They say the best ideas are the simple ones. A person can sketch something in just a few minutes to include a single, unifying message. So often throughout history, great ideas have come from simple moments.
We’ve all heard the Beatles’ classic Yesterday. According to the composer Paul McCartney, the song came into his head before even opening his eyes one morning. It was so complete that he had to research to make sure he hadn’t stolen the lyrics or melody without realizing it. From a waking moment, one of the most famous songs of the 20th century was born.
Designer Paula Scher said some of the best ideas can be sketched in the course of a meeting. Of course, that’s not always the case for everyone — Freddie Mercury spent years working on Bohemian Rhapsody. But it does seem that the best ideas are the simplest ones.
Inspiration can strike at any moment. When it does, people reach for whatever they can to make sure they remember it — tissue paper, books, envelopes, and napkins. And often, that’s what changes the world. Here are 65 ideas that got their start on a napkin.
1. Southwest Airlines
In 1966, Rollin King, the owner of a small airline, met with his lawyer, Herb Kelleher. He wanted to talk about running a low-cost, quick airline that traveled between San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston. To convince Kelleher, he sketched the route on a napkin and that’s how Southwest Airlines was born.
Okay, it wasn’t a cocktail napkin, but it was a kind of a napkin. While visiting a club in 1957, Richard Berry heard a song that struck him. He had an idea. Richard ran to the bathroom, grabbed some toilet paper, and wrote down the lyrics to “Louie, Louie.”
If you’re a playwright who’s moonlighting as a bartender, where else are you going to write your scripts except on cocktail napkins? Aaron Sorkin was bartending at Broadway’s Palace Theater when he first wrote down some ideas that would eventually become A Few Good Men.
Arthur Laffer was a professor of economics at the University of Southern California. In 1974, he was having a drink with a friend when the conversation turned to economics. Laffer sketched a graph on a napkin showing how higher taxes lead to lower revenues. The Laffer Curve eventually became the foundation for Reaganomics.
During a brainstorming session in a bar, Discovery Channel executives were tossing out ideas for new shows. Someone said, “You know what would be awesome? Shark Week.” The idea written down on a cocktail napkin became a reality.
Honolulu Lulu was a big hit of the 1960s, but it was nearly lost. At a diner with Jan Berry, Roger Christian wrote the lyrics on a napkin. As they were leaving, they realized they’d left the napkin behind. Even worse, someone threw it out. They searched the dumpster until 4 a.m., finally surfacing with the napkin.
The Voyager was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping to refuel. The design was sketched on a napkin during lunch, but it took another five years to make the flight happen. It finally took place in December of 1986, flying non-stop for nine days.
In 1968, volunteer firefighter Clyde McMillian was at lunch, pondering the issues of the fire hose. He took out a napkin and sketched a design for a nozzle that would allow steady water pressure and easy control. It later became the industry standard, undoubtedly helping firefighters around the globe.
After the success of Toy Story, John Lasseter and other Pixar executives wanted to know what to do next. Over lunch one day, they began sketching ideas. Some of those would go on to become A Bug’s Life.
For years, many people claimed that Abraham Lincoln jotted his famous Gettysburg Address down on the back of an envelope while traveling to Gettysburg. It was disproven after several drafts were found, but the myth persists.
Ethernet might be outdated, but once upon a time, it was a big deal. When electrical engineer Robert Metcalfe had the idea for Ethernet, he quickly sketched out the initial design on a cocktail napkin.
If you don’t recognize the name, you’re probably below the age of 30. But Compaq was once the biggest supplier of PCs in the world before being overtaken by Hewlett Packard (HP) in 2002. The idea for its first portable computer was sketched on a napkin in a pancake house.
Although Wall-E didn’t come out until 2008, its conception began years earlier in 1994. The same lunch that produced other major Pixar characters also yielded napkin sketches of a lovelorn little robot.
It might seem strange that innovations in technology would take place on cocktail napkins. Facebook director of data center design engineering, Jay Park, sketched out the plan for a super-efficient data center on a couple of napkins.
