The Angry Designer Podcast

Episode: "How Stealing Can Make You a Better Graphic Designer"

Date: November 11, 2025
Hosts: Masimo & Sean J. Creato

Episode Overview

This episode of The Angry Designer takes a provocative look at the notion of originality in graphic design. Hosts Masimo and Sean challenge the “sacred cow” of originality, arguing that all great designers "steal"—but there’s an art and a code to it. Through lively anecdotes, honest admissions, and practical advice, they explore the difference between shameless copying and strategic creative theft. The episode provides real talk on why emulating others is not just inevitable, but essential for growth—if done with intent, understanding, and transformation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Myth of Originality (00:00–03:10)

• Masimo calls out the widespread belief that creativity must be 100% original, saying:

  "Let's be honest, every great designer steals." (00:06)

• Conversation kicks off with a reference to Taylor Swift being accused of ripping off the Jackson 5, serving as a jumping-off point for the nuances between influence, copying, and outright theft.

• Masimo argues:

  "We all, you know, start by, you know, an influence. And whether that influence inspires you or whether you're outright copying it, the reality is...designers all start by stealing shit." (02:38)

Personal Stories: From Student Copying to Professional Practice (03:10–06:46)

• Both hosts reminisce about their early days—collecting and emulating rave flyers (Masimo) and copying illustrator Douglas Frazier (Sean) to learn technique.

• Sean admits he could never truly copy a style because "...my limited skill set, I could only go so far." (05:47)

• Masimo reframes this:

  "That's how you didn't actually rip something off...you copied it for the right reasons. True originality doesn't exist; all creativity is basically influence plus the context you're working in with your own style and spin too." (06:21)

• Quoting Paul Rand:

  "Paul Rand...he was like, don't try to be original. Just try be good." (06:47)

The Crucial Difference: Copying to Learn vs. Copying to Cheat (06:46–13:42)

• Learning through Emulation: Copying is essential for training your eye and developing design intuition, provided it's for understanding patterns, not bypassing thought.

• Notable Quote:

  "Creativity is mathematical. Graphic design is just another math lesson." — Masimo (07:30)

• Bad Copying: When copying is only about final looks and ignores the reasoning behind design choices.

  "You're not worried about how they got to it...You're literally turning something out...You're just ripping something off." (09:01)

• The infamous “pizza slice logo” is discussed as a case of lazy, surface-level copying that devalues creative labor.

• Good Copying: Dissecting why something works—hierarchy, spacing, proportions—and using that understanding to train your mind and muscle memory.

The Evolution of a Personal Style (13:42–19:32)

• Masimo:

  "You don't necessarily develop your own style...by looking at 100 different styles and being like, I'm going to mix this, and this, and this." (17:56)

• Building a distinct style, as seen in the careers of Aaron Draplin, Saul Bass, and Paula Scher, comes from years of working through influences and intentional refinement.

• The message is clear: Style emerges from practice and consistent transformation, not from consciously seeking originality at the start.

The Lazy Designer, Customers, & Why Clients Get “Apple” Wrong (19:32–21:15)

• Lazy designers are focused solely on reproducing the look, disregarding the intent, context, or substance.

• Anecdote: Clients wanting “to look like Apple” but missing the point of why Apple’s design choices work:

  "They want to rush to it without understanding, without getting why." (20:38)

• Sean:

  "You don't come out fully formed in this business." (23:16)

Comparing AI to Designers: Where the Soul is Missing (21:15–24:26)

• AI as the Ultimate Thief: The hosts address why designers resent AI—it's not about the access to data/influence ("we all thieve the same way"), but about lacking intent and purpose.

• Masimo:

  "When AI creates something...it doesn't know why it's creating. Right. It creates like the lazy designer...It doesn't do the why." (22:02)

• Real human creativity involves intention, problem-solving, and meaning—qualities missing in AI-generated works, which feel "shallow...thin...missing that substance." (23:40)

The Designer’s Code of Stealing (25:04–30:23)

Masimo lays out a “Designer’s Code of Stealing”—a practical framework separating creative growth from plagiarism:

1. Study the Engine, Not Just the Paint Job (25:42)

   • Analyze the why behind the work: structure, rationale, the problem being solved.

   "A lazy designer...just basically copy what they see...But the real designer, they're looking at the engineering, how it was built." (25:44)

2. Steal from Many, Not from One (27:05)

   • Build a broad library of influences across designers, eras, and even disciplines.

   "If you have one look, that's plagiarism...But 10 different looks...this is how you're creating your own style." (28:38)

3. Transform, Don’t Imitate (28:49)

   • Synthesize your influences and transform them for your context; that’s how you develop individuality.

   "We reinterpret what we see...Transformation is what happens when you take your influence, put it towards your context, and put all your own style...That's how you will recreate something..." (28:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On originality:

  "Originality is dead. It's gone so hard to see something that's never been done before." — Masimo (29:56)

• On learning vs. stealing:

  "Amateurs, they steal what they see and stop. Right? Where, you know, pros will steal what they understand. But real legends...they steal what they can transform into." — Masimo (31:08)

• On the journey:

  "You don't come out fully formed in this business." — Sean J. Creato (23:16)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 — Opening salvo on the myth of originality
• 03:10 — How the hosts “stole” as beginners and why it made them better
• 06:46 — The difference between copying to cheat and copying to learn (Paul Rand reference)
• 13:42 — Style development: why you shouldn’t chase a “unique” style early on
• 19:32 — Lazy designers, clients who want to look like Apple, and surface-level stealing
• 21:15 — Why AI can never do what a real designer does
• 25:04 — The Designer’s Code of Stealing (three-point framework)
• 30:23 — Recap: why transformative “stealing” creates real value

Takeaways

• Originality is overrated; all design is built on what came before.
• Copying is not only unavoidable, it’s a crucial part of the creative process—if it's done to learn, analyze, and eventually transform.
• There’s a vital difference between copying for growth and copying to take shortcuts.
• The best designers draw from a wide pool, understand the why, and remix for their context with purpose and intent.
• Clients (and designers) are often guilty of wanting only the surface, missing the deeper reasons for why great design works.
• AI can “steal” in quantity, but without intent and human meaning, it creates only the shallowest of work.

Essential Designer’s “Stealing” Checklist

1. Study the structure and rationale, not just the look.
2. Gather broad influences—don’t imitate one source.
3. Transform what you take: adapt it with intent for your audience and context.

Hosts sign off:
My name is Masimo.
My name is Sean J. Creato. And stay angry.