Cameron Moll’s depiction of Pablo Picasso’s quote, “Good artists copy, great artists steal”.  In Moll’s article, he discusses three levels of design that copy, or rather steal the work of others. 

In Level 1, he focuses on the web design aspect of design.  He suggests copying, not creating an original layout.  Someone worked hard to invent the wheel.  So, why try to reinvent it???  You can take the idea of one site and totally revamp it to make it your own by making subtle design modifications.  In today’s economy, many companies looking for a website cannot afford the time and money to allow a web designer full reign and design of a site.  So, designers use layouts they see and like, modify them, and make them their own. 

Level 2 is all about stealing from yourself.  As a designer, I have several incomplete designs saved on my computer.  Using them as well as successful designs as a starting point is guaranteed to give you many advantages.  If a design of yours worked well once, likely the same layout or structure will work again.  This adds to your overall style. 

In the final level, 3, Moll discusses how to steal from discrete sources.  Open your eyes and look around!  You’ll find inspiration everywhere.  You can copy ideas, just not the work. 

Good designers copy, great designers steal!

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