Photo: Marc Wathieu on Flickr.

Over the past year or so I’ve been getting a pretty high spam to real comment ratio on The Designer’s Review of Books, some of which are attempts to hack the blog install. So, in line with quite a few others, I have decided to turn off comments on the DRoB. Old comments should still be present, but you’ll no longer be able to post new ones.

It’s not an easy decision, because I like good discussion and dialogue, but much of this happens on people’s own blogs or via Twitter these days. By all means drop us a line if you would like to get in touch or send me a tweet.

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This isn’t your typical sketchbook. Robin Landa, Professor of Design at Kean University in New Jersey, collaborated with some of the nation’s top creative experts to bring readers a brainstorm session in the form of a journal. Contributors include Rick Valicenti of 3st, Pentagram’s Michael Bierut, and design critic Jessica Helfand, among other well-known artists and designers. “Consider this journal your creativity coach or personal exploratory zone sans pressure,” Landa writes in the introduction. Seattle’s Modern Dog Co. designed the book.

Take a Line for a Walk (available from Amazon: US|UK|DE ) is divided into 103 prompts — mostly blank pages with short directives — and nine longer projects. Landa’s intent: to give readers “a space to play in new ways.” The idea is that readers will use the prompts and projects to expand their ability to think creatively. Landa writes:

“The more you conceive and sketch, the more your thinking evolves.”

Prompts invite readers to free associate visually or verbally directly in the journal. Some prompts are conceptual, such as the one found on page 14, a contribution by Steven Doloff, Professor of Humanities & Media Studies at Pratt:

“You’re an inventor. Your invention is the size of a toaster.
What can it do?”

Other prompts ask the reader to explore form making. Jessalyn Lambert, who recently graduated from Kean University with her BFA, gives clear instructions on page 91: “Place a bunch of dots randomly on the paper. Then connect them. What do you see?”

Some prompts are seemingly introspective, yet they relate to the professional experience of the contributing designer. “Describe yourself using only six carefully chosen words,” suggests veteran brand identity designer Bart Crosby on page 58, “Then create a single symbol or illustration that represents the combination of all those words.”

Landa includes a series of projects to complement the prompts. Projects are more involved exercises that demand additional time and materials. Project II, for example, is a contribution by new media artist and Florida State University Professor Gail Rubini: “Collect 10 objects and attach/glue them together in an interesting way.”

Project III comes from Pentagram Partner Michael Bierut. He contributed to the book by offering an assignment he gives his graphic design students at Yale University:

“Do a design operation that you are capable of repeating every day for 100 days…The medium is open.”

You don’t have to be a designer or an artist to enjoy Take a Line for a Walk. Anyone in need of a creative jumpstart may find its pages stimulating. The best part? All you need is a pencil to start playing. No prior experience required.

Publisher Information

Take a Line For a Walk was published by Wadsworth Cengage Learning in July 2011.

You can support The Designer’s Review of Books by buying Take a Line For a Walk from Amazon (US|UK|DE ) or The Designer’s Review of Books Amazon store.

About the Reviewer

Aggie Toppins is an adjunct faculty member and an MFA candidate in graphic design at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She is passionate about making work that helps people share their stories. Aggie lives in Baltimore with her husband Jason and their basset hound Jolly.

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A nice little book from Magpie Studios honoring the postmen and women – in the UK we say “posties” – who are working so hard at this time of year (we hope):

At some point growing up, we stop listening out for sleigh bells and start listening for door bells. Our Santa still wears red, still fights the elements and the clock, still strives to deliver Christmas joy. Here’s to the humble postie.

Working with photographer John Angerson, this year’s card is a celebration of often-overlooked doorbell-pushing heroes. A portraiture book of our locals, printed on postcard weight paper and bound with the postman’s unassuming red rubber band.

It’s actually their Christmas card to all their collaborators and clients this year, but maybe if you get in touch or send them a tweet and say something nice they’ll send you one too.

My posties in Germany seem to be laden with Amazon.com boxes at the moment. One guy reckoned about 60% of their deliveries are from Amazon at the moment. While we’re at it, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you out there in designer book land.

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“Designers are the mediators of our daily experience. The easier my compost bucket is to use, the more appealing my reusable grocery bag, the more likely I am to participate in environmentally sound practices. Designers carry a heavy responsibility, but at the same time they can offer our future the greatest gift.”

