Words of Wisdom by Paul Rand

"I haven’t changed my mind about modernism from the first day I ever did it…. It means integrity; it means honesty; it means the absence of sentimentality and the absence of nostalgia; it means simplicity; it means clarity. That’s what modernism means to me…"

"The visual message which professes to be profound or elegant often boomerangs as mere pretension; and the frame of mind that looks at humor as trivial and flighty mistakes the shadow for the substance. In short, the notion that the humorous approach to visual communication is undignified or belittling is sheer nonsense."

"Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.

Don't try to be original. Just try to be good."

"Design is everything... Everything!"

"Design is so simple, that's why it's so complicated."

"Good design adds value of some kind, gives meaning, and, not incidentally, can be sheer pleasure to behold; it respects the viewer’s sensibilities and rewards the entrepreneur."

"Innovation leads one to see the new in the old and distinguishes the ingenious from the ingenuous."

"Art is an idea that has found its perfect form."

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Reflection
I recently came across these inspiring and interesting quotes by Paul Rand on his official website while contextually researching for Visual Communication. I am a fan of Rand's work as a graphic designer using simple shapes and colour as vectors; and these quotes were a nice surprise to find in my research. I feel these sound bytes have a connecting power and are really inspiring to me; they will stay in my mind while completing the rest of the year. Simplicity, clarity, streamlining, innovation, ingenious, perfect form... all things to consider in my final modules.