Marcel Wanders Quotes

The difference between utility and utility plus beauty is the difference between telephone wires and the spider web.

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

The products people like best start with function and wind up with look.

Design means being good, not just looking good.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

I design for real people. I think of our customers all the time. There is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothing or accessories that are not practical.

As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.

Every single item that we come into contact with on a daily basis has been designed by an artist. From the toothbrush we use in the morning, to the defibrillator that could save our lives, an artist is behind the design.

Many of the familiar little things that we use every day have typically evolved over a period of time to a state of familiarity. They balance form and function, elegance and economy, success and failure in ways that are not only acceptable, but also admirable.

The Coke bottle is a masterpiece of scientific, functional planning. In simpler terms, I would describe the bottle as well thought out, logical, sparing of material and pleasant to look at.

Good design to me is both appearance and functionality together. It's the experience that makes it good design.

We need to rediscover the essence of the meaning of 'the use.' Architecture is, above all, here for a better living. Every gesture, every shape must be justified by various reasons that would reinforce their reason to be, their use, and will give more sense to their beauty.

Puma was all about function and not at all about design. The founder of the company always believed functionality and performance were the only ingredients that could make Puma successful and design never mattered.

Every decently-made object, from a house to a lamp post to a bridge, spoon or egg cup, is not just a piece of 'stuff' but a physical embodiment of human energy, testimony to the magical ability of our species to take raw materials and turn them into things of use, value and beauty.

Design must be functional, and functionality must be translated into visual aesthetics without any reliance on gimmicks that have to be explained.

To whom does design address itself: to the greatest number, to the specialist of an enlightened matter, to a privileged social class? Design addresses itself to the need.

Houses are built to live in, and not to look on: therefore let use be preferred before uniformity.

Any product that needs a manual to work is broken.

Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works.

Simplicity should not be identified with bareness.

Buildings are forms of performances.

More than trends, consumers need functionality. Everything needs an element of fashion, but that's more like a spice.

The real questions are: Does it solve a problem? Is it serviceable? How is it going to look in ten years?

In designing hardware to be used every day, it was important to keep both the human aspects and the machine in mind. What looks good also often feels good.

I realize that having a style would be very beneficial for my practice from a marketing standpoint, but I can't do it. I believe my responsibilities as an architect are to design the most appropriate building for the place. Each place has a distinct culture and function, which for me requires an appropriate answer.