--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is said determines who listens and…" description: "\"What is said determines who listens and who understands. Graphic design is a language, but graphic designers are so busy worrying about the nuances - a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/568/tibor-kalman-20659_accents_what-is-said-determines-who-listens-and_599136.png" --- # What is said determines who listens and who understands… ![“What is said determines who listens and who understands. Graphic design is a language, but graphic designers are so busy worrying about the nuances - accents, punctuation and so on - that they spend little time thinking about what the words add up to. I’m interested in using our communication…” quote by Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/568/tibor-kalman-20659_accents_what-is-said-determines-who-listens-and_599136.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/568/tibor-kalman-20659_accents_what-is-said-determines-who-listens-and_599136.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/568/tibor-kalman-20659_accents_what-is-said-determines-who-listens-and_599136.png) > “What is said determines who listens and who understands. Graphic design is a language, but graphic designers are so busy worrying about the nuances - accents, punctuation and so on - that they spend little time thinking about what the words add up to. I’m interested in using our communication skills to change the way things are.” [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Graphic design is a language, but designers focus on form over meaning, limiting communicative power. **In simple terms:** Designers prioritize style over substance, reducing impact. Key Takeaway Balance visual nuance with clear messaging. Themes design communication language meaning Mood analytical inspirational Type theoretical practical When to use this quote - branding campaigns - public signage - digital interfaces - educational materials Key Concepts semiotics visual hierarchy message clarity Questions to Reflect On - How can designers integrate meaning without sacrificing style? - What methods ensure visual nuance supports communication? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on aesthetics can dilute intended message. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Communication skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication-skills/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Graphic design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graphic-design/) [Graphic designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graphic-designer/) [Graphic Designers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graphic-designers/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Little time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-time/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [Graphic designers should be literate in graphic design history. Being able to design well is not always enough. Knowing the roots of design is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-heller/graphic-designers-should-be-literate-in-graphic-design-history-being/) [Steven Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-heller/) > [My manager lives on my block; four of the apartments in my apartment complex of seven are people I know. It's a really close-knit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grimes/my-manager-lives-on-my-block-four-of-the-apartments-in-my-apartment/) [Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grimes/) > [An electrician isn't an opinion former, but a graphic designer is. My argument is that all graphic designers hold high levels of responsibility in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-brody/an-electrician-isn-t-an-opinion-former-but-a-graphic-designer-is-my/) [Neville Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-brody/) > [Graphic designers are idea embalmers, loving undertakers preserving bits of data like to many butterflies pinned to felt in a jewel box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-saffo/graphic-designers-are-idea-embalmers-loving-undertakers-preserving/) [Paul Saffo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-saffo/) > [If you saw me working with construction crews or graphic designers, you'd see how much I'm really hoping for them to bring something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/if-you-saw-me-working-with-construction-crews-or-graphic-designers/) [Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/) > [We get better product when the focus is on the fans and the artists - all artists; musical artists; singers, the graphic designers, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-banner/we-get-better-product-when-the-focus-is-on-the-fans-and-the-artists/) [David Banner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-banner/) > [“Graphic designers judge a cover by its book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/graphic-designers-judge-a-cover-by-its-book/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [How can we reinterpret 3-D printing in a way that suggests a new design language?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neri-oxman/how-can-we-reinterpret-3-d-printing-in-a-way-that-suggests-a-new/) [Neri Oxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neri-oxman/) > [If you decide to design your own language, there are thousands of sort of amateur language designer pitfalls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guido-van-rossum/if-you-decide-to-design-your-own-language-there-are-thousands-of-sort/) [Guido van Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guido-van-rossum/) > [Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/good-design-is-a-lot-like-clear-thinking-made-visual/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [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/) > [Design is in everything we make, but it's also between those things. It's a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-adigard/design-is-in-everything-we-make-but-it-s-also-between-those-things-it/) Erik Adigard > [Design is the conscious effort to impose a meaningful order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-papanek/design-is-the-conscious-effort-to-impose-a-meaningful-order/) [Victor Papanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-papanek/) > [A designer is a planner with an aesthetic sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-munari/a-designer-is-a-planner-with-an-aesthetic-sense/) [Bruno Munari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-munari/) > [Designers may be the true intellectuals of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paola-antonelli/designers-may-be-the-true-intellectuals-of-the-future/) [Paola Antonelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paola-antonelli/) ## More by Tibor Kalman > [By definition, when you make something no one hates, no one loves it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/by-definition-when-you-make-something-no-one-hates-no-one-loves-it/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [Your children will smash your understanding, knowledge and reality. You will be better off. Then they will leave. You'll miss them forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/your-children-will-smash-your-understanding-knowledge-and-reality-you/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [I am interested in imperfections, quirkiness, insanity, unpredictability. That's what we really pay attention to anyway. We don't talk about planes flying; we talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/i-am-interested-in-imperfections-quirkiness-insanity-unpredictability/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [Pictures are so good at giving people information that they're not looking for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/pictures-are-so-good-at-giving-people-information-that-they-re-not/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [Some people... cling to the idea that the photograph is an inherently real or honest image and as such is always on a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/some-people-cling-to-the-idea-that-the-photograph-is-an-inherently/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [If you don't have an idea, all you have is style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/if-you-don-t-have-an-idea-all-you-have-is-style/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [I'm always trying to turn things upside down and see if they look any better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/i-m-always-trying-to-turn-things-upside-down-and-see-if-they-look-any/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [The perfect state of creative bliss is having power (you are 50) and knowing nothing (you are 9). This assures an interesting and successful outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/the-perfect-state-of-creative-bliss-is-having-power-you-are-50-and/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [You'll never go wrong when you work with someone smarter than you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/you-ll-never-go-wrong-when-you-work-with-someone-smarter-than-you/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [The difference between good design and great design is INTELLIGENCE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/the-difference-between-good-design-and-great-design-is-intelligence/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [To me, nothing is more vibrant than having the power to do something but not having the experience of knowing what's right and what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/to-me-nothing-is-more-vibrant-than-having-the-power-to-do-something/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [I believe that this whole question of some photography being true and some untrue is a non-question. Photography is not objective; it never was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/i-believe-that-this-whole-question-of-some-photography-being-true-and/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [I'm not as good a writer as I'd like to be; therefore, I like to use images to tell stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/i-m-not-as-good-a-writer-as-i-d-like-to-be-therefore-i-like-to-use/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [Consumer culture is contradiction in terms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/consumer-culture-is-contradiction-in-terms/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [When you make something no one hates, no one loves it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/when-you-make-something-no-one-hates-no-one-loves-it/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) [Explore all 30 Tibor Kalman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) ## More Accents quotes > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [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/) > [You can't live in a dialect without tremendous work. Like any muscle, accents and voices and languages are all formed out of the muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/you-can-t-live-in-a-dialect-without-tremendous-work-like-any-muscle/) [Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/i-don-t-think-you-see-a-pirate-with-a-parrot-on-his-shoulder-for/) [Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/) > [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) > [In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show.! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite :) love his accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/in-bed-watching-family-guy-love-this-show-so-hilarious-stewie-is-my/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Much of my playing is rhythmic and choppy; I use a lot of double stops. The wah just accents all those stops and chops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/much-of-my-playing-is-rhythmic-and-choppy-i-use-a-lot-of-double-stops/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [“The accent of one's birthplace persists in the mind and heart as much as in speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rouchefoucauld/the-accent-of-one-s-birthplace-persists-in-the-mind-and-heart-as-much/) La Rouchefoucauld > [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/) [Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/) [Browse all 749 Accents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is said determines who listens and who understands. Graphic design is a language, but graphic designers are so busy worrying about the nuances - accents, punctuation and so on - that they spend little time thinking about what the words add up to. 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