--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Picasso said that no one has to explain a…" description: "\"Picasso said that no one has to explain a daffodil. Good design is understandable to virtually everybody. You never have to ask why.\" — Hugh Newell Jac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/hugh-newell-jacobsen-64837_artist_picasso-said-that-no-one-has-to-explain_120201.png" --- # Picasso said that no one has to explain a daffodil. Good… ![“Picasso said that no one has to explain a daffodil. Good design is understandable to virtually everybody. You never have to ask why.” quote by Hugh Newell Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/hugh-newell-jacobsen-64837_artist_picasso-said-that-no-one-has-to-explain_120201.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/hugh-newell-jacobsen-64837_artist_picasso-said-that-no-one-has-to-explain_120201.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/hugh-newell-jacobsen-64837_artist_picasso-said-that-no-one-has-to-explain_120201.png) > “Picasso said that no one has to explain a daffodil. Good design is understandable to virtually everybody. You never have to ask why.” [Hugh Newell Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-newell-jacobsen/) ## 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 be intuitive; like a daffodil, it needs no explanation for its appeal or function. **In simple terms:** Good design is self‑explanatory. Key Takeaway Intuitive design eliminates the need for justification. Themes design theory aesthetics usability simplicity Mood clear inspired Type design principle aphorism When to use this quote - product interfaces that users navigate without manuals - architectural spaces that guide movement naturally - branding that conveys message instantly Key Concepts visual communication Practical Applications - focus on user testing for immediate comprehension - strip unnecessary ornamentation Questions to Reflect On - When does simplicity hinder functionality? - How can designers balance clarity with depth? A Different Perspective Complex problems sometimes require explanatory context beyond visual cues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Daffodil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daffodil/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Good design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-design/) ## Related quotes > [“Picasso said “good artists copy but great artists steal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/picasso-said-good-artists-copy-but-great-artists-steal/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Picasso said that art is a lie, but a lie that tells the truth" ... Calder wondered what Picasso had meant. Was it that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blue-balliett/picasso-said-that-art-is-a-lie-but-a-lie-that-tells-the-truth-calder/) [Blue Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blue-balliett/) > [ I feel 30. \[Publo\] Picasso said he always felt 30. Well, I do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/i-feel-30-publo-picasso-said-he-always-felt-30-well-i-do/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) > [“One and whole, together, the loss and repair belonging to each other," Picasso said. "Over time, all paintings are damaged one way or another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-rose/one-and-whole-together-the-loss-and-repair-belonging-to-each-other/) [M.J. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-rose/) > [“No, ma’am,” Picasso said. “It took me over sixty years to draw this.” He stuffed the napkin in his pocket and walked out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/no-ma-am-picasso-said-it-took-me-over-sixty-years-to-draw-this-he/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [Picasso said once when being interviewed that one should not be one's own connoisseur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/picasso-said-once-when-being-interviewed-that-one-should-not-be-one-s/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [Picasso said that everything is a miracle, that it's a miracle that we don't dissolve in our baths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/picasso-said-that-everything-is-a-miracle-that-it-s-a-miracle-that-we/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The things that Picasso and I said to one another during those years will never be said again, and even if they were, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-braque/the-things-that-picasso-and-i-said-to-one-another-during-those-years/) [Georges Braque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-braque/) > [Picasso said, 'Art is a lie that tells the truth.' What if you just want to tell the truth and not lie about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/picasso-said-art-is-a-lie-that-tells-the-truth-what-if-you-just-want/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [I couldn't see his face, because the light came in from behind him and he was in shadow, and he said, "I am Picasso."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-couldn-t-see-his-face-because-the-light-came-in-from-behind-him-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I plant daffodil bulbs about eight inches deep. As I mentioned before, I don't use a ruler. As a married woman, I know perfectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-danz/i-plant-daffodil-bulbs-about-eight-inches-deep-as-i-mentioned-before/) [Cassandra Danz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-danz/) > [Hark, I hear a robin calling! List, the wind is from the south! And the orchard-bloom is falling Sweet as kisses on the mouth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/hark-i-hear-a-robin-calling-list-the-wind-is-from-the-south-and-the/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [Ten thousand saw I at a glance, tossing their heads in sprightly dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/ten-thousand-saw-i-at-a-glance-tossing-their-heads-in-sprightly-dance/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [What is meant by reality? It would seem to be something very erratic, very undependable - now to be found in a dusty road,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-is-meant-by-reality-it-would-seem-to-be-something-very-erratic/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The key of D is daffodil yellow, B major is maroon, and B flat is blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-mcpartland/the-key-of-d-is-daffodil-yellow-b-major-is-maroon-and-b-flat-is-blue/) [Marian McPartland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-mcpartland/) ## More by Hugh Newell Jacobsen > [It is our art that has an opportunity to leave a footprint in the sand. They don't wrap fish in our work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-newell-jacobsen/it-is-our-art-that-has-an-opportunity-to-leave-a-footprint-in-the/) [Hugh Newell Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-newell-jacobsen/) > [Washington is the only city in the world where you can go to a black-tie dinner and there at the foot of the table…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-newell-jacobsen/washington-is-the-only-city-in-the-world-where-you-can-go-to-a-black/) [Hugh Newell Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-newell-jacobsen/) > [The permanent power brokers of this city are the columnists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-newell-jacobsen/the-permanent-power-brokers-of-this-city-are-the-columnists/) [Hugh Newell Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-newell-jacobsen/) > [When you look at a city, it's like reading the hopes, aspirations and pride of everyone who built it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-newell-jacobsen/when-you-look-at-a-city-it-s-like-reading-the-hopes-aspirations-and/) [Hugh Newell Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-newell-jacobsen/) [Explore all 5 Hugh Newell Jacobsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-newell-jacobsen/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [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/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Picasso said that no one has to explain a daffodil. Good design is understandable to virtually everybody. 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