George Lois Quotes

Powerful George Lois for Daily Growth

About George Lois

George Lois (1931-), an influential advertising genius, was born on July 8, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York. Raised by Greek immigrants, Lois developed a deep appreciation for visual storytelling at a young age. He attended the Pratt Institute, where he honed his skills as an artist and designer. Lois's career took off in the 1950s when he joined the advertising agency Ted Bates & Co. In just four years, Lois rose through the ranks to become Creative Director, a position he held until 1967. During this time, he revolutionized the industry with his groundbreaking campaigns for clients such as Esquire magazine, IBM, and the Democratic National Committee. In 1967, Lois founded the advertising agency, George Lois Inc., which became synonymous with innovative, thought-provoking advertising. Some of his most iconic work includes the "I Want My MTV" campaign for MTV, and the "Greatest Athletes of the Century" campaign for ESPN. Lois's work is characterized by its boldness, creativity, and ability to capture cultural zeitgeists. He is often credited with coining the phrase "The Big Idea," a concept that emphasizes the power of a single, powerful idea in advertising. Throughout his career, Lois has been honored with numerous awards, including the Clio Hall of Fame award and the Art Director's Club Hall of Fame award. His work continues to influence the advertising industry today. In 2015, he published " George Lois: The Art of Advertising," a book that chronicles his life and career.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I don't want to make beautiful advertising, I want to make great art."

This quote by George Lois indicates a strong commitment to not just create visually appealing advertisements, but rather, to produce exceptional works of art through the medium of advertising. It suggests that he aims to elevate advertising from mere commerce to a form of creative expression that resonates with people on a deeper level, much like great art does. Essentially, Lois is expressing his passion for using advertising as a vehicle for artistic excellence and impactful communication.


"The secret of all effective design is its simplicity."

This quote by George Lois emphasizes the importance of simplicity in design, suggesting that an effective design must be uncluttered and easily understood by its audience. Simplicity doesn't mean blandness or lack of creativity, but rather a focus on essential elements that effectively communicate the intended message without confusion or distraction. A simple design can make a powerful impact by making complex ideas accessible to people, inviting them to engage with the content more readily.


"Good design is transparent."

George Lois' quote, "Good design is transparent," means that effective design should not draw attention to itself, but rather, it should make the intended message or purpose clear and easy to understand. Transparent design allows the audience to focus on the content or the product, rather than the design itself. It suggests that a well-designed piece seamlessly blends with its context, making it accessible and intuitive for the user.


"Great advertising isn't just about selling a product or service; it's about creating an experience, an emotion, a conversation."

This quote by George Lois emphasizes that effective advertising goes beyond merely promoting a product or service. Instead, great advertising should aim to create an immersive, emotional experience for the audience, fostering a connection that transcends the transactional level of simple selling. By crafting compelling narratives and engaging content, advertisers can spark conversations and build a relationship with their audience, making the brand more memorable and meaningful in people's lives.


"Ideas are the currency of creativity. The more you create, the richer you become."

This quote emphasizes that creative ideas serve as a form of capital or "currency" in the realm of creativity. Just as one accumulates wealth by spending and investing money, one can build up a storehouse of valuable ideas by consistently creating and nurturing their creative output. By generating multiple ideas, an individual enriches their creative ability and potential for innovation.


The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything. And I really believe that. And what I try to teach young people, or anybody in any creative field, is that every idea should seemingly be outrageous.

- George Lois

Young, Anybody, Creative Act, Overcomes

Because advertising and marketing is an art, the solution to each new problem or challenge should begin with a blank canvas and an open mind, not with the nervous borrowings of other people's mediocrities. That's precisely what 'trends' are - a search for something 'safe' - and why a reliance on them leads to oblivion.

- George Lois

Why, Other, Blank, Reliance

Trends can tyrannize; trends are traps. In any creative industry, the fact that others are moving in a certain direction is always proof positive, at least to me, that a new direction is the only direction.

- George Lois

New, Fact, Always, Traps

If you work with convictions, people have got to listen to you.

- George Lois

Work, People, Got, Convictions

A truly great magazine cover surprises, even shocks, and connects in a nano-second.

- George Lois

Cover, Connects, Even, Surprises

I look in the mirror, and I work with the brightest person I know.

- George Lois

Work, Mirror, Person, Brightest

The computer has played a role in destroying creativity with the Photoshop. Everybody thinks they're a designer.

- George Lois

Computer, Role, Everybody, Photoshop

The 1960s was a heroic age in the history of the art of communication - the audacious movers and shakers of those times bear no resemblance to the cast of characters in 'Mad Men.'

