--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I often say that 'Design Matters' began…" description: "\"I often say that 'Design Matters' began in February 2005 with an idea and a telephone line.\" — Debbie Millman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59d/debbie-millman-13877_design_i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in_2912204.jpg" --- # I often say that 'Design Matters' began in February 2005… ![“I often say that 'Design Matters' began in February 2005 with an idea and a telephone line.” quote by Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59d/debbie-millman-13877_design_i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in_2912204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59d/debbie-millman-13877_design_i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in_2912204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59d/debbie-millman-13877_design_i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in_2912204.jpg) > “I often say that 'Design Matters' began in February 2005 with an idea and a telephone line.” [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design thinking originated from a simple idea and a phone call, highlighting the power of modest beginnings. **In simple terms:** Design started with an idea and a phone call. Key Takeaway Embrace small starts in creative projects. Themes creativity entrepreneurship communication Mood inspired reflective Type motivational historical When to use this quote - startup brainstorming - branding workshops - client pitches Key Concepts design thinking origin stories Questions to Reflect On - How can a single idea evolve into a movement? - What role does communication play in launching design initiatives? A Different Perspective Ideas need nurturing beyond the first call. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [2005 Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/2005-idea-4077366/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-matters-4115222/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [February](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/february/) [Idea Telephone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-telephone-4199397/) [Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters/) [Matters Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters-began-4199398/) [Say Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-design-2415838/) [Telephone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telephone/) ## Related quotes > [“It's easy to dismiss design - to relegate it to mere ornament, the prettifying of places and objects to disguise their banality. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/it-s-easy-to-dismiss-design-to-relegate-it-to-mere-ornament-the/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [At the start of 2005 the idea of downloading a song to a mobile phone was an idea, by the end of the year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/at-the-start-of-2005-the-idea-of-downloading-a-song-to-a-mobile-phone/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Social networking technology didn't really exist until 2004-2005. I had the idea to use this technology to bridge this gap between a general interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rattray/social-networking-technology-didn-t-really-exist-until-2004-2005-i/) [Ben Rattray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rattray/) > [I oftentimes say that I design my collections off my phone. I'm in a group chat with my team in Milan. I copy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-abloh/i-oftentimes-say-that-i-design-my-collections-off-my-phone-i-m-in-a/) [Virgil Abloh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-abloh/) > [When you say 'design,' everybody thinks of magazine pages. So it's an emotive word. Everybody thinks it's how something looks, whereas for me, design…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dyson/when-you-say-design-everybody-thinks-of-magazine-pages-so-it-s-an/) [James Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dyson/) > [People in the UK will say that the design community in the US is much more coherent than other countries. It has no government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/people-in-the-uk-will-say-that-the-design-community-in-the-us-is-much/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [When you have something truthful to say, it will design itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-gill/when-you-have-something-truthful-to-say-it-will-design-itself/) [Bob Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-gill/) > [The telephone is the most important single technological resource of later life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-comfort/the-telephone-is-the-most-important-single-technological-resource-of/) [Alex Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-comfort/) > [The KKK members that I was dealing with never saw me because my interaction with them occurred over the phone. They were convinced that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-stallworth/the-kkk-members-that-i-was-dealing-with-never-saw-me-because-my/) [Ron Stallworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-stallworth/) > [Older Americans are perfect telemarketing customers, analysts say, because they are often at home, rely on delivery services, and are lonely for the companionship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/older-americans-are-perfect-telemarketing-customers-analysts-say/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“The old gentleman refuses to have the telephone which he regards as a device of the devil, and on a par with radio, television,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/the-old-gentleman-refuses-to-have-the-telephone-which-he-regards-as-a/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [The telephone is virtual reality in that you can meet with someone as if you are together, at least for the auditory sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-telephone-is-virtual-reality-in-that-you-can-meet-with-someone-as/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [I will take questions from the guys, but from the girls I want telephone numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvio-berlusconi/i-will-take-questions-from-the-guys-but-from-the-girls-i-want/) [Silvio Berlusconi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvio-berlusconi/) > [Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/telephone-n-an-invention-of-the-devil-which-abrogates-some-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Debbie Millman > [The thing that I like about magazines, paper magazines, and papers in any kind of tangible format is the surprise factor of turning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/the-thing-that-i-like-about-magazines-paper-magazines-and-papers-in/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [I found that the only thing I felt passionate about drawing were words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-found-that-the-only-thing-i-felt-passionate-about-drawing-were-words/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [I find working on brands some of the most interesting work you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-find-working-on-brands-some-of-the-most-interesting-work-you-can-do/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [People do not read first. First and foremost, they see color. Then they see numbers, then shape, and then, if you still have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/people-do-not-read-first-first-and-foremost-they-see-color-then-they/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Never give up if it is something that you really want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/never-give-up-if-it-is-something-that-you-really-want/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Visual storytelling combines the narrative text of a story with creative elements to augment and enhance the traditional storytelling process. By design, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/visual-storytelling-combines-the-narrative-text-of-a-story-with/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Branding is deliberate differentiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/branding-is-deliberate-differentiation/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [“I recommend the following course of action for those who are just beginning their careers or for those like me, who may be reconfiguring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-recommend-the-following-course-of-action-for-those-who-are-just/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Even though brands are created by people, they belong to the corporations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/even-though-brands-are-created-by-people-they-belong-to-the/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [“Real education is a radical process. It thumps you on the head until everything you know makes no sense anymore. Then you run around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/real-education-is-a-radical-process-it-thumps-you-on-the-head-until/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [I tell all my students, 'Learn how to code.' It's sort of like learning Spanish in third grade. When you're still young and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-tell-all-my-students-learn-how-to-code-it-s-sort-of-like-learning/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Everything in our world is branded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/everything-in-our-world-is-branded/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [In design-led organizations, design permeates every initiative and expression. It's embedded in the culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/in-design-led-organizations-design-permeates-every-initiative-and/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Many brands have lost their way in the process of evolving from a small company to a much bigger corporation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/many-brands-have-lost-their-way-in-the-process-of-evolving-from-a/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Design and branding are inextricably linked to the way in which society, culture, the environment, and business interact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/design-and-branding-are-inextricably-linked-to-the-way-in-which/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) [Explore all 49 Debbie Millman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) ## More Design quotes > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) [Giambattista Bodoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-bodoni/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) [Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/) > [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/) [Fang Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fang-chen/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Browse all 5,563 Design quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I often say that 'Design Matters' began in February 2005 with an idea and a telephone line.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debbie Millman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in-february-2005-with-an-idea/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Design" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in-february-2005-with-an-idea/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59d/debbie-millman-13877_design_i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in_2912204.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59d/debbie-millman-13877_design_i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in_2912204.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59d/debbie-millman-13877_design_i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in_2912204.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I often say that 'Design Matters' began in February 2005 with an idea and a telephone line.” — Debbie Millman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Debbie Millman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I often say that 'Design Matters'...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in-february-2005-with-an-idea/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-often-say-that-design-matters-began-in-february-2005-with-an-idea/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```