Immaterial

Simplicity: The New Competitive Advantage in a World of More, Better, Faster by Bill Jensen

I work at a large corporation and have managed teams in the past. This book inspired me to think differently about organizations and how to design them. Here's a thought: think about how your company, team, or department uses your time. What would you change, so that your company uses your time more effectively?

Jensen writes, "Simpler companies start at the front lines, where employees and customers meet, then work backwards into business needs. . . . This changes how we design work. Simpler companies are 'user-centered.' They adapt to the needs of day-to-day decision makers. This shift may push some leaders out of their comfort zone. . . . Project design is really about organizing choices . . . . It's asking better questions."

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Story by Robert McKee

My job includes creating meaning, and to produce artifacts that inspire and provoke people to look at part of their world a little differently. Stories play a big role in that meaning-making process. McKee's book is a wonderful and rich source for understanding the principles and forms behind compelling and meaningful stories. With some imagination, I have found these principles and forms to have many applications in my life.

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Dot Dot Dot

I cannot adequately describe this great periodical that constantly surprises and inspires me with each new issue. So I'm going to quote directly from the source: "Since its conception in 2000 DDD has immatured into a jocuserious fanzine-journal-orphanage based on true stories deeply concerned with art-design-music-language-literature-architecture and uptight optipessimistic stoppy/revelatory ghostwriting by friendly spirits mapping b-sides and out-takes pushing for a resolution in bleak midwinter through late summer with local and general aesthetics wound on an ever tightening coil."

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What is a designer by Norman Potter

The discipline and role of design continues to expand. There are graphic designers, visual designers, sound designers, game designers, interaction designers, experience designers, product designers, motion designers, lifestyle designers; there are design strategists, design directors, design engineers, design managers, etc. 

Writing about design education, Anne Burdick wrote, "This sets up an almost impossible demand: In addition to being skillful manipulators of 2-, 3- and 4-dimensions, designers also need to be writers, filmmakers, engineers, MBAs, social theorists, cognitive scientists and so on. What is a 2-year Master’s Program to do?"

At times like this, I find myself going back to first principles. Hence, I've been reading Norman Potter's What is a designer. Originally published in 1969, this book is currently in its fourth edition. In my mind, this qualifies this slim volume as (what Tufte would call) a "forever book."

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ABC3D by Marion Bataille

I bought this last week. I love books that one can appreciate as artful objects (and if you know of any other such books, please, let me know!). This is a wonderful pop-up book with a Modernist twist. And you can't beat the price!

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Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Here's another book by Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced "chick-SENT-me-high") that I really like. Both from a personal development and from an experience design perspective, this book gave me some great ideas on how to make activities more engaging and more satisfying. A great companion to this succinct volume is another book by Csikszentmihalyi, entitled Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Get that book, if you want to understand his principles, in more detail.

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Unstuck by Keith Yamashita & Sandra Spataro

Ever feel like your company, your business organization, or your product team is simply stuck? There's no sense of momentum. No clear vision. You don't know what to do next. People lack motivation. This book may be something you'll want to add to your organizational toolbox. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm a big fan of Stone Yamashita Partners. So when I saw that Keith Yamashita co-wrote this book, I had to pick up a copy. The authors advocate a balanced system approach, where Purpose is at the center of it. Surrounding and supporting this center are components, such as Strategy, Culture, People + Interaction, etc. When this system is out of balance, you're likely stuck. I found the book to be quite helpful. And it's a quick and enjoyable read. I'm a strong believer that your organizational culture has a great impact on the kind of products or services that you produce. I believe culture was one of the reasons why W. Edwards Deming was able to implement his management theories in Japan and not in the U.S., and why the Japanese were able to produce more successful automobiles. Look at any civilization's artifacts, and you'll get a sense of its culture.

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Alinea by Grant Achatz

I've never been to Alinea, but I've read plenty about it, and I find the restaurant and its cuisine fascinating. Achatz's inflection point came after spending time with Ferran Adrià at elBulli, and being exposed to the world of molecular gastronomy and its creative possibilities. The book provides an overview of the restaurant experience, Achatz's creative process and philosophy for new dishes, numerous recipes, and other juicy tidbits. The book also has an accompanying web site, which Achatz and staff plan to update with demonstration videos, bonus recipes, interactive recipe annotations, a user forum, and other experiments. The serviceware (by Crucial Detail) is beautiful, as well. One day, I hope to experience Alinea.

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Kid's Wear

Photographer Bruce Weber has called Kid's Wear "the most beautiful magazine in the world." It comes out twice a year, and is full of beautiful photography and insightful essays and stories. Within the realm of children's wear magazines, Kid's Wear is truly exceptional.

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VAS: An Opera in Flatland by Steve Tomasula (Art and Design by Stephen Farrell)

This novel - if you can call it a novel - blew my mind and my senses, when I read it. I struggle even to describe the experience. Every aspect of the work is impressive, from regarding it as a physical artifact (of art and design), to its contents, which sweeps across and weaves together so many different subjects and literary art forms. It's truly a singular piece of work. I was fortunate enough to acquire the original (and beautiful) hardcover edition, when it was first published. I believe those editions are now difficult to find. However, the paperback edition is still available. I also had the opportunity to correspond briefly with Mr. Tomasula via e-mail, and found him to be a very generous person. My only regret is that I didn't purchase a second hardcover copy when I had the opportunity. Below, a couple of pages from this wonderful book.

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