---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is sad that so many designers don't…"
description: "\"It is sad that so many designers don't know how to make. CAD software can make a bad design look palatable! It is sad that four years can be spent on a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/jonathan-ive-3015_advantage_it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-k_1047104.png"
---

#  It is sad that so many designers don't know how to make…

![“It is sad that so many designers don't know how to make. CAD software can make a bad design look palatable! It is sad that four years can be spent on a 3D design course without making anything! People who are great at designing and making have a great advantage.” quote by Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/jonathan-ive-3015_advantage_it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-k_1047104.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/jonathan-ive-3015_advantage_it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-k_1047104.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/jonathan-ive-3015_advantage_it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-k_1047104.png)

> “It is sad that so many designers don't know how to make. CAD software can make a bad design look palatable! It is sad that four years can be spent on a 3D design course without making anything! People who are great at designing and making have a great advantage.”

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Highlights the gap between design theory and practical execution, stressing hands‑on skill.

**In simple terms:** Design knowledge isn’t enough without making things.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize making over just learning design.

Themes

design skill practice education

Mood

critical inspirational

Type

advice reflective

When to use this quote

- product development
- student projects
- engineering teams
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

Design thinking craftsmanship

Questions to Reflect On

- How can designers integrate making into learning?
- What barriers prevent hands‑on practice?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on theory can stall innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[3D Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/3d-design-2482303/) [Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) [Anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) [Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/) [Cad Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cad-software-2482306/) [Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/course/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-course-2482307/) [Designers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designers/) [Designing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designing/) [Designing Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designing-making-2482305/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-advantage/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make Cad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-cad-2482304/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) [Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software/) [Spent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spent/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Without](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [Even in high school, I was keenly aware of this remarkable tradition that the U.K. had of designing and making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/even-in-high-school-i-was-keenly-aware-of-this-remarkable-tradition/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [I am keenly aware that I benefit from a wonderful tradition in the UK of designing and making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-am-keenly-aware-that-i-benefit-from-a-wonderful-tradition-in-the-uk/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [What makes a mockery of a lot of these 3D conversions, where they're shot in 2D and converted to 3D. Having laid a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-w-s-anderson/what-makes-a-mockery-of-a-lot-of-these-3d-conversions-where-they-re/)

[Paul W. S. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-w-s-anderson/)

> [The great advantage to labor arising out of co-operative effort has been apparent to me for many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-stanford/the-great-advantage-to-labor-arising-out-of-co-operative-effort-has/)

[Leland Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-stanford/)

> [Being young is a great advantage, since we see the world from a new perspective and we are not afraid to make radical changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-thunburg/being-young-is-a-great-advantage-since-we-see-the-world-from-a-new/)

[Greta Thunburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-thunburg/)

> [The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of life's essential unfairness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/the-great-advantage-of-living-in-a-large-family-is-that-early-lesson/)

[Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/)

> [The great advantage of the Lib Dems is precisely that no-one knows what they stand for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/the-great-advantage-of-the-lib-dems-is-precisely-that-no-one-knows/)

[Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/)

> [Baseball has the great advantage over cricket of being sooner ended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/baseball-has-the-great-advantage-over-cricket-of-being-sooner-ended/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The Christian has a great advantage over other men, not by being less fallen than they, nor less doomed to live in a fallen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-christian-has-a-great-advantage-over-other-men-not-by-being-less/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Obviously, you know, I am known as an action director, and being a film editor previously had been a great advantage for me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-glen/obviously-you-know-i-am-known-as-an-action-director-and-being-a-film/)

[John Glen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-glen/)

> [As an actress, I never went to film school, and I think if I had gone to film school, I would have started with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preity-zinta/as-an-actress-i-never-went-to-film-school-and-i-think-if-i-had-gone/)

[Preity Zinta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preity-zinta/)

> [The great advantage of a hotel is that it's a great refuge from home life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-great-advantage-of-a-hotel-is-that-it-s-a-great-refuge-from-home/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Although science and technology open up boundless opportunities, they also present great perils because Satan employs these marvelous discoveries to his great advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/although-science-and-technology-open-up-boundless-opportunities-they/)

[James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/)

> [It is of great advantage that man should know his station, and not imagine that the whole universe exists only for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/it-is-of-great-advantage-that-man-should-know-his-station-and-not/)

[Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/)

> [For some reason when I decide to pursue something, I never have any fear that it won't happen. I think it's just ingrained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-blatz/for-some-reason-when-i-decide-to-pursue-something-i-never-have-any/)

[Kelly Blatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-blatz/)

