Know where you came from.
I was fussing about at home over the weekend and I came across an old notebook of mine from years and years ago that had – among other things – quotes and snippets of wisdom that I thought were applicable to making video games. There are a bunch of Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes comics in it, as well as a bunch of old Bartle Test navel-gazing, among other things.
On the inside cover, however, was probably my favorite bit:
GOOD DESIGN:
1) Fulfills its function.
2) Respects its materials.
3) Is suited to method of production.
4) Combines these in imaginative expression.
It’s a quote from Eliot Noyes – one of the lions of mid-20th century industrial design – and as far as I’m concerned, every producer, designer, artist and creative director in the video game industry should have it tattooed to the inside of their eyelids.
It’s amazing how something written so many years ago can and should still be considered as the foundation for everything we do today and tomorrow. Great quote Josh, thanks for sharing.