BonFX

Typography & Graphic Design Blog

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Apps
  • About
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Graphic Design / Graphic Design Quote of the Day: Is Originality an Absolute?

Graphic Design Quote of the Day: Is Originality an Absolute?

July 17, 2013 by Douglas Bonneville

Work of Julian House

“I don’t believe in originality as an absolute, I think it’s more to do with interesting twists on existing forms. Borrowing from the Modernist designers of the recent past, for instance, is not plagiarism; it’s more a continuation of the processes and ideas that they set in motion. I’m influenced by Polish poster art of the 1960’s, which was influenced by Pop Art and Surrealism, and which in turn appropriated commercial art, comic book art, cinema and Victorian engravings, etc. I think the key to whether it’s good or not lies in the viewer’s response to a piece of design. Do they say “I’ve seen it before” or, “I’ve seen it before but not in that way.”

—Julian House


Yo, Font-Addict! Make sure to check out The Big Book of Font Combinations. Go grab a copy from Amazon or B&N and stare at all 350+ examples of informative font combinations for web and print. You know you want to!


Filed Under: Graphic Design

About Douglas Bonneville

Douglas has been a graphic designer since 1992, in addition to software developer and author. He is a member of Smashing Magazine's "Panel of Experts" and has contributed to over 100 articles. He is the author of "The Big Book of Font Combinations", loves cats, and plays guitar.

Subscribe to the BonFX Newsletter

Keep tabs on the latest typography and design books and apps from BonFX. If you subscribe today, we'll also send you the classic "Typography Primer" from Adobe!

Recent Inspirations

  • Claude Bernard: The Only Way to Learn June 25, 2019
  • Negative Space: Saying A Lot With Nothing June 25, 2019
  • Shadowy Black and White Watercolors by Artist Elicia Edijanto June 18, 2019
  • Copland on What Creativity is Not June 18, 2019
  • Ornate Leaf Sculpture and Crochet Art by Susanna Bauer June 18, 2019
  • How to choose from among all your great ideas June 17, 2019
  • What you see is not always what you are looking at June 14, 2019
  • The Key to Unleashing Your Natural Creativity June 14, 2019
  • An Artist According to Mondrian June 14, 2019
  • Henry Miller: Forget Yourself June 14, 2019
  • Become a better writer by the time you finish reading this post June 13, 2019
  • You Can Design Everything June 13, 2019
  • Minimalist Brand Identity for Your Cat June 13, 2019
  • Act Like a Child to Spark Your Creativity June 13, 2019
  • Less is More with Hong Kong Coffee Shop June 13, 2019

PAIRING PROBLEMS?


 

On Sale Now
Amazon / B&N

Copyright © 2019 · BonFX