So says Gavin Newsom, current Lt. Governor of California and former Mayor of San Francisco, setting the tone for Just Design, Socially Conscious Design for Critical Causes (Amazon: US|UK|DE). The book is written by Christopher Simmons, a designer, educator, and founder of MINE, a San Francisco design studio. It is emphatically optimistic and offers a comprehensive compendium of inspiring work, relevant to any designer interested in social design. Simmons presents the current state of social design through a curated collection of projects and interviews by leaders in the field.

The breadth of work is impressive and it clearly showcases the spirit of socially conscious work. The interviews and essays highlight designers and educators who are passionate, smart, and committed to their responsibility.

Just Design observes current themes in social design by presenting the book in seven parts: Supporting, Seeking, Organizing, Teaching, Reacting, Celebrating. Supporting presents projects designed by individuals who collaborate with established organizations. Teaching, features leading educators who are creating new programs in this area, as well as projects from social design classes. In essence, each chapter theme functions as a framework to curate projects.

But the book falls short of giving readers tools or pragmatic advice to incorporate into their own practice. And much of the book celebrates pro bono work created by firms who may have the extra resources to use or educational institutions that build social design projects into their curriculum. A solution to this could be a series of How To’s for readers to explore, for example, 5 steps on how to engage with the community you’re working with. Furthermore, the book could attempt to define a set of Best Practices for the area of Social Design to follow and build on as it evolves.

The most encouraging interviews describe realistic ways to do socially conscious work. Randy J. Hunt of Citizen Scholar in Brooklyn, describes how he balances his own studio while working full time as the Interaction Design Director at Etsy.com:

“These roles, in addition to the studio’s client work, self-initiated work, writing, consulting, and other design-related activities add up to a complete and sustaining experience, both professionally and personally.”

He reinforces the importance of working with people you like, “It tends to be that the people I enjoy being around share a similar sense of responsibility when it comes to their work and how it should enter the world.” The interviews and essays offer a multitude of perspectives that allow the reader to form their own ideas of what socially conscious design means to them and where they fit in.

But process is missing.

Social design tends to focus on the user or the audience and the design with the most impact typically looks to the user to help develop a solution. Process is paramount and Just Design overlooks this. With such a diverse range of work, the process behind each project could begin to show us insights as to what approaches works best in particular situations.

Aaris Sherin, author and professor at St. John’s University, offers salient advice to young designers who are interested in social design. She argues that making information clearer to an audience is one of the most overlooked areas of values-based design work. She goes on to offer a list of ideas for becoming a rock-star designer for good. The first idea simply being: Ask yourself, “What are my strengths?” Once identified, look for opportunities based on those attributes.

Overall, the case studies present a diverse range of work from the Polling Place Photo Project by Winterhouse Studio, to smaller collaborations like Freedom of the Press, a self-initiated newsprint publication, by Brian Ponto and Lindsay Ballant. Social design continues to broaden its scope by encompassing anything from community engaged projects to information design. But some of the projects are undecidedly socially conscious. For example, Ox-Bow school of art artists’ residency brochure or California College of Arts’ Architecture Lecture Series posters are not overtly ‘doing good’. As a reader, you can decide for yourself where to draw the line, or if there should even be a distinction. The title, Just Design, alludes to this, as Simmons states, “Whether for greater good or greater profit, it’s all just design.”

Just Design, Socially Conscious Design for Critical Causes is published by HOW Books. You can support the Designer’s Review of Books by ordering from Amazon (US|UK|DE). If you found this review helpful, you can support The Designer’s Review of Books by purchasing from our Amazon store.

About the reviewer

Christina Beard is a graphic designer, writer, and sailing enthusiast. She is currently exploring the role of digital media in wayfinding and defining strategies to create better experiences at Two Twelve. Follow me on twitter @christinabeard.

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How often do you read a design text that impacts your life dramatically? As someone relatively new to the field of Interaction Design, John Kolko’s Thoughts on Interaction Design, Second Edition has allowed me to understand so much about the way I think, and the approach I’ve taken towards designing over the years. It’s content has shed light on many thoughts and ideas I’ve contemplated at one point or another, regarding design and its role in many aspects of human life. Although I have only really been exposed in interaction design for three years – there’s no institution in Jamaica that formally teaches interaction design – Kolko’s book made me realize I have been thinking like one for longer.