If you’ve had a cell phone for a while, you might remember “bumping.” Back in the day, it was a way to share information between iPhones and Androids. One of the founders of Bump, David Lieb, sketched out the initial idea on a napkin in 2008.
In the 1980s, Oprah Winfrey was faced with a choice — syndicate her show with ABC or go nationally through KingWorld. Her date grabbed a napkin and did some quick math to show her what she stood to make through national syndication. Fast forward 30 years and Oprah is one of the richest women in the world.
It might not be used for ruling anymore, but the original NASCAR point system governed the rules of the game for 36 years. In 1974, publicist Bob Latford was sitting in a bar in Daytona Beach. He grabbed some napkins and sketched out a perfect way to award points.
Hey, we never said all napkin ideas were good ones. Back in 2017, White House advisor Sebastian Gorka sketched a plan on a napkin to divide Libya into three parts. The European diplomat to whom he was speaking reportedly called it “the worst” plan ever.
The name might not sound familiar, but you’ve seen it before. David Shepard, an inventor of credit card readers, realized that if the text on credit cards was smudged or unclear, it caused a glitch in the machines. While sitting in a bar, he created a perfectly legible font.
Yup, you guessed it — same lunch among Pixar executives led to Monsters, Inc., as well. You can’t expect to always come up with viable ideas, but on this particular day, they had some great ones. Sully, Mike, and Boo, all began as sketches at a lunch table.
Sitting on a delayed train isn’t fun. But for J.K. Rowling, it changed her life. Her first ideas for Harry Potter were scribbled on napkins while waiting for her train to reach its destination.
Rowling did a lot of her early Harry Potter work on the go. She created the wizarding game Quidditch while sitting in a pub fuming after a fight with her former boyfriend. “In my deepest, darkest soul, I would quite like to see him hit by a bludger,” she said.
Physicist Paul Lauterbur was enjoying a burger at a Pittsburgh diner when he came up with the idea for the first magnetic resonance imaging model. He sketched some thoughts on a napkin, leading to the birth of the MRI that would forever change medicine around the world.
While enjoying a meal at a coffee house in 1959, designer Edward Carlson decided to start sketching a plan for the Seattle Space Needle. Thankfully, the finished product looks a bit different from his initial design. It’s now considered a city landmark.
The last great idea from the iconic Pixar executives’ lunch was Finding Nemo. While they didn’t know all the details about a missing clownfish and his worried father just yet, they did sketch the initial concepts on table napkins.
Inspiration often strikes when you least expect it. And when that happens, you have to use whatever tools you have at hand. When author Stephen King had the idea for his novel Misery during a flight to London, he scribbled some notes on a napkin. The film adaptation would go on to win an Oscar.
Few people know that in addition to being an actress and a singer, Marilyn Monroe was an author. She frequently wrote wherever she happened to be, on whatever material she had. Her collected works, “Fragments,” were initially written on napkins and scraps of paper.
The famous Super Bowl trophy might’ve been made by Tiffany and Co., but it started as a simple sketch. In the 1960s, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle met with a representative of Tiffany’s to discuss a trophy design, which he quickly sketched on a napkin.
David Bowie’s alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, was famous for many reasons but it took a lot of brainstorming to come up with the right concept. Bowie spent many nights in the 1970s scribbling ideas on cocktail napkins until he finally found the right one.
Ask any Texan and they’ll probably proclaim deep love for Whataburger. But the “bigger, better burger” began as a sketch on a napkin. It must’ve been a good sketch because they now have 700 locations nationwide.
Katie Mehnert was waiting on a delayed flight when another passenger commented about her unmarried status. Mehnart had an idea for a network that would connect women working in the energy industry. So, she scribbled her thoughts on a napkin and Pink Petro was born.
Believe it or not, the Chicago street grid is based on a children’s game. Back in the 1800s, Hieronymus Ebert was chatting with an urban designer and sketched a tic-tac-toe grid. That designer thought it was a great layout for a street grid.
