--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Design isn't crafting a beautiful…" description: "\"Design isn't crafting a beautiful, textured button with breathtaking animation. It's figuring out if there's a way to get rid of the button altogether...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/edward-tufte-10613_animation_design-isn-t-crafting-a-beautiful-textur_3216145.jpg" --- # Design isn't crafting a beautiful, textured button with… ![“Design isn't crafting a beautiful, textured button with breathtaking animation. It's figuring out if there's a way to get rid of the button altogether.” quote by Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/edward-tufte-10613_animation_design-isn-t-crafting-a-beautiful-textur_3216145.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/edward-tufte-10613_animation_design-isn-t-crafting-a-beautiful-textur_3216145.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/edward-tufte-10613_animation_design-isn-t-crafting-a-beautiful-textur_3216145.jpg) > “Design isn't crafting a beautiful, textured button with breathtaking animation. It's figuring out if there's a way to get rid of the button altogether.” [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design should eliminate unnecessary elements, focusing on function over ornamentation. **In simple terms:** Good design removes the need for a button. Key Takeaway Simplify to solve the problem. Themes design minimalism functionality Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - web interfaces - mobile apps - product design - UX workshops Key Concepts human-centered design usability efficiency Questions to Reflect On - Can you identify a feature that could be removed? - How does removing a button improve user experience? A Different Perspective Simplicity may conflict with aesthetic expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animation/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Breathtaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathtaking/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) ## Related quotes > [If design isn't profitable, then it's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-fisker/if-design-isn-t-profitable-then-it-s-art/) [Henrik Fisker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-fisker/) > [Design isn't Art. It's not about creating beautiful or thought-provoking things for the sake of it. Design is a discipline creating communication with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hunt/design-isn-t-art-it-s-not-about-creating-beautiful-or-thought/) Ben Hunt > [“The fact remains: Good design is testable, and design that isn’t testable is bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-feathers/the-fact-remains-good-design-is-testable-and-design-that-isn-t/) [Michael C. Feathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-feathers/) > [ “McConnell writes, "In ten years the pendulum has swung from 'design everything' to 'design nothing.' But the alternative to BDUF \[Big Design Up Front\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/mcconnell-writes-in-ten-years-the-pendulum-has-swung-from-design/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [A design isn't finished until someone is using it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/a-design-isn-t-finished-until-someone-is-using-it/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [The way to do good basic design isn't actually to be really smart about it, but to try to have a few basic concepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/the-way-to-do-good-basic-design-isn-t-actually-to-be-really-smart/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [Good design isn't about making decisions for your users, it's about making those decisions irrelevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rands/good-design-isn-t-about-making-decisions-for-your-users-it-s-about/) [Rands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rands/) > [“UX design isn't a new field. But sometimes new approaches lead to new perspectives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ux-design-isn-t-a-new-field-but-sometimes-new-approaches-lead-to-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Great design alone isn't going to yield the results investors are expecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-ahrendts/great-design-alone-isn-t-going-to-yield-the-results-investors-are/) [Angela Ahrendts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-ahrendts/) > [A design isn't finished until somebody is using it. Brenda Laurel Intelligent design itself does not have any content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gilder/a-design-isn-t-finished-until-somebody-is-using-it-brenda-laurel/) [George Gilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gilder/) > [Design isn't just about making things beautiful; it's also about making things work beautifully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-martin/design-isn-t-just-about-making-things-beautiful-it-s-also-about/) [Roger Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-martin/) > [Design isn't risky - change is. Good design mitigates that risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-veen/design-isn-t-risky-change-is-good-design-mitigates-that-risk/) [Jeffrey Veen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-veen/) > [Building design isn't trendy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccloud/building-design-isn-t-trendy/) [Kevin McCloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccloud/) > [Designers are by nature more inquisitive, more connected. They dig a little deeper in terms of insights. They turn those insights into innovation. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-parker/designers-are-by-nature-more-inquisitive-more-connected-they-dig-a/) [Mark Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-parker/) > [Game design isn’t just a technological craft. It’s a twenty-first-century way of thinking and leading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mcgonigal/game-design-isn-t-just-a-technological-craft-it-s-a-twenty-first/) [Jane McGonigal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mcgonigal/) ## More by Edward Tufte > [If you’re told what to look for, you can’t see anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-you-re-told-what-to-look-for-you-can-t-see-anything-else/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [“Comparisons must be enforced within the scope of the eyespan, a fundamental point occasionally forgotten in practice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/comparisons-must-be-enforced-within-the-scope-of-the-eyespan-a/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [If there is a well thought-out design standard, it should be followed. In practice, great design comes from great designers. That is empirically the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-there-is-a-well-thought-out-design-standard-it-should-be-followed/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [The point of the essay is to change things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/the-point-of-the-essay-is-to-change-things/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Here's