--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's design, and there's art. Good…" description: "\"There's design, and there's art. Good design is total harmony. There's no better designer than nature - if you look at a branch or a leaf, it's perfect..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/diane-von-furstenberg-1664_art_there-s-design-and-there-s-art-good-desi_801926.jpg" --- # There's design, and there's art. Good design is total… ![“There's design, and there's art. Good design is total harmony. There's no better designer than nature - if you look at a branch or a leaf, it's perfect. It's all function. Art is different. It's about emotion. It's about suffering and beauty - but mostly suffering!” quote by Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/diane-von-furstenberg-1664_art_there-s-design-and-there-s-art-good-desi_801926.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/diane-von-furstenberg-1664_art_there-s-design-and-there-s-art-good-desi_801926.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/diane-von-furstenberg-1664_art_there-s-design-and-there-s-art-good-desi_801926.jpg) > “There's design, and there's art. Good design is total harmony. There's no better designer than nature - if you look at a branch or a leaf, it's perfect. It's all function. Art is different. It's about emotion. It's about suffering and beauty - but mostly suffering!” [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design seeks functional harmony found in nature; art pursues emotional expression, often through suffering and beauty. **In simple terms:** Design = harmony; art = emotion. Key Takeaway Balance function and feeling in creation. Themes design art nature emotion beauty Mood inspired thoughtful Type analytical creative When to use this quote - product design - visual arts - architecture - marketing - personal expression Key Concepts aesthetics functionality human experience Questions to Reflect On - How can designers incorporate emotional depth without sacrificing utility? - What role does suffering play in artistic inspiration? A Different Perspective Art may be too subjective for practical needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Better Designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-designer-4341776/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-art-627191/) [Designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer/) [Designer Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer-nature-4851398/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-design/) [Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [There is no better designer than nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mcqueen/there-is-no-better-designer-than-nature/) [Alexander McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mcqueen/) > [There is no better designer then nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mcqueen/there-is-no-better-designer-then-nature/) [Alexander McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mcqueen/) > [When I was 5 or 6 years old, I never wanted toys; I wanted electrical parts so I could build things. And I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/when-i-was-5-or-6-years-old-i-never-wanted-toys-i-wanted-electrical/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-been-amazed-at-how-often-those-outside-the-discipline-of-design/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [3 requirements for a good designer: 1. genuine knowledge and love of great design. 2. sound knowledge of principles and techniques of communication. 3. heart (passion).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-beall/3-requirements-for-a-good-designer-1-genuine-knowledge-and-love-of/) [Lester Beall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-beall/) > [One of the great things about design is that it's truly international. 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Too much style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/if-i-was-ever-going-to-become-a-good-designer-i-had-to-leave-america/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/good-design-is-a-lot-like-clear-thinking-made-visual/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Everyday people are not very good designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyday-people-are-not-very-good-designers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The public is more familiar with bad design than good design. It is, in effect, conditioned to prefer bad design, because that is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rand/the-public-is-more-familiar-with-bad-design-than-good-design-it-is-in/) [Paul Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rand/) > [Good designers must always be avant-gardists, always one step ahead of the times. They should – and must – question everything generally thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/good-designers-must-always-be-avant-gardists-always-one-step-ahead-of/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Good design is also an act of communication between the designer and the user, except that all the communication has to come about by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-norman/good-design-is-also-an-act-of-communication-between-the-designer-and/) [Donald A. Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-a-norman/) > [The reason why many clients don't value design is because haven't had a designer prove to them the value of it. You need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hische/the-reason-why-many-clients-don-t-value-design-is-because-haven-t-had/) [Jessica Hische](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hische/) > [I like stuff designed by dead people. The old designers. They always got it right because they didn't have to grow up with computers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maeda/i-like-stuff-designed-by-dead-people-the-old-designers-they-always/) [John Maeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maeda/) > [ The combination of an individual\[i.e., a client\] with a positive idea of living and a good designer is the great force in contemporary decoration.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-day-truex/the-combination-of-an-individual-i-e-a-client-with-a-positive-idea-of/) [Van Day Truex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-day-truex/) ## More by Diane von Furstenberg > [I was lucky because I got so successful so early, and when you get successful early, then you can afford to be a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-was-lucky-because-i-got-so-successful-so-early-and-when-you-get/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [Resisting a beautiful chocolate cake or a wonderful foie gras is as difficult as (the idea of) saying no to Paul Newman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/resisting-a-beautiful-chocolate-cake-or-a-wonderful-foie-gras-is-as/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [The older you get, the more you should learn to love life and appreciate the beauty that comes with age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/the-older-you-get-the-more-you-should-learn-to-love-life-and/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the woman I wanted to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-didn-t-know-what-i-wanted-to-do-but-i-always-knew-the-woman-i/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [Eighteen months before I was born, my mother was in Auschwitz. She weighed 49 pounds. She always told me that God saved her so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/eighteen-months-before-i-was-born-my-mother-was-in-auschwitz-she/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I have always been attracted to clothes designed by women. Coco Chanel, Vionnet, Norma Kamali, Donna Karan. They have a little more - how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-have-always-been-attracted-to-clothes-designed-by-women-coco-chanel/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [It's more than just a dress; it's a spirit. The wrap dress was an interesting cultural phenomenon, and one that has lasted 30 years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/it-s-more-than-just-a-dress-it-s-a-spirit-the-wrap-dress-was-an/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [If you're short, don't wear extremely high heels. After a certain age, you shouldn't wear little girls' clothes. That's going against your nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/if-you-re-short-don-t-wear-extremely-high-heels-after-a-certain-age/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I used the aspects of being a woman to my advantage, but I worked for myself, not a big corporation, so I was lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-used-the-aspects-of-being-a-woman-to-my-advantage-but-i-worked-for/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I'm not the only one; most people's mothers are the most influential person in their life. But my mother survived the camps, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-m-not-the-only-one-most-people-s-mothers-are-the-most-influential/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I'm not tired of who I am. That would be sad!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-m-not-tired-of-who-i-am-that-would-be-sad/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [You can learn a lot from my mistakes more than my success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/you-can-learn-a-lot-from-my-mistakes-more-than-my-success/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I've always been inspired by women, and my mission was to inspire women. I always wanted to become a certain kind of woman, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-ve-always-been-inspired-by-women-and-my-mission-was-to-inspire/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [Animals come from nature. They were not designed. All my inspiration comes from nature, whether it's an animal or the layout of bark or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/animals-come-from-nature-they-were-not-designed-all-my-inspiration/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [Fashion is mysterious, as a rule. Why are blue jeans a classic? You just hit on something that happens to be timeless and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/fashion-is-mysterious-as-a-rule-why-are-blue-jeans-a-classic-you-just/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) [Explore all 218 Diane von Furstenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [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/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's design, and there's art. 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