As a website designer, you have the freedom to craft amazing online experiences and showcase your personality in your work. Still, working in a creative field comes with challenges, including designer's block and client feedback that sometimes feels endless.
During those times, it’s helpful to hear from those who have walked the same path. Wise words from traditional and digital design experts can be invaluable resources for breaking out of a creative rut, uncovering new solutions and reminding yourself of your value.
Here are 30 inspirational website design quotes to help you along your Wix Studio journey.
Website design quotes
Quotes about great website design
The perfect design choices can be elusive at times. When you feel like they’re just beyond your fingertips, these quotes can point you toward your next great design.
“Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design; it’s decoration.” —Jeffrey Zeldman, entrepreneur, web designer and co-founder of the Web Standards Project. (Read the full story on UX writing for designers)
“Build for everyone, with everyone. This work is a journey, and [our] job is to center those who are historically marginalized and build for the world.” —Annie Jean-Baptiste, author of Building for Everyone and head of product inclusion and equity at Google
“The visual design needs to tell the story. It’s not design for design. It needs to reflect reality. The design needs to have a flow that goes well with the story and supports the story.” —Patrice Vermette, production designer on Dune
“Modernism does not mean minimalism, contemporary does not forsake tradition and technology does not mean abandon people and senses.” —Tord Boontje, industrial product designer
“The more deeply you understand the problem, the more likely you are to land on an elegant and effective solution.” —Luke Wroblewski, managing director and head of product at Sutter Hill Ventures and former product director at Google
“Whitespace is like air: it is necessary for the design to breathe.” —Wojciech Zieliński, product designer at Adobe
“The best way to stand out among competition is through humility. Make it easy to cancel a subscription. Support simple returns. Explain honest and fair pricing.” —Vitaly Friedman, UX designer and founder and creative lead at Smashing Magazine
“The details are not the details. They make the design.” —Charles Eames, designer, architect and filmmaker
Quotes on being a human-centric designer and leader
When you’ve been back to the drawing board several times and can’t seem to find a solution, it’s helpful to take a step back and consider your overall design philosophy. These quotes underscore the importance of understanding end users to facilitate intuitive design.
“We really think about trying to respect the audience, that they're intelligent, and can figure out and make their own stories, by making things open-ended enough so there's room for interpretation and divergent thinking.” —Katrina Crawford, member of the White Lotus design team
“I finally realized that the real audience were the people out there in the real world who were going to be stuck with whatever it was I was designing. A lot of time, there is no one to speak for those people during the design process. The more you can be their advocate, the better the design will be. That’s not just the goal of identity design, but design period.” —Michael Bierut, graphic designer and partner at Pentagram
“Ideally, ‘good design’ inspires action beyond interaction with the design itself. Any design that encourages users to do more than they thought of before, in a positive and enriching way, is ‘good.’” —Stephanie Lawrence, senior product designer at dbt Labs and former senior experience designer at Adobe
“To be a humane leader is to be empathetic, sensitive to your team’s boundaries and protective of their time and efforts.” — Shaundai Person, senior software engineer at Netflix
Quotes on embracing your individuality in web design
In an ever-changing industry that requires a lot of collaboration, it can be easy to lose touch with your individual spark. These web design quotes can help you understand the value you bring to the table, reconnect with your unique perspective and find the types of inspiration that can lead to your next great design idea.
“Weird web design is full of personality and identity, and it makes the website memorable.” —Adi Huri, creative director for WOW, Wix’s visual innovation team
“While it’s important to know what’s going on in the field of web design, I’m finding myself taking a bit of a detox from digital references, and am becoming more drawn instead to tactile analog inspiration like signage, fine art and architecture.” —Jennifer Heintz, internet designer and co-founder of Self-Aware
“Learn from people you admire; don't try to be them.” —Chris Montwill, creative director at Wide Eye
“Your perceived ‘flaws’ are actually your biggest strengths.” —Annie Jean-Baptiste, author of Building for Everyone and head of product inclusion and equity at Google
“Personal work will always have a special place. It’s the lab where I try out new ideas, and every scientist loves their lab.” —Frank Chimero, brand and product designer, co-founder of Abstract and author of The Shape of Design
“Personality is the mysterious force that attracts us to certain people and repels us from others. Because personality greatly influences our decision-making process, it can be a powerful tool in design.” —Aarron Walter, co-host of Design Better and author of Designing for Emotion
“Position yourself as a thought partner, not just a vendor. Clients will get rid of vendors quickly, but thought partners have lasting power.” — Terry Rice, business development consultant
Motivational quotes for website designers
Perseverance is a necessary ingredient for a long and successful career in web design. That said, taking steps forward can feel tough at times, whether you’re an industry veteran or a beginner web designer. A little nudge from someone who’s been in your shoes can provide a fresh perspective and get your creative juices flowing again.
“Sometimes team collaboration is like going on a road trip. It’s beneficial to have more than one licensed driver in the car. Sometimes you’re behind the wheel, or you’re playing DJ. Both are important to a successful and enjoyable ride.” —Rich Tu, partner at Sunday Afternoon and teacher at SVA
“Just a little reminder that it’s about 100 times more important what you build than how you build it.” —Chris Coyier, web designer and developer and co-founder of CodePen
“It’s through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good.” – Paula Scher, graphic designer and partner at Pentagram
“Don’t try to be original; just try to be good.” —Paul Rand, art director, graphic designer and author of Thoughts on Design
"I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what's next." —Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple
Quotes on the importance of design
It’s easy to get absorbed by the minutiae and lose sight of the greater function of design in business and society as a whole. These quotes on website design highlight just how important design work is for the branding of companies, cultivating relationships with users and empowering meaningful change in accessibility and inclusivity.
“Consistency breeds familiarity, familiarity breeds confidence and confidence breeds sales.” —Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerilla Marketing (Read the full story on interaction design)
“Good design adds value faster than it adds costs.” —Thomas C. Gale, former Chrysler designer
“Designers can have an impact, and shape how technology affects people and empowers them.” —Jon Yablonski, senior product designer at Mixpanel and author of Laws of UX (Read the full story on UX design principles)
“A great designer transcends the obvious career accolades and achievements. A great designer is that well-rounded hero who’s found a way to give back, teach or use their gifts to support others. “ —Gail Anderson, designer and educator who received the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Medal from the American Institute of Graphic Arts
“The sooner we realize that the simple (and local) answer is sometimes the right answer, we’ll be closer to understanding the true capabilities of designers. Erecting wind turbines in the desert would be nice, but designing a system that encourages kids in the neighborhood to stop littering can result in immediate, meaningful change.” —Chappell Ellison, design writer and teacher at the School of Visual Arts (SVA)
“A picture is often said to be worth a thousand words. Similarly, an interface is worth a thousand pictures.” —Ben Shneiderman, computer scientist and founding director of the University of Maryland’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab
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