the general theory: To clarify, add detail. Imagine that. To clarify, add detail. And clutter and overload are not an attribute of information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/here-s-the-general-theory-to-clarify-add-detail-imagine-that-to/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [My idea here is that, inasmuch as certain cognitive tasks and principles are tied to nature's laws, these tasks and principles are indifferent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/my-idea-here-is-that-inasmuch-as-certain-cognitive-tasks-and/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/clutter-and-confusion-are-failures-of-design-not-attributes-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [Confusion and clutter are failures of design, not attributes of information. And so the point is to find design strategies that reveal detail and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/confusion-and-clutter-are-failures-of-design-not-attributes-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [We've drifted into this presentation mode without realizing the cost to the content and the audience in the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/we-ve-drifted-into-this-presentation-mode-without-realizing-the-cost/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [If your words or images are not on point, making them dance in color won't make them relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-your-words-or-images-are-not-on-point-making-them-dance-in-color/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [I hope that I am generous and tolerant, but certainly on the intellectual side I think that there are discoverable truths, and some things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/i-hope-that-i-am-generous-and-tolerant-but-certainly-on-the/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [“If the statistics are boring, then you've got the wrong numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-the-statistics-are-boring-then-you-ve-got-the-wrong-numbers/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [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/) > [I think it is important for software to avoiding imposing a cognitive style on workers and their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/i-think-it-is-important-for-software-to-avoiding-imposing-a-cognitive/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [The essential test of design is how well it assists the understanding of the content, not how stylish it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/the-essential-test-of-design-is-how-well-it-assists-the-understanding/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) [Explore all 64 Edward Tufte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) ## More Animation quotes > [If I'm doing a voice-over session, like animation or something, and I'm doing three different voices, you've gotta separate them. You've gotta find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-adlon/if-i-m-doing-a-voice-over-session-like-animation-or-something-and-i-m/) [Pamela Adlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-adlon/) > [I was always into cartoons and animation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nonito-donaire/i-was-always-into-cartoons-and-animation/) [Nonito Donaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nonito-donaire/) > [What's unique about Disney Animation, many of the films have this perennial quality about them. They don't seem like old films, they still seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/what-s-unique-about-disney-animation-many-of-the-films-have-this/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [I was always tinkering around with stuff but nothing serious at the time. I was doing animations and drawing like crazy, but I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-vangaalen/i-was-always-tinkering-around-with-stuff-but-nothing-serious-at-the/) Chad VanGaalen > [In feature animation, cartoony or exaggerated animation is almost taboo. There is this precedent that if you do that kind of stuff people won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genndy-tartakovsky/in-feature-animation-cartoony-or-exaggerated-animation-is-almost/) [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genndy-tartakovsky/) > [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [To this day I over prepare. I draw storyboards for every scene - chicken scratches so crude that they amuse and horrify the crew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/to-this-day-i-over-prepare-i-draw-storyboards-for-every-scene-chicken/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [I was invited to join the MGM cartoon department. But if I'd started work in animation I'd have had to take a cut in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-was-invited-to-join-the-mgm-cartoon-department-but-if-i-d-started/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I took a lot of influences from Studio Ghibli, which is the Japanese animation studio that made 'Spirited Away' and 'Castle in the Sky.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hewlett/i-took-a-lot-of-influences-from-studio-ghibli-which-is-the-japanese/) [Jamie Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hewlett/) > [I've worked in animation for a long time. I started in Spain and I wanted to make feature films. That desire to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-garcia/i-ve-worked-in-animation-for-a-long-time-i-started-in-spain-and-i/) [Raul Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-garcia/) > [If you were to look at an old 'Betty Boop' cartoon or an 'Out of the Ink Well' animation, there are many things about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-seibert/if-you-were-to-look-at-an-old-betty-boop-cartoon-or-an-out-of-the-ink/) [Fred Seibert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-seibert/) > [Animation has always been about technology. You can't have animation without technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wedge/animation-has-always-been-about-technology-you-can-t-have-animation/) [Chris Wedge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-wedge/) > [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. And in the days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Tigress is my alternate personality, especially with children. I love animation because you get to do things you don't normally get to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/tigress-is-my-alternate-personality-especially-with-children-i-love/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [With live-action I think we'd have lost the universal appeal of the Persepolis story. With live-action, it would have turned into a story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/with-live-action-i-think-we-d-have-lost-the-universal-appeal-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) [Browse all 837 Animation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Design isn't crafting a beautiful, textured button with breathtaking animation. 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