Good design is like a refrigerator

Design is where science and art break even. You can do a good ad without good typography, but you can’t do a great ad without good typography. Creativity is a highfalutin word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday. There is no such thing as a boring project. There are only boring executions. Simplicity, wit, and good typography. Design is where science and art break even. As we decrease uncertainty, we give ourselves permission to increase fidelity. A user interface is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not that good. 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. Good design is like a refrigerator—when it works, no one notices, but when it doesn’t, it sure stinks. Design everything on the assumption that people are not heartless or stupid but marvelously capable, given the chance. Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future. Have no fear of perfection — you’ll never reach it. Design is where science and art break even. It took me a few seconds to draw it, but it took me 34 years to learn how to draw it in a few seconds. 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. The alternative to good design is always bad design. There is no such thing as no design. Design is more than just a few tricks to the eye. It’s a few tricks to the brain. Whitespace is like air: it is necessary for design to breathe. Information is only useful when it can be understood. Design adds value faster than it adds costs. If you do it right, it will last forever. Practice safe design: Use a concept. The alternative to good design is always bad design. There is no such thing as no design. If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design. Get rid of everything that is not essential to making a point. Creativity is nothing but the way to solve new problems. Look at usual things with unusual eyes. If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design. Do not seek praise, seek criticism. Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.