Five Design Phrases That Need to Die

#34: The ketchup bottle meme did not make it to this list.

Over the past decade, I’ve stumbled upon a ton of design phrases and statements that were silly, absurd, or so stupid that it’s hard to believe they even exist. Because I wasn’t experienced enough, I didn’t immediately notice the level of stupidity for some of these. I even thought a few were legit pieces of advice. But not anymore. Here’s my list of the top five dangerous design phrases that need to die:

1. You don’t need a portfolio. Just drop a few screenshots into a PDF, and you are good to go!

2. Only designers can design.

3. Research isn’t important to having good UX.

4. Every function of the UI must be reached within three clicks.

5. Mastering Figma will instantly make a designer out of you.

Let’s explore each and try to debunk them.