- George Lois

Art, Heroic, Resemblance, Audacious

These days, no celebrity on a magazine cover, including Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, or Leonardo DiCaprio, could possibly match the visual punch of Alfred E. Neuman, the gap-toothed, grinning boy, goofily peeking out at us on the newsstand.

- George Lois

Celebrity, Julia Roberts, Possibly

What Apple did for technology is brilliant, but they didn't do nothin' for our economy.

- George Lois

Technology, Apple, Brilliant, Nothin

In professional work - certainly in the arts and graphics - 99% of people have zero courage. They blow with the wind.

- George Lois

Work, Zero, Certainly, Wind

Look at the news stand, you know? I mean, it's a cacophony of famous people or people who want to be famous with blurbs all around it, and it's supposed to be, you know, that's supposed to be creativity in journalism. My God, it's unbelievable. It's shocking.

- George Lois

Creativity, Stand, Around, Shocking

The whole area of creativity is constipated and frightened.

- George Lois

Creativity, Area, Whole, Frightened

Museums are custodians of epiphanies, and these epiphanies enter the central nervous system and deep recesses of the mind.

- George Lois

Deep, Mind, Nervous System, Custodian

If somebody says to you, 'MTV,' you think of Mick Jagger on a phone screaming at that phone: 'I want my MTV.' That, to me, was always the epitome of great advertising.

- George Lois

Think, Always, Epitome, None

From the time I was three or four years old, I drew all the time. Drew all the time, every second.

- George Lois

Time, Old, Four, Every Second

Nobody should force you to do a bad piece of work in your whole life - no client, no creative director, nobody. The job isn't to please the client; the job is to produce something for the client that makes them incredibly successful.

- George Lois

Work, Bad, Director, Client

Sometimes all the 'marketing' insight in the world can't move a client, but the creation of a truly great brand name can become a billion-dollar idea!

- George Lois

Sometimes, Idea, Move, Client

With the way I worked, a client can give me everything they know about something, and then I go away and come back with advertising that knocks them out of their chair. They finally understand what kind of a company they are.

- George Lois

Away, About, Knocks, Client

When I did 'Esquire,' I did a lot of celebrity covers, but the celebrity cover was Hubert Humphrey as a dummy, sitting on Lyndon Johnson's lap and aping his feelings about the war. I did celebrity covers that made a difference in what was going on in American culture.

- George Lois

Celebrity, About, Lyndon, Feelings

'Mad Men' is nothing more than the fulfillment of every possible stereotype of the early 1960s bundled up nicely to convince consumers that the sort of morally repugnant behavior exhibited by its characters - with one-night-stands and excessive consumption of Cutty Sark and Lucky Strikes - is glamorous and 'vintage.'

- George Lois

Lucky, Glamorous, Nicely, Stereotype

All the people who run agencies, all the important people in agencies have taken communication courses, marketing courses, advertising courses, and courses basically teach advertising as a science, and advertising is so far from a science it isn't even funny. Advertising is an art.

- George Lois

Art, Teach, Courses, Important People

Ad agencies do all kinds of market research that ask people what they think they want, and instead, you should be creating things that you want. If you do something and you get it, the rest of the world will get it, too. Trust your own instincts, your own intellect, and your own sense of humor.

- George Lois

Trust, Sense Of Humor, Own, Instincts

A graphic designer, you know, who understands ideas and understands that ideas are what makes the world go round, could change the world with a magazine. If one talent could do it right now, and everybody would stop saying it's the death of magazines.

- George Lois

Death, World, Everybody, Change The World

When I lecture kids, I say, 'You've got to be ambitious by the advertising' - ambitious. You've got to say, 'See, this product? Maybe I can change the world with this product.' They look at me like I'm nuts, but that's what you can do.

- George Lois

Product, Like, Maybe, Change The World

My concern has always been with creating images that catch people's eyes, penetrate their minds, warm their hearts and cause them to act.

- George Lois

Always, Been, Images, Penetrate

I had a fistfight with every kid on my block. I got about fifteen broken noses to prove it. Part of it was also because I was always drawing, and I always had an artist portfolio with me. But I was a tough kid. I won their respect.

- George Lois

Artist, Prove, Noses, Block

When you think of a brand, you should immediately understand it from the advertising attitude, from the words and visuals.

- George Lois

Think, Should, Visuals, Brand

To me, great advertising can make food taste better, can make your car run smoother. It can change your perception of something. Is it wrong to change your perception about something? Of course not. I'm not lying; I'm just saying, 'This one's more fun, this one's more exciting.'

- George Lois

Run, Taste, About, Perception

When I teach classes at the School of Visual Arts,, I'll ask the students, 'How many of you have been to a museum this year?' Nobody raises their hand and I go into a tirade. If you want to do something sharp and innovative, you have to know what went on before.

- George Lois

Year, Been, Before, Raises

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