Now in its second edition, Kolko’s best-selling title builds upon its engaging material aimed to educate designers, help designers educate business owners, and legitimize Interaction Design for businesses, through contemplation and contribution to the theory of Interaction Design. Instead of focusing on the nature of design as related to the creation of two-, three-, or four-dimensional forms; or the nature of design as related to user interface design on a screen, this text primarily explores the semantic connections that live between technology and form that are brought to life when someone uses a product. It re-frames these connections as interactions – interactions that, in aggregate, make up behaviour.

In Thoughts on Interaction Design, the primary aims of the author are to better explain what Interaction Design is, and why it is important; to provide Interaction Designers with the vocabulary that is necessary to intellectualize their work and communicate it to others; and finally, to highlight the potential for Interaction Design to exist outside of the confines of business and to assure fellow Interaction Designers that their work is instrumental in shaping and refining culture- and is as instrumental as other intellectually robust fields, like medicine, policy, or law.

As Kolko says:

“We need to possess a great intellectual capacity for complicated problem solving, for dynamic inquiry relating to technology, and for substantial empathy of the human experience. This intellectual insight is ideal for solving the different societal problems plaguing humanity and for humanizing technology, and the creation of pretty interfaces is perhaps the most blatant (and unfortunately prevalent) misuse of this critical resource.”

The reader should not expect to find descriptions of specific methods that may be immediately applicable to his or her work, or ways to code interactive simulations. Kolko argues that other texts have covered these topics well enough and has chosen to focus mainly on describing Interaction Design through consideration and reflection on the more theoretical and conceptual aspects of the discipline.

The book consists of 128 pages, separated into two main parts: “Process and Method,” and “Culture and Responsibility.” These sections are broken down into different topics, each topic being represented by a specific chapter, amounting to a total of seven chapters – but begins with an overview which seeks to explain the role of technology, define Interaction Design as a professional discipline, as well as to shed some light on its role in the shaping of  behaviour.

“Interaction Design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and a product, system, or service. This dialogue is both physical and emotional in nature and is manifested in the interplay between form, function, and technology as experienced over time.

A simpler way of thinking about Interaction Designers is that they are shapers of behaviour. Interaction Designers, whether practising as Usability Engineers, Visual Interface Designers, or Information Architects, all attempt to understand and alter the things people do, the way they feel, and the things they think.”

Chapter one, entitled “Thinking About People” positions Interaction Design as a creative process that focuses on people, and delineates the discrete steps that are usually taken when developing a cohesive Interaction Design. The process of design is explored through its different stages: Defining the design problem or opportunity; Discovering hidden wants, needs, and desires; Contextual Inquiry in the context of work; Focus groups and competitive analysis; Synthesis, creation and refinement; and Thoughtful reflection. In this chapter, Kolko also explains the role of intuition as well as the role of  Design in considering the whole.

Chapter two, entitled “Managing Complexity” focuses on methods that can be used by a designer to gain deeper understanding of the abstract and semantic connections between ideas. This chapter focuses on: Structuring data in order to make useful information; the definition of Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom; Designing with the fourth dimension (time) in mind; Affinity Diagrams, Concept Maps, Process Flow Diagrams, Ecosystem Diagrams as well as Journey Maps.

Chapter three, “Persuasion and Communication” explores issues relating to persuasion both within and outside of an organization; the role that designed artifacts play in identifying an underlying culture; as well as the ethics of persuasion.

Chapter four speaks to “Experience and Authenticity” while exploring the shift of viewing a product from an artifact to that of an experience; the challenges of experience, pragmatic challenges, owning the experience, authenticity, and temporal aesthetics in experiences.

Chapter five, entitled “Poetry, Spirit, and Soul” talks about honest interactions, investigating mindfulness, as well as attention to detail.

Chapter six, “Judgement and Shifting Negative Behaviour” explores topics such as: Usability and Influence, Discursive Design, What we choose to design, and Shifting negative behaviour through design.

