Read to design better
My bookshelf on design and creativity. I figured out you might get some ideas for your next reading experience.
PS: The majority of the book covers you see below are just little artworks I did myself some time ago. They're not the original covers of these books.
Steal like an artist
10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. You don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself.
Creativity, Inc
From Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar, comes an incisive book about creativity in business. He reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired—and so profitable.
It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be
This uplifting and humorous little book provides a unique insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom – all packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads.
Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite
Filled with fun anecdotes, quirky photos, and off-the-wall business advice, the provocative sequel to "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How good You Want to Be" reveals the surprising power of bad decisions.
Creative Confidence
Principles and strategies that will allow us to tap into our creative potential in our work lives, and in our personal lives, and allow us to innovate in terms of how we approach and solve problems.
Contagious
If you are interested why people talk about certain things more than about others this book can explain it perfectly.
How to get ideas
A fun, accessible, and practical guide that takes the mystery and confusion out of developing new ideas.
Designing for Emotion
If you are interested why people talk about certain things more than about others this book can explain it perfectly.
Getting Real
From Basecamp creator, a good book which highlights the traditional rubbish and points out how to overcome them based on their experience when it comes to build a web application.
Rework
With its straightforward language and easy-is-better approach, Rework is the perfect playbook for anyone who’s ever dreamed of doing it on their own.
Hooked
A four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behavior
Manage Your Day-to-Day
Do you work at a breakneck pace all day, only to find that you haven't accomplished the most important things on your agenda by the time you leave the office?
The Good Creative
18 ways to make better art. It’s a concise, invigorating manifesto for creative pursuits of every kind.
The Power of Habit
The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive and achieving success is understanding how habits work.
Tools of Titans
This book contains the distilled tools, tactics, and ‘inside baseball’ you won’t find anywhere else. It also includes new tips from past guests, and life lessons from new ‘guests’ you haven’t met.
Simple and Usable Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design
In a complex world, products that are easy to use win favour with consumers. It shows how to drill down and simplify user experiences when designing digital tools and applications.
Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind
Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human, such as our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future.
Quiet, the Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking. Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.
Mastery
It demonstrates that the ultimate form of power is mastery itself. We will learn how to unlock the passion within and become masters.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
One of the best book related to the key relationships of humans. Full of insight and useful tips to be successful in interactions with others.
The Alchemist
Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
Shoe Dog
It’s a deep focus on the beginning years of Nike especially around the first decade. And it’s an incredible story.
The 4-Hour Workweek
Whether you are an overworked employee or an entrepreneur trapped in your own business, this book is the compass for a new and revolutionary world.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
An anexamination of how we live, a meditation on how to live better set around the narration of a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest, undertaken by a father & his young son.
So Good They Can't Ignore You
The key to one's career success is to find out what you do well, where you have built up your 'career capital' and then to put all of your efforts into that direction.
The Laws of Simplicity
This short (100 page) book gives 10 laws and 3 key properties for designing simple systems. Maeda provides a hand summary of the laws and key principles.
Sass for Web Designers
A really good short book that has a great introduction to SASS and its powers. Beginners (designers?) will love it!
Delivering Happiness
From Zappos CEO, it's about the path that they took at Zappos to get to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales in less than ten years.