--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Form follows function, as the architects…" description: "\"Form follows function, as the architects say. With words and pictures, you can do just about anything.\" — Bill Watterson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/bill-watterson-728_architect_form-follows-function-as-the-architects_583023.png" --- # Form follows function, as the architects say. With words… ![“Form follows function, as the architects say. With words and pictures, you can do just about anything.” quote by Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/bill-watterson-728_architect_form-follows-function-as-the-architects_583023.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/bill-watterson-728_architect_form-follows-function-as-the-architects_583023.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/bill-watterson-728_architect_form-follows-function-as-the-architects_583023.png) > “Form follows function, as the architects say. With words and pictures, you can do just about anything.” [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design follows purpose, and with visual and textual tools, limitless creativity is possible. **In simple terms:** Design serves purpose; words and images enable anything. Key Takeaway Align design with function and experiment. Themes design creativity visual communication Mood inspirational creative Type artistic instructional When to use this quote - graphic design - advertising - storytelling Key Concepts functionality artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How does purpose guide design? - What limits creativity? A Different Perspective Misaligned design leads to confusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Architects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architects/) [Architects Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architects-say-2332745/) [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Follows Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follows-function-2423147/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Form Follows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-follows-750921/) [Form Follows Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-follows-function/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Function Architects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function-architects-4788482/) ## Related quotes > [Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/form-follows-function-that-has-been-misunderstood-form-and-function/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [“When Bauhaus designers adopted Sullivan's "form follows function," what they meant was, form should follow function. And if function is hard enough, form is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/when-bauhaus-designers-adopted-sullivan-s-form-follows-function-what/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [Form follows function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sullivan/form-follows-function/) [Louis Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sullivan/) > [The form follows the function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/the-form-follows-the-function/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [Form ever follows function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/form-ever-follows-function/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Form follows function' comes with so much baggage. It's a worthless phrase because you'll never take it for what it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/form-follows-function-comes-with-so-much-baggage-it-s-a-worthless/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Good design is not about form following function. It is function with cultural content. By adding "cultural content" to the concept of "form follows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-magnusson/good-design-is-not-about-form-following-function-it-is-function-with/) [Carl Magnusson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-magnusson/) > [My work is not about 'form follows function,' but 'form follows beauty' or, even better, 'form follows feminine.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/my-work-is-not-about-form-follows-function-but-form-follows-beauty-or/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [Form follows function straight to hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cooper/form-follows-function-straight-to-hell/) [Alan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cooper/) > [Many architects say that they will never do a bridge. But I think they will discover that just as Fallingwater is a piece of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/many-architects-say-that-they-will-never-do-a-bridge-but-i-think-they/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [If form follows function, as we know it does in this Universe, then consciousness will adapt to whatever form it requires in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/if-form-follows-function-as-we-know-it-does-in-this-universe-then/) [Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/) > [“Think of those fingers as abilities. A creative person may write, paint, sculpt, or think up math formulae; he or she might dance or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/think-of-those-fingers-as-abilities-a-creative-person-may-write-paint/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I suppose in our culture - in our lifetime - we've always enjoyed people who tell it straight. We like our presidents, our comedians,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/i-suppose-in-our-culture-in-our-lifetime-we-ve-always-enjoyed-people/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [The act of writing means you wish to communicate. Whether you're writing a memoir for yourself you put in a drawer, or you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/the-act-of-writing-means-you-wish-to-communicate-whether-you-re/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [Form follows profit is the aesthetic principle of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/form-follows-profit-is-the-aesthetic-principle-of-our-times/) [Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/) ## More by Bill Watterson > [Calvin: The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action. Once you are informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-the-more-you-know-the-harder-it-is-to-take-decisive-action/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/a-day-can-really-slip-by-when-you-re-deliberately-avoiding-what-you/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [For your information, I'm staying like this, and everyone else can just get used to it! If