Chapter seven, entitled “Wicked Problems” is the chapter that I found most intriguing, as here, Kolko explains that we as designers can successfully work on complicated, multifaceted problems related to social, political, or economic stability with the same set of tools used to solve more simplistic problems of form, style, or brand.

In this chapter, as well as all throughout the text, Kolko solidifies his arguments by referencing quotes and examples by thought leaders, practitioners and other authors, such as Richard Buchanan, who have been instrumental in advancing the discourse of wicked problems and design thinking. This, for example, is Richard Buchanan’s definition of wicked problems:

“Design problems are ‘indeterminate’ and ‘wicked’ because design has no special subject matter of its own apart from what a designer conceives it to be. The subject matter of design is potentially universal in scope, because design thinking may be applied to any area of human experience.”

Expanding on Buchanan, Kolko describes wicked problems as a form of large scale social or cultural problem that is difficult to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements. He cites the problems of poverty and education as wicked problems, and argues that these large scale problems can be mitigated through the process of design.

Other themes explored in this chapter include the related discipline of Service Design as well as Designing for Impact or Social Innovation.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the field Interaction Design, both for novices as well as seasoned practitioners. It contains many fascinating insights that will inspire any Interaction Designer, as well as better enable them to efficiently communicate and defend their role and importance. I will leave you with one such insight expressed by Jon Kolko himself:

“It is now time to extract design from the confines of business and allow it to grow on its own. Positioned as social entrepreneurship, social innovation, or the new design, designers are fundamental in structuring a world worth living in. Human behaviour is innately poetic; it is natural and thus resonates poetic in the same way as does a flower, or a bird, or a tree. It is through our own design of objects, services, and systems that we may have disturbed the poetry. A focus on technology or aesthetics alone creates a world of ideas that often seems discretely disconnected  from humanity. Through the combination of technology, aesthetics, and humanity, we will find a world of Interaction Design.

And Interaction Design, as the study of dialogue between people and things, will bring harmony to technological advancement.”

Thoughts on Interaction Design, Second Edition is published by Morgan Kaufmann and is available from Amazon (US|CA|UK|DE).

About the Reviewer
Roger Davis is a User Experience Designer from Kingston, Jamaica. He tweets at @layerphase

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This is going to be a short review because there have been so many reviews and commentaries about the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson (Amazon: US|UK|DE) that it seems there is almost nothing left to say. The question this review sets out to answer is, “why should designers read Steve Jobs’s biography?”

On a personal level, reading through the history of the development of Jobs’s main two successful companies, Apple and Pixar, was fascinating and at times moving, because I’ve worked on so many of the Macs mentioned. I first saw an Apple Lisa (or it may have been an XL) at an architect’s house and was fascinated, especially having whiled away my youth on a BBC Micro and a ZX Spectrum. At college I wrote my first essays on a Macintosh Classic, did my first exercise in Photoshop 2.0 on a Macintosh LC II, my first interactive work after HyperCard using Macromind Director 3.0 on those same LC II’s and, later, my first video and audio work on a Quadra 700. The first Mac I ever owned was a Quadra 650 – the machine that got me through my BA.

I’ve long been excited about the development of 3D animation from very early days and remember being enthralled by the possibilities in a 1984 book that I was given, Computergraphia, that captured some of those early computer graphics years. When I started seeing Pixar’s short films, I knew animation was going to change radically in the years to come. I also realized how crucial good storytelling was to the process – there were a lot of tragically computer science directed “films” (better called demos) floating around in those days.

So much for taking you on a trip down my technology memory lane. Should you care? I think, as designers, most readers will have had similar experiences and, at the very least, it is a nostalgia trip. In some ways reading it also honors Jobs and the things he created that made our current professions possible.

A few months ago I wrote a piece for Core77 that argued that, unlike the hard sciences, design has failed to develop a coherent voice in public discourse. When Steve Jobs died, I realized that he was pretty much it – the one person in widespread public discourse about design who made the case for its value. Whatever you or others may think about his personality, the “reality distortion field”, or Apple’s products in general, there is no debating that an awful lot of non-design people knew of his name, his views and his work. Some of that comes across in the biography, but none of this is really going to make you better and designing things, although it might make you a little more thoughtful as you consider the tips given to him by his father:

“When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”

The parts of the book that seem to have been less commented on, but that I found more usable in a practical way, were the stories about the interpersonal relationships that made or broke the critical deals that Jobs made. Some of them multi-million dollar ones, such as the deal between Pixar and Disney.

