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I am afraid I’ll have to be a bit harsh with this one. The topics have a lot of potential, there are useful tips here and there, and the design is pretty, although the orange periods at the end of each section threw me off. I read 3/4 of the book, thinking there were no periods and therefore believing the book lacked attention to detail. Near the end, I noticed there were periods, but in a very neon orange that is extremely hard to see in such a small element. I am a Graphic and UX designer, so for me, that was a bad visual decision. Getting back to the content itself, I put some Post-its in several pages, but what I found tedious while reading it is that in almost every other sentence, there is a metaphor. I get the point, but that made the reading experience not fluid for me, and I perceived the writing as lacking depth.

It is a reassuring book, but as someone more realistic, I found it a bit too corny.

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As the title says, it is literally a manual to build your startup. From frameworks, tools for decision-making, user discovery, iteration, and scalability, it is quite a good resource. As suggested in the first page, this book is not meant to be read in one go; it is not a novel, it is a companion you reach back to consult. Among other resources, this book has become my Bible when teaching the undergrad course “Design of new services and products”.

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The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company

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The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company: Blank, Steve, Dorf, Bob: 9780984999309: Books - Amazon.ca

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Not exactly about design, BUT still (indirectly) a lot about experience design. Throughout Francesca’s character, we learn how every detail, every touchpoint, shapes how an experience will be. From the scent in each room of the brand new hotel she has created, to the way the members of staff talk, to the uniforms they wear. Every aspect is deliberately thought of and shaped with a purpose. And if you have read this book, don’t come at me. I know Frankie is cray cray.

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Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin... It…

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Practical, straightforward, and helpful.

A book on advertising tactics, narratives, and relevant references that exposes the content in an entertaining but informative way.

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If you are a woman, it is worse than you think. If you are a man, it is worse than you think.

This eye-opening book exposes the sooo many things that must be improved. From public toilets to misleading medical diagnoses, it is a reminder that design has to be inclusive and approached with a gender perspective.

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Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

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Read 15.8k reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Data is fundamental to the modern world. From economic development, to healthcare, to ed...

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I’ve always been a fan of Monocle. I got this book while visiting its café at Marylebone just because I wanted to get something there. To my surprise, some of the essays are really good. Others… not so much. Overall, quick reads, good content, and interesting ideas to think about. My fave essay is a letter to 2040 that forecasts a dyed-blonde American president governing form jail. Mysteriously accurate I might say...

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The Monocle Companion, featuring fifty essays for a brighter future, offers a diverse range of topics that cater to a broad spectrum of interests. While some essays shine with captivating narratives and dense information, others may not resonate as strongly. The book serves as a rich source of "food for thought," providing glimpses into various subjects. However, it concludes somewhat abruptly, lacking an epilogue to tie together the array of ideas presented. I recommend this collection to those with a broad curiosity, seeking a medley of insights and inspiration across different themes.

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The Monocle Companion: Fifty essays for a brighter futu...

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Read 2 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The Monocle Companion: Fifty Essays for a Brighter Future is brimming with canny, clever and...

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This essay questions the role of a gallery as a neutral space. Talks about its evolution along how art itself has changed overtime and how us, as spectators, have taken a different role when consuming art. A good read for anyone who’s interested in galleries and contemporary art. It was a bit confusing to me, though.

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Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Spac...

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Read 21 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. When these essays first appeared in Artforum in 1976, their impact was immediate. They were...

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An essay on human intellectual evolution starting with the Great Pirates and ending with automation. I didn’t enjoy it so much, but it’s just my ignorance speaking (a lot of things just went over my head). Nonetheless, the things that I did understand are clever and I agree with most of them. I have to re-read it.

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Read 160 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. In this essay on man Mr. Fuller expresses what may well be his penultimate view of the hum...

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This book is a deserved slap to the face for those who sometimes don’t question design enough (myself included).

Fun, clever, and a bit harsh, especially if you’re a white male. From how non-paid internships reinforce segregation and homogeneity, to ableism, racism, and how design can sometimes be everything but inclusive. A must-read (not only for designers). Eye-opening.

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Extra Bold: A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-racist, Nonbina...

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Read 34 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Extra Bold is the inclusive, practical, and informative (design) career guide for everyone!...

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From Silicon Valley to crashing planes in WW2, about power horses and lawnmowers, this book mindfucks everything you think you know about technology and innovation in a very exciting and binge-reading way.

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User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Chang...

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Read 276 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. An alternate cover edition can be found here. In User Friendly, Cliff Kuang and Robert Fa...

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This is a very pretty book. Great design, amazing visuals, and beautiful details. Great source of inspiration & is amazing to see all of these women thriving BUT the structure of the interviews is a bit repetitive. I recommend to read up to 3 cases on a row, otherwise the reading becomes tiring.

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I enjoyed this book a TON. It was a great mix of interview and visuals, and per the Victionary books I've read in the past, the design is fantastic. My only wish for this book would have been to see more unique, tailored questions, versus many of the repeat ones. But overall this book is great and I'm excited to continue referencing it, and follow the new designers I found through it!

