--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think [the design] sucks. Its shape is…" description: "\"“I think [the design] sucks. Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant and it doesn't feel anthropomorphic.”\" — Steve Jobs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/steve-jobs-307_quote_i-think-the-design-sucks-its-shape-is-no_980263.jpg" --- # I think \[the design\] sucks. Its shape is not innovative… ![“I think [the design] sucks. Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant and it doesn't feel anthropomorphic.” quote by Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/steve-jobs-307_quote_i-think-the-design-sucks-its-shape-is-no_980263.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/steve-jobs-307_quote_i-think-the-design-sucks-its-shape-is-no_980263.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/steve-jobs-307_quote_i-think-the-design-sucks-its-shape-is-no_980263.jpg) > ““I think \[the design\] sucks. Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant and it doesn't feel anthropomorphic.”” [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jobs criticizes a design for lacking innovation, elegance, and human‑like qualities, emphasizing the importance of aesthetic and functional harmony. **In simple terms:** The design fails to be innovative, elegant, or human‑like. Key Takeaway Prioritize innovation, elegance, and human connection in design. Themes design innovation human‑centered aesthetics Mood critical analytical inspirational Type design critique philosophical When to use this quote - launching a new product - evaluating prototypes - design reviews - team feedback Key Concepts user experience product philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can design balance function and humanity? - What makes a product feel elegant? A Different Perspective Innovation alone may not guarantee market success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anthropomorphic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropomorphic-406732/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Design Sucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design-sucks-1941615/) [Shape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shape/) [Sucks Shape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sucks-shape-1941616/) ## Related quotes > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [There's nothing wrong with being anthropomorphic. That's how we understand the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-jeremijenko/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-being-anthropomorphic-that-s-how-we/) [Natalie Jeremijenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-jeremijenko/) > [“although science interests me just because of its efforts to escape from anthropomorphic knowledge, I am nonetheless convinced that our imagination cannot be anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/although-science-interests-me-just-because-of-its-efforts-to-escape/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [And I think the greatest danger that AI poses isn't so much these anthropomorphic beings who look like us and are beguiling are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/and-i-think-the-greatest-danger-that-ai-poses-isn-t-so-much-these/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [“Since we crave reliable partnership and emotional reciprocity, we project human qualities onto machines and treat them as if they share our intentions. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/since-we-crave-reliable-partnership-and-emotional-reciprocity-we/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Before I was ten I became critical of the anthropomorphic God as interpreted in the churches. I did not warm to One thus revealed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-franklin/before-i-was-ten-i-became-critical-of-the-anthropomorphic-god-as/) [Miles Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-franklin/) > [“It’s in our nature to want to watch our human frailties played out on a huge, epic canvas. Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/it-s-in-our-nature-to-want-to-watch-our-human-frailties-played-out-on/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [“For any anthropomorphism we use to describe our dogs, we can ask two questions: One, is there a natural behavior this action might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-horowitz/for-any-anthropomorphism-we-use-to-describe-our-dogs-we-can-ask-two/) [Alexandra Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-horowitz/) > [Nature is not anthropomorphic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/nature-is-not-anthropomorphic/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [I you look at the drawings of aliens made by people who believe that Earth is under saucer attack, you'll quickly note that most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-you-look-at-the-drawings-of-aliens-made-by-people-who-believe-that/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I worry about anthropomorphism as a form of self-deception. (The Christian religion is an anthropomorphic account of the universe.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-worry-about-anthropomorphism-as-a-form-of-self-deception-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was this motley band of modest peeps and plovers on the beach who reminded me of the human beings I loved best -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/it-was-this-motley-band-of-modest-peeps-and-plovers-on-the-beach-who/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [The use of anthropomorphic terminology forces you linguistically to adopt an operational view. And it makes it practically impossible to argue about programs independently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/the-use-of-anthropomorphic-terminology-forces-you-linguistically-to/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Sooner or later every gardener must face the fact that certain things are going to die on him. It is a temptation to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-perenyi/sooner-or-later-every-gardener-must-face-the-fact-that-certain-things/) [Eleanor Perenyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-perenyi/) > [Anthropomorphic animals, when taken out of narrative into actual visibility, always turn into buffoonery or nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/anthropomorphic-animals-when-taken-out-of-narrative-into-actual/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## More by Steve Jobs > [Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I admire Mark Zuckerberg... for not selling out, for wanting to make a company. I admire that a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-admire-mark-zuckerberg-for-not-selling-out-for-wanting-to-make-a/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [If you want to hire great people and have them stay, you have to be run by ideas, not hierarchy. The best ideas have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-you-want-to-hire-great-people-and-have-them-stay-you-have-to-be/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/everything-around-you-that-you-call-life-was-made-up-by-people-that/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It's about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/innovation-is-not-about-saying-yes-to-everything-it-s-about-saying-no/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/when-you-first-start-off-trying-to-solve-a-problem-the-first/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I'm not dismissing the value of higher education; I'm simply saying it comes at the expense of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-m-not-dismissing-the-value-of-higher-education-i-m-simply-saying-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“To YoYo Ma: "You playing is the best argument I've ever heard for the existence of God, because I don't really believe a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/to-yoyo-ma-you-playing-is-the-best-argument-i-ve-ever-heard-for-the/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The most important thing is a person. A person who incites your curiosity and feeds your curiosity; and machines cannot do that in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-most-important-thing-is-a-person-a-person-who-incites-your/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The tragedy is that Dell didn't win it - we lost it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-tragedy-is-that-dell-didn-t-win-it-we-lost-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“I think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to express themselves. In fact some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-great-artists-and-great-engineers-are-similar-in-that-they/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It's rare that you see an artist in his 30s or 40s able to really contribute something amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-rare-that-you-see-an-artist-in-his-30s-or-40s-able-to-really/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [We're going to be able to ask our computers to monitor things for us, and when certain conditions happen, are triggered, the computers will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/we-re-going-to-be-able-to-ask-our-computers-to-monitor-things-for-us/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) [Explore all 695 Steve Jobs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More Design quotes > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) [Giambattista Bodoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-bodoni/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) [Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/) > [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/) [Fang Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fang-chen/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Browse all 5,563 Design quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think [the design] sucks. 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