I suspect many designers have somewhat of an aversion to, if not a phobia of, the corporate world and the kind of Big Deal Making that sometimes goes on and that equally seems averse to designers and everything they stand for. While I am sure that Jobs’s approach was pretty unusual, most of the other parties to those deals were more classically corporate folk. For a designer, this book is worth reading just for an insight into how people build and lose companies and client relationships and for understanding how personalities play 90% of the role in working life.

Despite the prevalence of talk about design and Jobs’s deep love and understanding for it, some of the more interesting parts of the book are not about design at all.

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I don’t often plug products and services on The Designer’s Review of Books, but this one is too good to miss and from my publisher, the excellent Rosenfeld Media who publish “short, practical, and useful books and webinars on user experience design.”

From today until the end of Friday 16th December, Rosenfeld Media are offering a whopping 40% off all books and webinars if you use the discount code HUMBUG.

As an author at Rosenfeld, I get the perk of having a full complement of Rosenfeld Books, but I would happily buy all of them anyway. With the 40% off right now, I’d suggest going for the full library. That means you get the print + digital editions of all eight titles for $137 instead of $229 or a digital-only set for $71 instead of $119. Digital editions come in all formats and are completely DRM free.

(While you are there, check out Rosenfeld’s UX Zeitgeist to expand your library even more).

[Updated 9.12.2011 - The dates were wrong in the title and the article. Somebody fire the Editor!]

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Who can resist a book that provides a paper doll of Saul Bass?

Jam-packed, whirlwind, and charming are the three best words to describe A History of Graphic Design for Rainy Days from Gestalten Press. On a rainy afternoon “somewhere in some country” the reader is introduced to the two main characters, Gramps and Kiddo. The young bored Kiddo ventures into the office of his Gramps, who is working on a letterpress machine.

Kiddo asks the simple question, “What in the world is graphic design?”

To answer the question, Gramps takes the curious Kiddo on an illustrated journey through time to learn the history of graphic design. Designed by Studio 3, the book is an inviting graphic novel that is easy to pick up and immediately start reading. It is also very ambitious.

Beginning at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in 1776 and traveling through time to the Digital Revolution of the 1990s Gramps and Kiddo make an appearance on every spread as they jump from historical events like Art Nouveau, Polish Poster Designs, and Postmodernism. The reader will find Kiddo holding a conversation in the men’s bathroom with Jan Tschichold and later see him stumble into a bar as Aleksander Rodchenko throws one back with his Russian Constructivist buddies. There is also something delightful about watching Gramps grill a burger in an IBM apron as Paul Rand suns himself in a nearby lounge chair.

However, do not let the humor undercut the historical and intellectual merits of the book.

In Bauhaus, the information is spread through several pages using text-heavy talk bubbles and displaying diagrams like the Bauhaus course wheel and Johannes Itten’s Farbkreis color wheel. There are even small timelines that mark current events like when the BBC was founded or when the Great Depression began.

Building on their experience from Hyperactivity Typography from A to Z, Studio 3 infuses every inch of A History of Graphic Design for Rainy Days with informative texts about leaders of design, seminal works and important technologies.

Each spread uses two colors with famous design pieces reworked as one-color illustrations. Cartoons of important design figures like Paul Rand and Jessica Helfand pop up throughout the book. This graphic stylization allows for visual consistency while maintaining the iconic integrity of each piece and person.

The book introduces historical genres at every turn. Readers learn the conventions of Art Nouveau as Eugene Grasset sits and cheers his fellow designer outside a Paris Café,

“Merci, Cheret! Indeed, this movement is really focusing on organic forms and the female shapes and that is also where I find my inspiration. But what I find most delightful is that we no longer copy directly from nature nor from the past. We invent!”

Even the influence of graphic design in outer space is covered.

“Did you know that the first typeface to ever walk the moon was Futura? NASA used it on the commemorative plaque for Apollo 11 which they left on that big piece of rock in 1969.”

The book is peppered with activities and timelines for topics like the Bauhaus, Penguin Books and Punk Design. There are fill-in-the blank exercises, crossword puzzles and even a color-your-own Rietveld Red, Blue Chair in the Bauhaus section. While these activities are engaging and fun, they can be difficult to answer correctly if the reader is not familiar with graphic design history.

