--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I will give some very vague…" description: "\"Sometimes I will give some very vague directions to the designer that I'm working with on a particular project and they'll come back and surprise me wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/michael-bierut-10873_clear_sometimes-i-will-give-some-very-vague-di_1945538.png" --- # Sometimes I will give some very vague directions to the… ![“Sometimes I will give some very vague directions to the designer that I'm working with on a particular project and they'll come back and surprise me with something that really shows a lot of their own 'hand' in it. Other times I'll have a really clear idea about how I want it done and I'll draw it…” quote by Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/michael-bierut-10873_clear_sometimes-i-will-give-some-very-vague-di_1945538.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/michael-bierut-10873_clear_sometimes-i-will-give-some-very-vague-di_1945538.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/michael-bierut-10873_clear_sometimes-i-will-give-some-very-vague-di_1945538.png) > “Sometimes I will give some very vague directions to the designer that I'm working with on a particular project and they'll come back and surprise me with something that really shows a lot of their own 'hand' in it. Other times I'll have a really clear idea about how I want it done and I'll draw it out pretty precisely and say 'make it look exactly like this' and it will be something where it looks like I can say it was 'fully my design'. The work can also range between the two.” [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. Design collaboration varies from vague guidance that sparks creativity to precise instructions that ensure control, highlighting the balance between direction and freedom. **In simple terms:** Guidance can be loose or strict, affecting outcomes. Key Takeaway Find the right balance of direction. Themes creativity collaboration control Mood inspirational practical Type advisory reflective When to use this quote - project brainstorming - client meetings - prototype development - feedback loops Key Concepts design process authorial voice Questions to Reflect On - When should you give detailed specs? - How does ambiguity foster originality? A Different Perspective Too much control can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-work/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Vague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vague/) ## Related quotes > [“Whatever her dream was, it rested somewhere in the most vague of directions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-craft/whatever-her-dream-was-it-rested-somewhere-in-the-most-vague-of/) Elizabeth Craft > [Go get a job. Whether it’s working as a designer or working in a restaurant and then doing your own thing in your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/go-get-a-job-whether-it-s-working-as-a-designer-or-working-in-a/) [Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/) > [It's quite funny. 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I think only how to solve the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/when-i-m-working-on-a-problem-i-never-think-about-beauty-i-think-only/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [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 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. 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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 Clear quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. 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I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I try to listen to all music with an open head, a clear head, try not to say just because I don't know it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghostface-killah/i-try-to-listen-to-all-music-with-an-open-head-a-clear-head-try-not/) [Ghostface Killah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghostface-killah/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. 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But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) Browse all 7,410 Clear quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes I will give some very vague directions to the designer that I'm working with on a particular project and they'll come back and surprise me with something that really shows a lot of their own 'hand' in it. Other times I'll have a really clear idea about how I want it done and I'll draw it out pretty precisely and say 'make it look exactly like this' and it will be something where it looks like I can say it was 'fully my design'. 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