people don't like me the way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/for-your-information-i-m-staying-like-this-and-everyone-else-can-just/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [I think most of us would be horrified to meet ourselves and discover what everyone else already knows about us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-think-most-of-us-would-be-horrified-to-meet-ourselves-and-discover/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [As a kid, I knew I wanted to be either a cartoonist or an astronaut. The latter was never much of a possibility, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/as-a-kid-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-either-a-cartoonist-or-an-astronaut/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Miss Wormwood: Calvin, your test was an absolute disgrace! It's obvious you haven't read any of the material. Our first president was not Chef…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/miss-wormwood-calvin-your-test-was-an-absolute-disgrace-it-s-obvious/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Calvin: Today for show and tell, I've brought a tiny miracle of nature: a single snowflake! I think we might all learn a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-today-for-show-and-tell-i-ve-brought-a-tiny-miracle-of-nature/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [United Features had given me a development contract, which meant I was to work exclusively with them and rather than completing everything on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/united-features-had-given-me-a-development-contract-which-meant-i-was/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [What assurance do I have that your parenting isn't screwing me up?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/what-assurance-do-i-have-that-your-parenting-isn-t-screwing-me-up/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [In the right hands, a comic strip attains a beauty and elegance that, really, I would put against any other art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/in-the-right-hands-a-comic-strip-attains-a-beauty-and-elegance-that/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [If you give a little credit to the concept of the artist, I think you ought to indulge excesses a bit, because that reflects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/if-you-give-a-little-credit-to-the-concept-of-the-artist-i-think-you/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [I tell you all this because it's worth recognizing that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You will do well to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-tell-you-all-this-because-it-s-worth-recognizing-that-there-is-no/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [The secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/the-secret-to-enjoying-your-job-is-to-have-a-hobby-that-s-even-worse/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [By golly, life's too darn short to waste time trying to please every meddlesome moron who's got an idea how I ought to be!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/by-golly-life-s-too-darn-short-to-waste-time-trying-to-please-every/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [I'm yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet, raised to an alarming extent by Hollywood and Madison Avenue, poised with my cynical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-m-yet-another-resource-consuming-kid-in-an-overpopulated-planet/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) [Explore all 389 Bill Watterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) ## More Architect quotes > [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/) [Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-comes-to-getting-things-done-we-need-fewer-architects-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [I was the chairman of the Budget Committee and the lead architect the last time it happened in Washington, and when we did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-budget-committee-and-the-lead-architect-the/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [The architect is very interesting because the architect is the commander, meaning the one who commands all the workers. The architect is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-architect-is-very-interesting-because-the-architect-is-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [The pursuit of peace resembles the building of a great cathedral. It is the work of a generation. In concept it requires a mater-architect;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/the-pursuit-of-peace-resembles-the-building-of-a-great-cathedral-it/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [Yes, Garnett Grey was an Architect. Were a psychoanalyst to approach him from behind, tap his shoulder, and say 'Humanity,' Garrett'd spin and respond,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/yes-garnett-grey-was-an-architect-were-a-psychoanalyst-to-approach/) [Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/) > [The challenge of today's generation of architects is the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ross-barney/the-challenge-of-today-s-generation-of-architects-is-the-environment/) [Carol Ross Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ross-barney/) > [I stand on this rostrum with a sense of deep humility and great pride - humility in the weight of those great American architects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/i-stand-on-this-rostrum-with-a-sense-of-deep-humility-and-great-pride/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Architects in the past have tended to concentrate their attention on the building as a static object. I believe dynamics are more important: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/architects-in-the-past-have-tended-to-concentrate-their-attention-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects the last time we balanced a budget, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-house-budget-committee-and-one-of-the-chief/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [No matter what an architect may be at home, he becomes a monumentalist when he comes to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/no-matter-what-an-architect-may-be-at-home-he-becomes-a-monumentalist/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/as-an-architect-you-design-for-the-present-with-an-awareness-of-the/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) [Browse all 836 Architect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Form follows function, as the architects say. 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