Coming to the book as a relative novice to the topic, I was stumped by a fill-in-the-blank asking for the names of the design duo that created Émigré magazine. (Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko) I flipped to the back of the book hoping to find an answer key. No luck. It was frustrating not to have answers to reference. A credit page states that the answers are posted online at graphicdesignforrainydays.com but unfortunately, at the time of publishing this review, there was no answer key on the book’s website.

However, I did find a nice surprise at the back of the book. Here, a series of paper pieces beg to be cut out. Readers can trim and display a First Things First Manifesto or construct a Macintosh computer circa 1990. Or, they may simply play with the paper dolls of Josef Müller-Brockmann and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

For those new to graphic design history, the book is an easy introduction to important people and ideas. Experienced history buffs will be entertained by the graphic translation of serious genres, and even get to test their knowledge on the various quizzes and interactive elements. The strength and charm of the book lies in its illustration style and humorous narrative of the history of graphic design.

And also, that paper doll of Saul Bass.

Publisher Information
Graphic Design History for Rainy Days is set to release in the US, November 2011 through Gestaltan Press. You can support the Designer’s Review of Books by ordering from Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE )

About the Reviewer
Ann Liu Alcasabas is graphic designer, educator and devout coffee drinker. She is currently freelancing and teaching graphic design in Baltimore at the Maryland Institute College of Art. You can follow her @annmaryliu, and find her work online at annmaryliu.com.

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“I often get questions like this from students, and whenever I do, I get the sense that they are fishing for a recipe to become a successful designer.”  Steff Geissbuhler

Critically prefaced via email correspondence by designer Steff Geissbuhler, How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer by Debbie Millman, claims not to provide a recipe on how to think like the extraordinary designers interviewed in this book but rather proves to be

“a glimpse into the minds of these revered masters, in order to understand the way they think and why.”

Containing an interview line-up that is no doubt a who’s who list of contemporary graphic design, How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer contains an abundant supply of bravery, audacity, candor, humor, and yes, even inspiration from notables like: Michael Bierut, Neville Brody, Seymor Chwast, Chip Kidd, Milton Glaser, Jessica Hefland, Paula Scher, James Victore, and Massimo Vignelli.

At the beginning of all twenty interviews, Millman provides readers with a brief introduction to each designer’s work (although regrettably there are no visuals for reference), their place in the canon, and a glimpse of their personality, making the book accessible to budding graphic design students, the mid-career designer, and seasoned veterans alike.

In each interview, Millman strikingly inquires about topics one would hope to ask given the opportunity to be in the same room as these design idols. Quintessential questions presented to creatives act as ice-breakers: What was your first creative memory? What did you want to be when you grew up? Do you have any particular creative process? As these mundane questions dissipate, readers are left with what feels like an intimate one on one conversation. By the end of each interview readers learn not only about the interviewees’ passions, concerns, and thoughts on design but also about their personal infatuations, obsessions, oddities, and manifestos.

[I wanted to be] “ A Catholic Priest.” Stefan Sagmeister

“What actually drove me to the therapist was that I had a very unhealthy obsession with laundry.” Michael Bierut

“I have very few “interests.” I have not been to the movies in 12 years. I listen to music at home, but I don’t go to concerts.” Milton Glaser

“Oh my God, how much time do you have? I live in almost constant terror. Here’s a tiny portion of the list: cancer, vaginas, giant cockroaches, Kathy Lee Gifford’s latest Christmas album, burning to death, tornados, gristle, children, choking on a small toy, root rot, Deborah Sussman’s eyelash extensions, Republicans, and Sucralose. And the idea that Pat Robertson is not dead yet.” Chip Kidd

“Love is a cake that comes in layers.” Massimo Vignelli

After just a few interviews a reader can easily find parallels between themselves and these notables, realizing that although they may hold an enduring seat in the canon, they are at the very least humans too – who feel love, pain, passion, and frustration. Millman creates a strong internal dialogue for her audience by questioning a designer’s social responsibility, the difference between design and art, and the dilemma of personal expression vs. commercial endeavor in the industry. One begins to connect their own personal design manifestos with the beliefs of these “great ones” sending an appreciable sense of encouragement, empowerment, and inspiration to every reader.

