On Copying and Stealing Designs

The notion on the great artist, Pablo Picasso's quote, "Bad artists copy. Good artists steal" is lost on many. And revolving around the graphic designer circles is the quote "Good artists copy, great artists steal" known as Picasso's quote, still. Anyway, it might just be safe to assume that Picasso have not quoted this words exactly but he did have an "expert's assessment and statement" regarding copying and stealing art styles and techniques.

The artistic world was widely influenced by Picasso, being the first living artist to be featured in the Louvre. Many have their own opinion and interpretation as to what he really meant on the quote. With the onset of digital technology and digital art, it is understandable that the modern Web graphic design also has an interpretation for it.

In an article by Cameron Moll, the Creative Director for IDI at http://www.sitepoint.com/article/copy-great-designers-steal he had endeavored to uncover a possible explanation in three levels of design. These three levels involves some aspect of copying or stealing, shows increasing design maturity, adapts Picasso's quote to modern graphic design. The interpretation by Moll was segmented in such a way that do not imply that they are the only levels of design. it is but a guide to assist the improvement of designers' design and lead to their maturity with regards to copying and stealing designs.

The first level explains a well-imparted principle of starting out by copying other well-created designs. Web designing could relate this principle from the advice of Web copywriting guru, Gerry McGovern for writers: having a model for the kind of article that they need to do, dissect and analyze them and copy.

Copying, not creating have surprising positive effect, too, that of maintaining conventionality. There's a familiar and intuitive effect for the users when most sites have essentially the same layout and information architecture by most sites. A Web designing career involve time constraints and budget limitations so much so that copying is almost mandatory.

The second level explains that the best resources where designers can steal are from themselves. They can tap into loads of their past designs that were never used or completed, or from their designs that have already been successful in order to reinvent a new design. This kind of stealing is quite helpful in molding their own distinctive design style to use as a selling point for clients.

The third level involves stealing from discreet sources. Albert Einstein is noted for quoting, "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." For designers the easiest way to do this is to use sources already hidden. Even great artists can't be accused of stealing if their rare jewels of inspiration are from lost, bypassed, forgotten ideas which they have successfully incorporated with their own distinctive style. To graphic designers, they have to really research and rummage for the necessary unused and forgotten ideas applicable for their design.

One must be careful in copying from well-known sources, though. It is best to copy the inspiration and not the exact output. To fully summarize, all graphid designers out there, there's no problem in copying, even Picasso, in one of his quotes told about the necessity of copying. However, it is best to be careful in what you copy and how you copy it.

Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 year-old Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a non-government organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

Book reading has always been her greatest passion -- mysteries, horrors, psycho-thrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.

Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom ? to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns -- imagined and observed, to bear witness.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com

---

Killer Business Headline Templates - So How Do You Write Killer Headlines in Minutes? You Cheat!

According to Branding and Advertising legend, David Ogilvy: 5 times... Read More

5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make

Think you have what it takes to be a freelance... Read More

Ad Copy - Your 12 Point Inspection!

You're ready to launch that new product or promotion, &... Read More

Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy is Your Worst Enemy

Every day, more and more of us begin new online... Read More

Do You Make These 5 Mistakes When Writing Sales Copy?

Writing copy has sometimes been compared to an "art." While... Read More

Freelancers Can Jump-Start Your Publicity Initiative

If you find that your progress is blocked by a... Read More

8 Reasons to Outsource Your Copywriting

Thinking of hiring a staff writer? Think again. Below, I... Read More

Sticky Homepage Copy in 30 Seconds

Yes indeed, that's all you've got, 30 seconds to make... Read More

Kick-Start Your Juices

Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More

Content is King

IntroductionA pencil. Yes, a pencil. In my opinion, every great... Read More

Copywriting: Engage Prospects By Involving Their Senses

Imagine a bland, colorless existence. Where food had no taste,... Read More

Health and Fitness: A Huge Industry in Need of Writers

Think about how much you read about and spend on... Read More

Dont Forget The Copywriting

Copywriting And Content CreationOne of the most important, but often... Read More

Cause and Effect

"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause... Read More

How To Write An Effective Ad

A letter or postcard allows you to "talk" one-on-one to... Read More

Memorable Sales Copy -- How to Write it

Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE promotional copy?... Read More

3 Keys to Better Online Copywriting

Doing the copywriting for your own website without the proper... Read More

How You Can Become A Freelance Business Plan Writer

As with any business, becoming a freelance business plan writer... Read More

7 Powerful Sales Copy Writing Techniques!

Your sales letter is the most important component in your... Read More

42 Deadly Ad Copy Sins That Ive Made

I have read thousands of ad copies online and offline... Read More

Who is Your Customer?

When you want to sell something?anything? you need to first... Read More

How To Become Qualified As A Proofreader

The field of proofreading is not as easy to get... Read More

Some Important Tips On Proposals And Price

Here's a critically important copywriting technique I use when writing... Read More

How To Really Connect With Your Customer In Your Copywriting

One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is... Read More

Headlines That Pull, Persuade and Propel!

When writing direct response copy, there are a few things... Read More

To Start Making Cash from Your Online Writing, You Must Draw Blood First

Writers write just like painters, paint on canvas. This is... Read More

Top 3 Rules for Writing Effective Copy

One thing all successful Internet marketers have in common is... Read More

Grammatical Mistakes DONT Sell

When you receive a sales letter with typos or grammar... Read More

Working With a Freelance Editor

If you are interested in creating information products, you will... Read More

3 Steps to Great Copy

Nothing irritates me more than being told that there are... Read More

Copywriting Makeover: Making An Emotional Connection - Part 1 of 2

One statistic shows that over 80% of all buying decisions... Read More

12 Copywriting Tips to Make Your Advertising More Profitable

Year after year people make the same mistakes in direct-response... Read More

How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs

Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance... Read More