To be a good designer, you would need to have deep and far-reaching interests outside of the profession.

At the opening of our exhibition at Deitch Projects in New York we featured a wall of 10,000 bananas. Green bananas created a pattern against a background of yellow bananas spelling out the sentiment: Self-confidence produces fine results. After a number of days the green bananas turned yellow too and the type disappeared. When the yellow background bananas turned brown, the type (and the self-confidence) appeared again, only to go away when all bananas turned brown.

My granddad wanted to become a sign painter and designer, but was stopped; my dad would have had a real talent for language, but was stopped. When I expressed a desire to become a graphic designer, I was not stopped.

In running, I know that I can train as much as I want and Im never going to break the world record for the five miles. Its partly genetics; Im just not built for it. But if I worked really hard, I might be able to cut my time by half. Could I do the same thing with my mind and my well-being?

Peter Noever is a pain in the ass and a joy in the heart.

Hobbies are for people that don't like what they're doing.

I discovered that I never really used Helvetica but I like to look at it. I like the VW beetle, too, although I've never driven one.