In addition to constructing strong cognitive connections with viewers the book makes tactile bonds as well. The sleek cover reflects a battered and empty pin board as if all of the ideas, quotes, reflections, and inspiration have been removed and placed neatly between the covers. A perfect size for transport the book is an effortless addition to any designer’s library, providing a jolt of influence with each turn of the page.

A strong balance of logic and lyricism, How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer is the perfect read after a most horrid client meeting, while battling a formidable creative dilemma, or following an exhausting day of design. In a filling 224 pages, Millman and her eminent cast provide readers with a robust reminder of how and why we fell in love with this arduous yet delectable profession.

How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer is published by Allworth Press and can be purchased from Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE).

About the Reviewer
Jenny Venn is a designer and professor who packed up everything and headed west determined to change the world through education and activism. Find her work at studiojenvenn, her thoughts at @jenvenn, and her calling at uwyo.

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Do you wonder what’s next? Your next job, the next big opportunity for your business, the next technological development that could change everything for you? Our economy is changing so rapidly, it’s unlikely any of us can count on long-term stability in our work. Developing and preparing for the next step is crucial.

Creative Personal Branding, based on author Jürgen Salenbacher’s workshops and lectures, applies the principles of branding to the individual. Companies and people are not as different as you might think. He describes brands as much more than a product’s physical characteristics: they must have an intangible quality, similar to a personality, and they must have the intelligence to guide a consumer’s decision-making process. Businesses must change and adapt to remain successful, so it makes sense that people should follow suit. He urges us to see change as an opportunity, not as a threat.

In the past twenty years, the development of the internet has greatly altered the way we work, consume, and communicate. As a result, competition is much more global. To keep up and thrive, Salenbacher encourages us to keep changing and progressing. As Charles Darwin said:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Six steps, each titled with a direct call to action (“Reframe! Create! Differentiate!”),  lead readers to a deeper understanding of themselves, their strengths, and the world around them. He instructs us to reflect and identify our worth. Our self-image often differs from how others see us, especially when it comes to our strengths and talents. Personality is key. We all have something unique to offer, and we should capitalize on that, rather than try to be like everyone else. Also, preparation is significant, and he writes that we should have a plan A and a plan B. Many of his points are common sense, but we probably all need to read this one once in a while:

“It is not a plan to increase your working hours. It is not sustainable to start working sixteen hours a day. It is not healthy, physically or mentally. You will not increase your performance. Time is against you: the curve will go down, faster and lower than you ever thought possible.”

Assignments throughout keep it engaging. These range from reflecting on changes in your industry, to writing a mission statement, to developing your own logo. As a graphic designer, I like that he sees the logo assignment as a beginning step, and suggests that a professional designer then be hired.

Barcelona-based Salenbacher has an MBA and has worked in branding, design and marketing throughout Europe for companies like Levi’s, Mattell, and Louis Vuitton, as well as for personalities like Muhammad Ali. He lectures, coaches, and runs workshops.

The book’s strong, clear design will appeal to those in creative fields. The typography is clean and considered. Chapter openers are accompanied by striking, abstract drawings. Bold, full-page pull quotes appear throughout the book, emphasizing key points and making the book easy to skim.

The writing is clear and accessible. Business books can often make my eyes glaze over, but Salenbacher puts everything in terms that those working in creative fields can grasp. There are too many exclamation points for my taste (“Grow!”). And, a pet peeve of mine appears frequently: the word “orientate.” From what I understand, though, this is more accepted in British English (so, I guess the “real” English) than it is in the U.S. version, so maybe I just need to get over that. I tend to be a little skeptical when it comes to business or self-help books. But, I teach a portfolio class to design students, and I see how people can struggle to find their way. Much of what Salenbacher writes is what I try to teach my students. With the big changes in the way we work now, we must regularly evaluate where we are, where we’d like to be, and the steps we need to take to get there. This book is a practical tool that can help to position us for new opportunities.

Creative Personal Branding is published by CPB-lab and you can purchase it from Amazon (US).

About the Reviewer

John Clifford is Creative Director at Think Studio, an award-winning graphic design firm in NYC focusing on brand identity, web sites, collateral, packaging, and books.

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