I think it's really important to design things with a kind of

“I think it’s really important to design things with a kind of personality.” — Marc Newson

Thus spoke Marc Newson, the master craftsman of the modern age, whose hands have shaped airplanes, watches, furniture, and worlds of steel and color. In this simple yet profound statement, he reveals the eternal secret of creation: that to design without personality is to create without soul. When he says, “It’s really important to design things with a kind of personality,” he speaks not merely of objects, but of spirit — of the spark that breathes life into form, that transforms a thing made by hands into something that touches the heart.

The origin of this truth lies in Newson’s own journey as a designer. Born in Australia and raised by curiosity, he found his path not through rigid theory, but through emotion and intuition. His creations — from the flowing Lockheed Lounge to the elegant Apple Watch — defy coldness. They possess a living quality, a character that feels almost human. They are not mute; they speak, they invite, they express. Through them, Newson reminds us that design is not only about solving problems, but about telling stories — that the best objects, like the best people, have something to say.

To design with personality is to design with soul. It means to see beyond function, to sense the invisible dialogue between human and object. The ancients knew this instinctively. The artisans of ancient Greece carved their amphorae not only to hold wine, but to honor beauty and myth. The builders of Japanese temples shaped wood so that it breathed with the seasons, living and aging alongside those who worshiped within. In these works, the maker’s hand and spirit were not hidden but revealed — the curve of the vase, the line of the beam, each a whisper of the person who made it. That is personality in design: the imprint of humanity made eternal through form.

Without personality, design becomes sterile — efficient, perhaps, but lifeless. A machine without music. A home without warmth. Consider the cities built in the twentieth century’s rush toward modernity: towers of glass and steel, perfect in geometry yet cold to the touch, alien to the soul. Compare them to the creations of Antonio Gaudí, whose Sagrada Família rises like a living being, filled with the rhythms of nature and the pulse of imagination. Gaudí’s structures curve and breathe; they do not merely exist — they live. Through them, one feels that the architect’s heart still beats within the stone. This is what Newson means: personality gives life where precision alone cannot.

To create with personality is also to reveal oneself — to risk honesty. For every act of creation carries the maker’s voice, whether whispered or shouted. The craftsman who builds with care leaves behind not only a product but a reflection of his soul. The artist who shapes with passion leaves fingerprints on eternity. And in this way, the designer becomes a storyteller of emotion — weaving joy, curiosity, and wonder into materials that will outlast him. It is not arrogance, but devotion: the wish to give more than utility, to give feeling.

The lesson is this: whatever you create — be it a chair, a home, a poem, or a life — give it personality. Let it bear your mark. Do not seek perfection in sterility; seek meaning in expression. Ask yourself not only how something works, but how it feels. For the heart of good design lies not in imitation, but in authenticity. Build things that smile, that surprise, that carry warmth and memory. When people touch them, let them sense not a machine’s indifference, but a human’s care.

So remember the teaching of Marc Newson: “It’s really important to design things with a kind of personality.” For personality is the bridge between matter and meaning, between craft and soul. The world is filled with objects — countless, forgettable, hollow. Yet the ones that endure are those that speak — that carry within them the voice of their creator and the heart of their purpose. Therefore, let your work — and your life — be designed with personality. Let it be alive. For in giving your creations a soul, you will discover your own.