Just thought this was a great video on the old trial and error approach to product development. Not to mention the speaker is pretty funny.

Maria and I made this for a friends birthday, but figured an organization this awesome should shared.

Store Link

I certainly don’t agree with message, but the presentation is nice.

I picked up Crush It! on a recommendation from my friend Jonny Arkin and the fact that I had followed the exploits of the author Gary Vay-ner-chuk over the last couple of years. Gary’s back story is that he took his father’s business, “Shopper’s Discount Liquors”, from a $4,000,000 a year business to $20,000,000 through his vidcast WineLibraryTV and his extensive use of social media.
Gary is an energetic and passionate guy, and this book essentially lays out his plan for how you can cash in on your passions. Very few people in the workforce have a job that is in line with their true interests (the ones you are excited to go home and work on). These are your passions and the niche that Gary says you can turn into money and happiness.
If that sounds pretty cheesy, it is. I also happen to believe he has the correct approach in need to build a personal brand. With the current financial instability the only thing you can count on is yourself. Building a personal brand creates value in yourself and gives you and identity independent of your employer. Being known in social circles as a php guru will be immensely helpful should you get laid off or the company folds.
The book is good on motivation and theory, but the actual “how to” chapter is little thin. The author makes a valid point (several times) that there is no 1, 2, 3 guide for building your personal brand and that everyone will be different. He points out some popular tools to utilize in your brand building and a couple pointers about each.
For a relatively quick read it gave me a lot to think about and apply to what I am currently doing as a designer and entrepreneur.
I would also add the Tim Ferris’s 4-Hour Work Week has a section that outlines the benefits of being perceived as an expert and a how-to guide on to gain expert status in 1 month.

I though it was about time I get to some professional education reading and decided to finish a book I had started last year but could never quite complete (yes it still counts towards the total). As a designer communication is probably the most important skill you can have. I have always been a fan of how good information design can make complex subjects accessible to all. So I figured a book called The Information Design Handbook would be able to add some new insight to me.

The book itself is structured is written in more of a text book style format, where the topics are clearly laid out and there isn’t much narrative form section to another. I think this was part of the reason I could never get too involved in the book and would set it down frequently.

However it is filled with a lot of good information and because of it’s instructional style structure it works quite well as a reference book. You can pick it up  and read any section without having to reference those that preceded it. Each section is quick to read but rather in depth in information.

In the end it was good for me to brush up on some aspects of information design, but it seemed like most of it was a rehash of things I had learned before, whether through Design school or independent reading. It would be a great primer for any new designer (graphic, industrial, or interaction) and not a bad reference book for your office book shelf.

While looking for something to wear on yet another Kansas game day I realized I didn’t have an 2008 Orange Bowl shirt. I mean I did, but never wore it because the design was so typical of commemorative t-shirts. They include every piece of information about the event and use a lot of swoops and gradients to make the design overly busy.

So I figured there is no time like the present to fix this. I set to create commemorative shirt that is simple and something I would want to wear on a regular basis. This is what I came up with.

I plan on get it printed at a one off print shop this week. Will update with pic when I get it.

I had to recreate the Orange Bowl logo in vector so If anyone needs it here you go: Vector Orange Bowl logo | EPS

Book: Ender’s Game

Fiction

First things first. About 80% of the books I read are non-fiction. I rarely pick up a “Story” unless recommended to me. I figured since I am trying to read 24 books this year it would be good to switch up my professional development reading with some fiction.

This was a suggestion from one of my industrial design colleague’s who is working on a new social validation platform. He had been reading this book and said it really inspired him on his current project, so I figured it was worth a look.

I ended up reading this over the course of a week often staying up until 2 am thinking “I’ll just read a couple more pages”. TEh story is about a futuristic Earth that had survived an invasion and are preparing a counter strike twenty years in the making. TEh hopes of humanity rely on Ender a gifted chid born into a family of  gifted children.

The book follows Ender through his years of training in the academy to become the most brilliant strategic mind the school has ever seen. Interestingly enough he is successful not only because of wit, but also his ability to empathize with people to see a situation for what it really is. The most interesting sections were the ones that took you through Ender’s thought process and to an ultimate decision.

One of the more amazing aspects of the book was the authors foresight into technology advancement. This book was written in 1994 but fluidly mentioned laptop like technology that operated on a global networked system (internet). Where people were judged by their interactions in social forums. It was so natural and true to the time that we actually live in, I didn’t think about the time disparity until about halfway through the book.

Overall it was a great read to get a fast start on my reading goal. Now onto some professional paradigm shifting.

Next Up: The Dip by  Seth Godin

The Dip

As part my continuing 2010 goal of reading 24 books this year I picked up Seth Godin’s The Dip. I actually bought it about a year ago with a bunch of other impulse book purchases and just never got around to reading it. But since I had slacked since burning through Ender’s Game I needed a quick read (80 pages) to stay on par at two books a month.

I was able to read this over the course of two plane rides with a layover wedged between. I tend to like short books like this that have one message to deliver and do it quickly. Brevity can also mean that topic doesn’t merit much text and thus is somewhat disposable.

The Dip was more of the former though it did have some of the latter. Godin’s basic pitch is that contrary to popular belief, it is in fact a good idea to quit. We have been taught our whole life that “quitters never win and winners never quit”. Well it turns out winners do quit, they just chose to quit unprofitable projects before they become costly.

I’m on board with this idea and see the value in being able to recognize when to cut your losses and when to power through the turbulence. The problem is that Seth says that you have to recognize which projects are worth the effort and which ones aren’t before you even start them.

A lot can be gained from research and exploration before starting a project, but as a designer I feel the best way to get a feel for something is to start prototyping right away. That way you can make your failures early and learn form them. After sketching, developing, and testing rough prototypes you very quickly get a good understanding of whether a project is worth the time.

The other main theme is “being the best in the world” which is a pretty good motivational speech about how you should find a niche and excel in it. I like to read these “you can do it”  types of of speeches from time to time as they do work, for short stints. Sometimes you can really grab onto a mantra like this and ride it all the way through a project.

Overall I would say it was worth the read just to get some new points of view and maybe a couple pointers you can actually implement. Plus it’s short, so you can read in a day and just keep the ideas that stick.

As part of my master plan for 2010 I made a challenge to myself to read 24 books this year. I figure two books a month isn’t incredibly taxing yet high enough to ensure I can’t slack for days at a time. So why am I telling you? Well, they say if you want to make a change in your life you have to set goals and then tell other people so they will hold you accountable.

Well, it’s been declared. Time to start reading. I will be posting my progress as I finish each book.

Super talented designer ______ made these Ari Force One fold ups .Link to article