable are quite beside the point: design is inevitable. The alternative to good design is bad design, not no design at all.”
Douglas Martin
“Art has to move you and design does not—unless it’s a good design for a bus.”
David Hockney
“Design is directed toward human beings. To design is to solve human problems by identifying them and executing the best solution.”
Ivan Chermayeff
“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
Douglas Adams
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
Henry David Thoreau
“Have no fear of perfection—you’ll never reach it.”
Salvador Dali
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
Mark Twain
“Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.”
Paul Rand
“When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”
Buckminster Fuller
“You need to listen deeply—listen past what people say they want to hear what they need.”
Jon Meads
“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
Steve Jobs
“I prefer design by experts—by people who know what they are doing”
Don Norman
“You show me how good a designer you are not by what you choose to put on a page—but by what you choose to take away.”
Ed Henninger
WANT A FREE evaluation of your newspaper’s design? Just contact Ed:
edh@henningerconsulting.com | 803-327-3322
IF THIS COLUMN has been helpful, you may be interested in Ed’s books: Henninger on Design and 101 Henninger Helpful Hints. With the help of Ed’s books, you’ll immediately have a better idea how to design for your readers. Find out more about Henninger on Design and 101 Henninger Helpful Hints by visiting Ed’s web site: www.henningerconsulting.com
ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting. Offering comprehensive newspaper design services including redesigns, workshops, staff training and evaluations. E-mail: edh@henningerconsulting.com. On the web: henningerconsulting.com. Phone: 803-327-3322.
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Ed Henninger | Director | Henninger Consulting
edh@henningerconsulting.com | http://www.henningerconsulting.com
Ed Henninger’s Blog: http://edhenninger.wordpress.com
TEL: 803-327-3322 | FAX: 803-327-3323
756 Summerwood Dr Rock Hill SC 29732 USA