While perhaps it didn’t start on a napkin, the big trend of the 1970s was born in a bar. Gary Dahl had a conversation with another patron about the stress of caring for pets. That sparked an idea that grew into The Pet Rock Training Manual.
Designer Paula Scher aimed to show that the best ideas are quick and simple, and she did that perfectly. During a client meeting, she sketched the new Citi logo on a napkin. At the end of the meeting, she held it up and told them this was their logo.
After not receiving their order of green chiles from New Mexico, Allison Rugen and Carlo Marchiondo went to a local bar. After enjoying a couple of beers, they began to talk about how they could be superior chile distributors, followed by sketching a business plan on a napkin. Southwest Chile Supply now has restaurants, as well as wholesale clients.
In 2007, Daniel Adamany and Aaron Nack were sitting together in a Chicago bar. As they drank martinis, they sketched out a plan for their new IT company, AHEAD. It’s now generating millions of dollars in revenue each year.
When people asked publicist Lisa Jeffries what kind of things there were to do in Raleigh, North Carolina, on New Year’s Eve, she always had a good answer. But she wanted to provide a platform where she could provide all those answers. She met up with her friend at a bar and scribbled down the idea for RaleighNYE.com.
123DME started on napkins in a bar, but within minutes, it was an up-and-running website. The founders of the medical equipment rental company went from scribbling ideas to registering the domain name.
Kimberly Fowler was a yoga teacher who felt as though something was missing from her classes. She overheard a waiter say the words, “Just add mint,” which prompted her to scrawl an idea on a napkin. Her new classes, Yoga for Athletes Ripped, include weight training.
In 2004, two engineers were chatting at a restaurant in Oregon. They started discussing a new model of antenna that would improve electrical performance. The napkin they sketched their ideas on is still preserved.
While sitting on a flight to New York, Allan Fleming pondered the design for the logo of the Canadian National Rail. He started sketching on a napkin. Allan came up with a logo that was so simple, he predicted it would last for 50 years, at least. It’s lasted much longer.
In the 1970s, New York City was a crime-ridden, poverty-stricken area that desperately needed revitalization. The Department of Economic Development came up with the campaign “I Love New York”, but it still needed a logo. Designer Milton Glaser sketched one, which helped change NYC.
In 1986, the Beastie Boys were hanging out together, drinking vodka. When inspiration struck, it only took them 10 minutes to throw together the song Fight for Your Right. The idea they scrawled on napkins became a hit.
J.K. Rowling seems to have done a lot of her writing in random places and on whatever scraps of paper she can find. The Hogwarts Houses originated not quite on a napkin, but on the back of a (hopefully clean) airplane sickness bag.
Ernest Hemingway was often found in bars where napkins were plentiful. One night while imbibing with friends, he bet them he could write an entire story in six words. He scrawled on a napkin: “For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn.” He won the bet.
In the late 1970s, Virgin Airlines was looking to take the company logo in a new direction. The old one didn’t reflect its modern goals. When an executive met with a designer, he scribbled the word “Virgin” on a napkin. The same logo exists today.
Okay, so the Marine Corps didn’t technically start on a napkin — however, they did start in a bar. In 1775, the Continental Congress met in the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. The tavern manager was named the first official Marine recruiter.
The Beatles had all kinds of ways of composing songs — Yesterday famously came into Paul McCartney’s head while he was waking up one morning. But they also scribbled song lyrics wherever they were, including on napkins at the breakfast table.
You probably didn’t know the Chupa Chups logo was designed by Salvador Dali himself. In 1969, the artist spent an hour, scribbling ideas before finally coming up with the iconic daisy. He also suggested the logo be placed on top, rather than on the side.
When Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi was first discovered, the scouting director for Barcelona was so enthused that he signed him right then and there. Worried that Messi would get away, he scrawled the player’s first contract on a napkin.
