--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Working off one genius sketch is not the…" description: "\"Working off one genius sketch is not the way great architecture should be made.\" — Joshua Prince-Ramus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/joshua-prince-ramus-38582_architecture_working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the_2659623.png" --- # Working off one genius sketch is not the way great… ![“Working off one genius sketch is not the way great architecture should be made.” quote by Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/joshua-prince-ramus-38582_architecture_working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the_2659623.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/joshua-prince-ramus-38582_architecture_working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the_2659623.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/joshua-prince-ramus-38582_architecture_working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the_2659623.png) > “Working off one genius sketch is not the way great architecture should be made.” [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great architecture requires iterative development, not reliance on a single brilliant concept. **In simple terms:** Design thrives on refinement, not a single sketch. Key Takeaway Iterate and collaborate for stronger designs. Themes design collaboration process creativity Mood reflective analytical Type professional inspirational When to use this quote - building projects - team workshops - concept development Key Concepts architectural theory design thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance inspiration with iteration? - When is a single concept sufficient? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on iteration may stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Genius Sketch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius-sketch-2415746/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-architecture-1156801/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sketch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketch/) [Sketch Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketch-way-2415748/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Working Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-genius-2415747/) ## Related quotes > [Some people think architecture is about the genius sketch; I don't. Great architecture is a collaboration among a lot of people over a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/some-people-think-architecture-is-about-the-genius-sketch-i-don-t/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [I sketch in a way that people can nearly do the dresses without me coming in for a fitting. Every single detail, every proportion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/i-sketch-in-a-way-that-people-can-nearly-do-the-dresses-without-me/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [Architecture is not created by individuals. The genius sketch ... is a myth. Architecture is made by a team of committed people who work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/architecture-is-not-created-by-individuals-the-genius-sketch-is-a/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Architecture is supposed to complete nature. Great architecture makes nature more beautiful-it gives it power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-silvestrin/architecture-is-supposed-to-complete-nature-great-architecture-makes/) [Claudio Silvestrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudio-silvestrin/) > [An obsession that I've developed in my old age, is great architecture. I bought a house in New Orleans and I became quite enamored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-coolidge/an-obsession-that-i-ve-developed-in-my-old-age-is-great-architecture/) [Jennifer Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-coolidge/) > [Great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-nickel/great-architecture-has-only-two-natural-enemies-water-and-stupid-men/) [Richard Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-nickel/) > [There will never be great architects or great architecture without great patrons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lutyens/there-will-never-be-great-architects-or-great-architecture-without/) [Edwin Lutyens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lutyens/) > [I always wanted to be an actor, but I always loved design, and growing up in New Orleans there was such great style, great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-batt/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-but-i-always-loved-design-and-growing/) [Bryan Batt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-batt/) > [Great architecture of the past was always clear. SFMOMA is still a simple building to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-botta/great-architecture-of-the-past-was-always-clear-sfmoma-is-still-a/) [Mario Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-botta/) > [It takes a great client to create great architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/it-takes-a-great-client-to-create-great-architecture/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [Buffalo is one of America's great designed cities. The interweaving of great architecture, landscape architecture and important historic sites makes Buffalo a must see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-moe/buffalo-is-one-of-america-s-great-designed-cities-the-interweaving-of/) [Richard Moe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-moe/) > [All architecture is great architecture after sunset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/all-architecture-is-great-architecture-after-sunset/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Great architecture is not just about buildings like the Shard or the Guggenheim - it can be a caravan, castle, boat or house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clarke/great-architecture-is-not-just-about-buildings-like-the-shard-or-the/) [George Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clarke/) > [I think people care. If not, why do so many people spend money going on vacations to see architecture? They go to the Parthenon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-think-people-care-if-not-why-do-so-many-people-spend-money-going-on/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/all-architecture-is-shelter-all-great-architecture-is-the-design-of/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) ## More by Joshua Prince-Ramus > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [I always wanted to do something creative, but as much as I'm creative, it's in a really hard-core, right-brained way. For me, painting doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/i-always-wanted-to-do-something-creative-but-as-much-as-i-m-creative/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > ['Form follows function' comes with so much baggage. It's a worthless phrase because you'll never take it for what it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/form-follows-function-comes-with-so-much-baggage-it-s-a-worthless/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [It’s time for architecture to do things again, not just represent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-time-for-architecture-to-do-things-again-not-just-represent/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Architecture is by definition a very collaborative process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/architecture-is-by-definition-a-very-collaborative-process/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Architecture is not created by individuals. The genius sketch ... is a myth. Architecture is made by a team of committed people who work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/architecture-is-not-created-by-individuals-the-genius-sketch-is-a/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [When I went to college, I thought I was going to become a professional musician. I was a French horn player, so I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/when-i-went-to-college-i-thought-i-was-going-to-become-a-professional/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Architects have created this fake separation between creation and execution. You can see it in architecture schools, where the students look down on going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/architects-have-created-this-fake-separation-between-creation-and/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Public libraries are the last vestige of public free space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/public-libraries-are-the-last-vestige-of-public-free-space/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Some people think architecture is about the genius sketch; I don't. Great architecture is a collaboration among a lot of people over a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/some-people-think-architecture-is-about-the-genius-sketch-i-don-t/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) [Explore all 11 Joshua Prince-Ramus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) ## More Architecture quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/) [Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent - not with how things are but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/engineering-medicine-business-architecture-and-painting-are-concerned/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) [Browse all 3,013 Architecture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Working off one genius sketch is not the way great architecture should be made.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joshua Prince-Ramus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the-way-great-architecture/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Architecture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the-way-great-architecture/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/joshua-prince-ramus-38582_architecture_working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the_2659623.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/joshua-prince-ramus-38582_architecture_working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the_2659623.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/joshua-prince-ramus-38582_architecture_working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the_2659623.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Working off one genius sketch is not the way great architecture should be made.” — Joshua Prince-Ramus", "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": "Joshua Prince-Ramus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Working off one genius sketch is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the-way-great-architecture/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/working-off-one-genius-sketch-is-not-the-way-great-architecture/#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 } } ] } ```