--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've heard some designers talk about the…" description: "\"I've heard some designers talk about the design process being centred on invention, starting with a blank slate. I admire that and occasionally I'm cap..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/michael-bierut-10873_admire_i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the_2292839.png" --- # I've heard some designers talk about the design process… ![“I've heard some designers talk about the design process being centred on invention, starting with a blank slate. I admire that and occasionally I'm capable of that, but I have to admit that I really have trouble working with completely open briefs.” quote by Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/michael-bierut-10873_admire_i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the_2292839.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/michael-bierut-10873_admire_i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the_2292839.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/michael-bierut-10873_admire_i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the_2292839.png) > “I've heard some designers talk about the design process being centred on invention, starting with a blank slate. I admire that and occasionally I'm capable of that, but I have to admit that I really have trouble working with completely open briefs.” [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He acknowledges difficulty with completely open design briefs, preferring some constraints to guide creativity. **In simple terms:** Open briefs are challenging; constraints help creativity. Key Takeaway Embrace constraints to spark innovation. Themes creativity process constraints design Mood thoughtful inspirational Type design professional When to use this quote - product development - branding projects - architectural design - marketing campaigns Key Concepts design thinking problem solving creative limitation Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance freedom and structure in design? - What minimal constraints foster the most innovation? A Different Perspective Too many constraints can stifle originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) [Blank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank/) [Blank slates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-slates/) [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Centred Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centred-invention-5394290/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-process/) [Designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer/) [Designers Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designers-talk-5265373/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Invention Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention-starting-5394292/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Slate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slate/) [Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting/) [Talk Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-design-5394291/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) ## Related quotes > [When you face a creative change at the house, you have to start a dialogue, and talk with the designer about how he envisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delphine-arnault/when-you-face-a-creative-change-at-the-house-you-have-to-start-a/) [Delphine Arnault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delphine-arnault/) > [I've had my own moments in front of designers when I've actually said, 'You know, there's a market here for expanding your work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/i-ve-had-my-own-moments-in-front-of-designers-when-i-ve-actually-said/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [It is so hard for musicians when they step into acting is they're not coming in as a blank slate, they're coming in with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-manson/it-is-so-hard-for-musicians-when-they-step-into-acting-is-they-re-not/) [Shirley Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-manson/) > [My room is cleared. My head is cleared. Earlier, around dawn, I took out the last load of trash. I look around and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/my-room-is-cleared-my-head-is-cleared-earlier-around-dawn-i-took-out/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [There's a brief moment when you first wake up, where you have no memories. A blissful blank slate, a happy emptiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/there-s-a-brief-moment-when-you-first-wake-up-where-you-have-no/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [Don't get seduced by your own stuff. Don't get high on your own supply. The hardest thing as a filmmaker is when you're watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/don-t-get-seduced-by-your-own-stuff-don-t-get-high-on-your-own-supply/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [The religion that has transformed Western civilization for two millennia is a blank slate for liberals. Their closest reference point is conservative Christians, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-religion-that-has-transformed-western-civilization-for-two/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [My loneliness...still comes over me sometimes...It's a liminal, lost sensation of having wandered wide, endless boulevards, among rows of orange trees, winter butterflies, seasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-roth/my-loneliness-still-comes-over-me-sometimes-it-s-a-liminal-lost/) [Marco Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-roth/) > [What we need,' Henry says, 'is a fresh start. A blank slate. Let's call her Tabula Rasa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/what-we-need-henry-says-is-a-fresh-start-a-blank-slate-let-s-call-her/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [The brain is highly structured, but it is also extremely flexible. It's not a blank slate, but it isn't written in stone, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/the-brain-is-highly-structured-but-it-is-also-extremely-flexible-it-s/) [Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/) > [ It was a lot of fun to play a character \[in Swiss Army Man\] with no inhibitions, and with no knowledge of the world,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/it-was-a-lot-of-fun-to-play-a-character-in-swiss-army-man-with-no/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [You can sit in front of a computer and have a blank slate and be completely overwhelmed by the possibilities and not get anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brown/you-can-sit-in-front-of-a-computer-and-have-a-blank-slate-and-be/) [Rob Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brown/) > [A baby is such a blank slate, like training the understudy for a role you're planning to leave. You truly hope your replacement will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/a-baby-is-such-a-blank-slate-like-training-the-understudy-for-a-role/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [The apartment was entirely, was only, for her: a wall of books, both read and unread, all of them dear to her not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/the-apartment-was-entirely-was-only-for-her-a-wall-of-books-both-read/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“A major roadblock on the path to change is treating ourselves like blank slates.