--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best design tool is a long eraser…" description: "\"The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one end.\" — Marty Neumeier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/marty-neumeier-21400_best-design_the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-wi_140054.png" --- # The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one… ![“The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one end.” quote by Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/marty-neumeier-21400_best-design_the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-wi_140054.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/marty-neumeier-21400_best-design_the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-wi_140054.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/marty-neumeier-21400_best-design_the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-wi_140054.png) > “The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one end.” [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) ## 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 simple, allowing easy correction and iteration, like an eraser with a pencil. **In simple terms:** Keep design tools simple and flexible. Key Takeaway Use tools that let you edit freely. Themes design simplicity iteration Mood practical creative Type design instructional When to use this quote - graphic design - software development - prototype testing Key Concepts product design creativity Questions to Reflect On - How can you simplify your design process? - What tools help you iterate quickly? A Different Perspective Complex tools can hinder creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-design/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) ## Related quotes > [Dont make so many mistakes in life so that eraser will be over before the pencil..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/dont-make-so-many-mistakes-in-life-so-that-eraser-will-be-over-before/) Unknow > [PENCIL's are made with eraser's to give y0u a sec0nd chance!.. but thE real logic is that the eraser on the pencil was made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meggy/pencil-s-are-made-with-eraser-s-to-give-y0u-a-sec0nd-chance-but-the/) [Meggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meggy/) > [Design is a tool that allows us to reach out and inspire, to touch others and help make lives magic and wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-wanders/design-is-a-tool-that-allows-us-to-reach-out-and-inspire-to-touch/) [Marcel Wanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-wanders/) > [Design is a tool that either allows us to create new markets or disrupt existing ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-is-a-tool-that-either-allows-us-to-create-new-markets-or/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [Design is a tool to help the tribe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-starck/design-is-a-tool-to-help-the-tribe/) [Philippe Starck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-starck/) > [ My thesis \[is\] that in order to design a tool, we must make our best efforts to understand the larger social and physical context… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-buxton/my-thesis-is-that-in-order-to-design-a-tool-we-must-make-our-best/) [Bill Buxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-buxton/) > [There is no design without discipline. There is no discipline without intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massimo-vignelli/there-is-no-design-without-discipline-there-is-no-discipline-without/) [Massimo Vignelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massimo-vignelli/) > [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/) > [The best designs of all are organic, evolving from the subtleties of the ground they inhabit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-doak/the-best-designs-of-all-are-organic-evolving-from-the-subtleties-of/) Tom Doak > [Mr. President, passage of this bill will visit the heel of oppression on all the people, vitiate their constitutional shield against tyranny, and materially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/strom-thurmond/mr-president-passage-of-this-bill-will-visit-the-heel-of-oppression/) [Strom Thurmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/strom-thurmond/) > [The best designs are those that dissolve into behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoto-fukasawa/the-best-designs-are-those-that-dissolve-into-behavior/) [Naoto Fukasawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoto-fukasawa/) > [The best design is the simplest one that works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-best-design-is-the-simplest-one-that-works/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-really-hard-to-design-products-by-focus-groups-a-lot-of-times/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [You never know what people are going to respond to or want in your work, and you just hope for the best when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mccarroll/you-never-know-what-people-are-going-to-respond-to-or-want-in-your/) Jay McCarroll > [Design is all about relationships. Unfortunately, many designers don’t fully appreciate this. Some of the best design work I’ve ever done was drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burka/design-is-all-about-relationships-unfortunately-many-designers-don-t/) Daniel Burka ## More by Marty Neumeier > [Brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/brand-is-not-what-you-say-it-is-it-s-what-they-say-it-is/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [You can't be a leader by following a leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/you-can-t-be-a-leader-by-following-a-leader/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/a-brand-is-a-person-s-gut-feeling-about-a-product-service-or/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [“Sift through threats for hidden possibilities. Every threat carries with it the potential for innovation. The problem of obesity contains the possibility of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/sift-through-threats-for-hidden-possibilities-every-threat-carries/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [Cultures are naturally resistant to change. The same shared mental models that allow large numbers of people to work together efficiently can also keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/cultures-are-naturally-resistant-to-change-the-same-shared-mental/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [A brand is a person's perception. Of course, it makes marketers nervous to think that marketing is out of their control, but that's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/a-brand-is-a-person-s-perception-of-course-it-makes-marketers-nervous/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [“Make a sketch, construct a model, or assemble a prototype. Then another. And another. With each attempt, you’ll reveal new possibilities for innovation. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/make-a-sketch-construct-a-model-or-assemble-a-prototype-then-another/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [“Creativity is the discipline you use when you don’t know the answers, when you’re traveling to parts unknown. On this type of journey, missteps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/creativity-is-the-discipline-you-use-when-you-don-t-know-the-answers/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [I see "demand creation" as a 20th-century construct that's bound up with advertising. It's an outmoded view of marketing that says, "First, we build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/i-see-demand-creation-as-a-20th-century-construct-that-s-bound-up/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [To achieve originality we need to abandon the comforts of habit, reason, and the approval of our peers, and strike out in new directions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/to-achieve-originality-we-need-to-abandon-the-comforts-of-habit/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [“The cave you fear to enter, goes the ancient proverb, holds the treasure you seek.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-cave-you-fear-to-enter-goes-the-ancient-proverb-holds-the/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [Convincing isn't really possible in an age of customer control. Customers hold most of the cards today. They have good visibility into their choices,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/convincing-isn-t-really-possible-in-an-age-of-customer-control/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [The most innovative designers consciously reject the standard option box and cultivate an appetite for thinking wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-most-innovative-designers-consciously-reject-the-standard-option/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [Designers don't actually solve problems. They work through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/designers-don-t-actually-solve-problems-they-work-through-them/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [“The hallmark of innovation is surprise. No surprise, nothing new. Nothing new, no interest. No interest, no value. Therefore, creating surprise is a crucial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-hallmark-of-innovation-is-surprise-no-surprise-nothing-new/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) [Explore all 29 Marty Neumeier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) ## More Best design quotes > [Design is all about relationships. Unfortunately, many designers don’t fully appreciate this. Some of the best design work I’ve ever done was drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burka/design-is-all-about-relationships-unfortunately-many-designers-don-t/) Daniel Burka > [You never know what people are going to respond to or want in your work, and you just hope for the best when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mccarroll/you-never-know-what-people-are-going-to-respond-to-or-want-in-your/) Jay McCarroll > [It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-really-hard-to-design-products-by-focus-groups-a-lot-of-times/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The best design is the simplest one that works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-best-design-is-the-simplest-one-that-works/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The best designs are those that dissolve into behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoto-fukasawa/the-best-designs-are-those-that-dissolve-into-behavior/) [Naoto Fukasawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoto-fukasawa/) > [Mr. President, passage of this bill will visit the heel of oppression on all the people, vitiate their constitutional shield against tyranny, and materially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/strom-thurmond/mr-president-passage-of-this-bill-will-visit-the-heel-of-oppression/) [Strom Thurmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/strom-thurmond/) > [The best designs of all are organic, evolving from the subtleties of the ground they inhabit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-doak/the-best-designs-of-all-are-organic-evolving-from-the-subtleties-of/) Tom Doak > [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/) > [There is no design without discipline. There is no discipline without intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massimo-vignelli/there-is-no-design-without-discipline-there-is-no-discipline-without/) [Massimo Vignelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massimo-vignelli/) > [The best design teams are not people who are exactly the same...otherwise you're just sitting and telling, 'You're fabulous.' 'No, you're fabulous.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/the-best-design-teams-are-not-people-who-are-exactly-the-same/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [The broader one's understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-broader-one-s-understanding-of-the-human-experience-the-better/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I am saddened, not by Microsoft's success — I have no problem with their success. They've earned their success, for the most part. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-am-saddened-not-by-microsoft-s-success-i-have-no-problem-with-their/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The best design explicitly acknowledges that you cannot disconnect the form from the material--the material informs the form,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/the-best-design-explicitly-acknowledges-that-you-cannot-disconnect/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [I try to focus on the present, what I'm doing now. I feel like the best design I can have is an awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-moore/i-try-to-focus-on-the-present-what-i-m-doing-now-i-feel-like-the-best/) [Demi Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-moore/) > [ I told \[Bill Gates\] I believed every word of what I said but that I should never have said it in public. I wish… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-told-bill-gates-i-believed-every-word-of-what-i-said-but-that-i/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) [Browse all 32 Best design quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-design/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one end.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marty Neumeier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-with-a-pencil-at-one-end/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Best design" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-with-a-pencil-at-one-end/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/marty-neumeier-21400_best-design_the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-wi_140054.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/marty-neumeier-21400_best-design_the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-wi_140054.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/marty-neumeier-21400_best-design_the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-wi_140054.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one end.” — Marty Neumeier", "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": "Marty Neumeier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The best design tool is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-with-a-pencil-at-one-end/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-with-a-pencil-at-one-end/#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 } } ] } ```