## More by Jonathan Ive

> [My father was a very good craftsman. He made furniture, he made silverware and he had an incredible gift in terms of how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/my-father-was-a-very-good-craftsman-he-made-furniture-he-made/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [The more I learnt about this cheeky - almost rebellious - company, the more it appealed to me, as it unapologetically pointed to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-more-i-learnt-about-this-cheeky-almost-rebellious-company-the/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [To design something really new and innovative you have to reject reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/to-design-something-really-new-and-innovative-you-have-to-reject/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [The most important thing is that you actually care, that you do something to the very best of your ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-most-important-thing-is-that-you-actually-care-that-you-do/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [We’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It’s tempting to think it’s because the people who use them don’t care-just like the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-re-surrounded-by-anonymous-poorly-made-objects-it-s-tempting-to/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [And I said couldn't we be more moderate? And he said why? And I said because I care about the team. And he said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/and-i-said-couldn-t-we-be-more-moderate-and-he-said-why-and-i-said/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [The absence of clutter is just a clutter-free product. That's not simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-absence-of-clutter-is-just-a-clutter-free-product-that-s-not/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [In our quest to quickly make three-dimensional objects, we can miss out on the experience of making something that helps give us our first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/in-our-quest-to-quickly-make-three-dimensional-objects-we-can-miss/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [A beautiful product that doesn't work very well is ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/a-beautiful-product-that-doesn-t-work-very-well-is-ugly/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [We don't do focus groups - that is the job of the designer. It's unfair to ask people who don't have a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-don-t-do-focus-groups-that-is-the-job-of-the-designer-it-s-unfair/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [I am very aware that I'm the product of growing up in England and the tradition of designing and making, of England industrialising first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-am-very-aware-that-i-m-the-product-of-growing-up-in-england-and-the/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [It's a very strange thing for a designer to say, but one of the things that really irritates me in products is when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-s-a-very-strange-thing-for-a-designer-to-say-but-one-of-the-things/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [We won't do something different for different's sake. Designers cave in to marketing, to the corporate agenda, which is sort of, 'Oh, it looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-won-t-do-something-different-for-different-s-sake-designers-cave/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [As a kid, I remember taking apart whatever I could get my hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/as-a-kid-i-remember-taking-apart-whatever-i-could-get-my-hands-on/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [I find that when I write, I need things to be quiet, but when I design, I can't bear it if it's quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-find-that-when-i-write-i-need-things-to-be-quiet-but-when-i-design/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

[Explore all 142 Jonathan Ive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

## More Advantage quotes

> [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [All I ever wanted was an unfair advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-wynn/all-i-ever-wanted-was-an-unfair-advantage/)

[Garrison Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-wynn/)

> [Part of the advantage, and part of the result of trying to be a producer and director, are the practical things, you find. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/part-of-the-advantage-and-part-of-the-result-of-trying-to-be-a/)

[Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/)

> [I was born with a silver microphone in my mouth, and that was an advantage. My father wrote books and was also a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/i-was-born-with-a-silver-microphone-in-my-mouth-and-that-was-an/)

[Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/)

> [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> [For some reason when I decide to pursue something, I never have any fear that it won't happen. I think it's just ingrained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-blatz/for-some-reason-when-i-decide-to-pursue-something-i-never-have-any/)

[Kelly Blatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-blatz/)

> [I think I have good hands, so I try to use them to my advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-andreescu/i-think-i-have-good-hands-so-i-try-to-use-them-to-my-advantage/)

[Bianca Andreescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-andreescu/)

> [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/my-influences-are-jazz-blues-european-classical-music-they-are-rock/)

[Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/)

> [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/)

[Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/)

> [Daily contact with some teachers is itself all-sided ethical education for the child without a spoken precept. Here, too, the real advantage of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/daily-contact-with-some-teachers-is-itself-all-sided-ethical/)

[G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/)

> [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [Live in the world you inhabit. Look upon things as they are. Take them as you find them. Make the best of them. Turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/live-in-the-world-you-inhabit-look-upon-things-as-they-are-take-them/)

[Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/)

> [I always tell women that the fact that you're different and that you're noticed, because there are few of us in the tech industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/i-always-tell-women-that-the-fact-that-you-re-different-and-that-you/)

[Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/)

[Browse all 3,503 Advantage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is sad that so many designers don't know how to make. CAD software can make a bad design look palatable! It is sad that four years can be spent on a 3D design course without making anything! People who are great at designing and making have a great advantage.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Ive"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-know-how-to-make-cad-software/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advantage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-know-how-to-make-cad-software/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/jonathan-ive-3015_advantage_it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-k_1047104.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/jonathan-ive-3015_advantage_it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-k_1047104.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e6/jonathan-ive-3015_advantage_it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-k_1047104.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is sad that so many designers don't know how to make. CAD software can make a bad design look palatable!…” — Jonathan Ive",
                "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": "Jonathan Ive",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is sad that so many...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-know-how-to-make-cad-software/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-is-sad-that-so-many-designers-don-t-know-how-to-make-cad-software/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