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/a-major-roadblock-on-the-path-to-change-is-treating-ourselves-like/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) ## More by Michael Bierut > [I think once the artistic world of the type designer merged with the scientific world of the computer programmer, you began to see this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-think-once-the-artistic-world-of-the-type-designer-merged-with-the/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [If you do good work for good clients, it will lead to other good work for other good clients. If you do bad work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/if-you-do-good-work-for-good-clients-it-will-lead-to-other-good-work/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [A lot of times, you design a logo to be timeless, but with something like the Olympics, timelessness is maybe not something you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/a-lot-of-times-you-design-a-logo-to-be-timeless-but-with-something/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [I actually think it almost works the other way sometimes: making a college textbook, say, look really "user friendly" tends to also make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-actually-think-it-almost-works-the-other-way-sometimes-making-a/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [I'm not sure about my design work every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-m-not-sure-about-my-design-work-every-time/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [It's hard to predict what will happen as reading on screen becomes more of a universal norm, and when the formats dictated by social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/it-s-hard-to-predict-what-will-happen-as-reading-on-screen-becomes/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [It was stone carvers in ancient Rome, scribes in the Middle Ages, all the way through Gutenberg to the present day. That's a pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/it-was-stone-carvers-in-ancient-rome-scribes-in-the-middle-ages-all/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [Australia is one of the few places that I can think of where the cities, at least those I've been to, seem to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/australia-is-one-of-the-few-places-that-i-can-think-of-where-the/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [Most people have no idea how much goes into designing a typeface. Twenty-six letters in the alphabet, usually with two versions of each, upper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/most-people-have-no-idea-how-much-goes-into-designing-a-typeface/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [The truth about logos is that they are not that hard to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/the-truth-about-logos-is-that-they-are-not-that-hard-to-do/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [I'm always conscious of the context, the history, the specific environment of anything that I design and what it is going to be operating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-m-always-conscious-of-the-context-the-history-the-specific/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [For instance, I assume those "carrots" we have on our keyboards were there originally to express "greater than" and "less than." Then they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/for-instance-i-assume-those-carrots-we-have-on-our-keyboards-were/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [If you look at the Olympic graphics for Mexico or Los Angeles, those programs don't look contemporary by today's eyes but they really look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/if-you-look-at-the-olympic-graphics-for-mexico-or-los-angeles-those/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [I wanted to be a graphic designer from the time I was 15, without ever having actually met one. I lived in the mid-west,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-wanted-to-be-a-graphic-designer-from-the-time-i-was-15-without-ever/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [Compared with now when almost everyone knows what graphic design is and has some sort of access to the tools to make it, back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/compared-with-now-when-almost-everyone-knows-what-graphic-design-is/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) [Explore all 63 Michael Bierut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) ## More Admire quotes > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I admire Serena Williams, because, I mean, who doesn't admire Serena Williams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-admire-serena-williams-because-i-mean-who-doesn-t-admire-serena/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I really admire people's interactions with technology that aren't tech-centric but use it as a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/i-really-admire-people-s-interactions-with-technology-that-aren-t/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I think it's really good and helpful to have the people you most admire in some other discipline than what you work in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-think-it-s-really-good-and-helpful-to-have-the-people-you-most/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [I respect and admire the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-respect-and-admire-the-premier-league/) [Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) > [“The thing I admire most about you is no matter how hard, or how much the world has tried to beat you, break you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-gill/the-thing-i-admire-most-about-you-is-no-matter-how-hard-or-how-much/) [Nikita Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-gill/) [Browse all 2,369 Admire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've heard some designers talk about the design process being centred on invention, starting with a blank slate. I admire that and occasionally I'm capable of that, but I have to admit that I really have trouble working with completely open briefs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Bierut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the-design-process-being-centred/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Admire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the-design-process-being-centred/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/michael-bierut-10873_admire_i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the_2292839.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/michael-bierut-10873_admire_i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the_2292839.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/michael-bierut-10873_admire_i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the_2292839.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've heard some designers talk about the design process being centred on invention, starting with a blank…” — Michael Bierut", "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": "Michael Bierut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've heard some designers talk about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the-design-process-being-centred/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-ve-heard-some-designers-talk-about-the-design-process-being-centred/#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 } } ] } ```