Before Spielberg wed Amy Irving, they entered into a prenuptial agreement — or at least a casual one scrawled on a napkin. During their 1989 divorce, the judge refused to accept it. The result was a $100 million divorce settlement.
When a food server at a diner noticed a regular customer scribbling all over napkins, they never imagined the individual was doing anything important. Later they found out the customer was Dr. Dan Ehrlich of MIT. Those napkins contained designs for a new laser.
While sitting in a Nebraska steakhouse, Dr. Felix Zandman scribbled an idea on a napkin for a power metal strip resistor. It might not mean much to you, but today, Vishay Intertechnology supplies electric components to some of the most important companies in the world.
Everyone knows Elton John’s famous ballad “Your Song,” but it had a humble beginning. John and his lyricist partner cobbled it together at the kitchen table in John’s mother’s house. It took less than 30 minutes to compose.
When Lori Lieberman saw Don McLean perform in 1971, she was inspired. During the performance, she scribbled some lyrics down on a napkin. Those would eventually become Killing Me Softly with His Song, which topped the charts in 1973.
Argentine poet Pedro Gabriel forgot his notebook at home one day, so he grabbed some napkins in a bar to draw and write. He found that he enjoyed writing on small pieces of paper, which he now considers his medium.
We aren’t sure if the story started on a napkin, but we do know that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his stories scribbling with his writing group, the Inklings. As part of The Inklings was writer C.S. Lewis. The group met weekly in a local pub to share and critique material.
You might not have heard of Darcy Gaetcher. She was the first woman to kayak the Amazon on a nonstop trip. The route, which covered more than 4,000 miles, took her over 148 days to complete. Before heading out, Darcy sketched a meticulous plan onto a napkin.
The time of The Troubles in Ireland was a period of violence and fear, but also one of music. Many songs were composed about the war, which stretched out for 30 years. One of the most famous, Men Behind the Wire, was composed on a napkin in a pub.
Baseball player Ted Williams caused some controversy after his death. Although his will stated he wished to be cremated, two of his children produced a napkin stating he wanted to be cryogenically frozen. Williams was indeed frozen, to the horror of his eldest daughter.
One evening, Paul Zimmer was enjoying dinner with his son when he started sketching on a napkin. The sketch of the Zimmer car was intended to combine a modern interior with a classic exterior.
In 1970, Janis Joplin and songwriter Bob Neuwirth were in a New York bar when they began to have a poetry jam. When Joplin began to sing some of the lines, others scribbled her words onto napkins. It became her famous song Mercedes Benz.
Okay, Bradbury technically wrote his early material on butcher paper, not napkins. But it’s close enough that we’ll include it. The future Fahrenheit 451 writer started scrawling on butcher paper when he was only 11.
Journey’s 1983 smash hit Faithfully was written by keyboardist Jonathan Cain. Inspiration hit him while he was sitting on a bus. He quickly started writing ideas on a napkin. However, he always claimed the song was divinely inspired.
Some songs take almost no time to write, and Bon Jovi’s Blaze of Glory was one of them. The song was written on three napkins over 15 minutes — or so sources claimed.
They say the best ideas are the simple ones. A person can sketch something in just a few minutes to include a single, unifying message. So often throughout history, great ideas have come from simple moments.
We’ve all heard the Beatles’ classic Yesterday. According to the composer Paul McCartney, the song came into his head before even opening his eyes one morning. It was so complete that he had to research to make sure he hadn’t stolen the lyrics or melody without realizing it. From a waking moment, one of the most famous songs of the 20th century was born.
Designer Paula Scher said some of the best ideas can be sketched in the course of a meeting. Of course, that’s not always the case for everyone — Freddie Mercury spent years working on Bohemian Rhapsody. But it does seem that the best ideas are the simplest ones.
Inspiration can strike at any moment. When it does, people reach for whatever they can to make sure they remember it — tissue paper, books, envelopes, and napkins. And often, that’s what changes the world. Here are 65 ideas that got their start on a napkin.