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DESIGN{H}ERS: A Celebration of Women in Design Today

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Read reviews from the world's largest community for readers. With the amount of progress humankind has made in attitudes and achievements to-date, the time...

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Must read even if you’re not a graphic designer. Great insights, tons of tips on how to present yourself as a designer and your work. Perfect book for any designer who just got out of school. The reading is a bit dense though, took me more than expected to finish it.

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How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul

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Read 122 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Published to instant acclaim in 2005, our best selling How to Be a Graphic Designer withou...

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Not a design book but it has become one of my favorites.

Erin Morgenstern’s writing is clever & she literally takes you back and forth in time through her pages. The story is beautiful AND she indirectly teaches about importance of stimulating the senses while desinging spaces.

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This book had so much potential.

The world that Morgenstern created is so exquisite that it should have been easy for her to spin a good story. The Night Circus could have been a story of intrigue and manipulation. It could have been a heartfelt romance. If Moregenstern wanted to, The Night Circus could even have been a coming of age story with a thoughtful message about growing up and the choices we make.

Instead, the final product is a badly written soap opera. The main characters, Marco and Celia, were very hard to like. They were supposed to be adults, but I personally felt as if they had the emotional maturity of pre-teens. For example, after one of Celia's friends dies, she goes to Marco for comfort. While crying in his chest, Celia says that this character had often written letters to her. This is what Marco says: "I would have written to you as well if I could. A sea of ink is not sufficient to describe my feelings for you." This then turns into an entire conversation where they sap about how much they love each other. Mind you, the friend had been dead for less than a few hours. That's alright though, his death was clearly not as important as their love.

Speaking of their love, it was melodramatic and unrealistic. Marco is enchanted with how beautiful Celia is. Celia plays hard to get, but after one evening in which they have a stale, uninteresting conversation, they are suddenly madly in love. In one scene, Marco held Celia's hand, and the mere touch of his skin on hers had her gasping for breath. Honestly? In another, he grabs her and kisses her in front of a ballroom, and the chandeliers tremble. Every interaction basically involves them either being used a plot vehicles to explain things to the reader, or was an excuse for them to state their love. Over and over and over again. Each time in a more melodramatic way than the last. Never mind that nothing happens for them that actually would cause them to fall in love. Finally, just to drive my point home, here is an actual line from Marco: "I would rather die by her side than live without her!"

Ug.

Even when their interactions could have been meaningful, one or the other finds a way to devalue the entire scene. At one point in the book, Celia is complaining about the emotional toll that this competition is having on her. Marco offers to go to his mentor and have Celia declared a winner. Hey! Problem solved! (Well, not really, but neither of the characters know that yet)What does Celia do when she is given an answer to every one of her problems? She decides that it is much too tiring to talk about. So instead making an honest effort to figure out their problems together, she enchants him so that he can't speak, complains more about the emotional toll that this competition is having on her, and then has emotional sex with him.

It was such a pity that Morgenstern chose such god awful characters to be the focus of the book. She had so many characters at her disposal who were much more likable and three dimensional. I would have loved the book if it had been about Chandresh and his pride, and how Marco and A.H manipulated that to their ends. Or if it had focused on Prospero and Mr. A.H as they dueled with their ideologies. Though the Burgess sisters were minor characters, their slow realization that something wasn't right with the circus could have made for an interesting main plot. Even if the story was about Bailey, it could have been sweet and adorable. Out of all the potential characters and stories she had, Morgenstern chose the worst, and magnified them up to 1000.

Besides the characters, this reader also had problems with the plot, namely that fact it was vague and riddled with loopholes. The reader is never quite shown how the magic in the book works, or even how the competition itself works. Without this understanding, it was hard to know why Celia and Marco did what they did, because there were a million other things that they could have done that would have made more sense. Lucy's review provides one glaring example. In addition, the plot itself moves dreadfully slow. It takes 16 years for something to actually happen, and Morgenstern tries to distract the reader from that by filling the pages with pretty imagery and tone.

In short, what could have been a fantastic story was ruined by lazy plotting and dreadful characters. Morgenstern should consider a career in art directing-she can create beautiful images and obviously has a vivid imagination, but she cannot create any substance behind her images.

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Read 106k reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when...

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Easy to read, great images but a little bit too “motivational”.

In my opinion, the content could have been more profound. Maybe I’m being too harsh.

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Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Lif...

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Read 149 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. "James Victore is a dangerous man. His ideas on optimizing your creativity, doing wow work...

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Great book if you’re a newbie in the (professional) creative field.

Apart of having a beautiful editorial design, this book has very interesting case studies and sometimes quite scary advices that will push you to work and think in an unusual way.

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Don't Get a Job... Make a Job: How to Make it as a Creati...

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Read 30 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Too often a design or architecture degree is seen as a means to an end (a job in an establi...