I only wish I came across Creative Strategy and the Business of Design and Douglas Davis’s important work sooner. His point of view and what CSBD teaches not only educates, but elevates our design community. I’d first come across Douglas Davis on The Futur podcast, and knew right away I had to pick up this book--I was not disappointed. Since then, I’ve not only been able to transform my perspective of design, but also my approach to creativity and design as well. By coincidence, I’d recently been able to connect with Douglas through his work with AIGA, and I am now growing my side hustle in design to include branding and brand strategy.
Having worked as an in-house graphic designer over two years, I heard these four words all too many times: “Just Make It Pretty”. Although I knew my team and I had the same goals for our clients and our company--the concepts, language and jargon of business always intimidated me. To boot, there was always a lack of understanding on both sides of our team. Yet over time, I’d always wonder why I was not part of any strategy meetings, or only get pulled in at the end of them--to take orders and push pixels.
CBSD is an essential resource for creatives, creative entrepreneurs, and creative teams, teaching you the language, framework, and tools you’ll need for your business as well as devising and implementing successful strategies and strategic thinking. Davis’s work is thorough and in-depth, yet his approach and writing style is down-to-earth. This book is packed with insights, references, resources, examples, personal anecdotes--including gems from Davis’s mentors, peers, and students. Or you can train in slaying your creative career dragons by taking on and tackling the number of exercises and projects to reinforce the powerful framework of creative strategy.
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Go beyond “Just Make it Pretty” and Slay your Dragons
I only wish I came across Creative Strategy and the Business of Design and Douglas Davis’s important work sooner. His point of view and what CSBD teaches not only educates, but elevates our design community. I’d first come across Douglas Davis on The Futur podcast, and knew right away I had to pick up this book--I was not disappointed. Since then, I’ve not only been able to transform my perspective of design, but also my approach to creativity and design as well. By coincidence, I’d recently been able to connect with Douglas through his work with AIGA, and I am now growing my side hustle in design to include branding and brand strategy.Having worked as an in-house graphic designer over two years, I heard these four words all too many times: “Just Make It Pretty”. Although I knew my team and I had the same goals for our clients and our company--the concepts, language and jargon of business always intimidated me. To boot, there was always a lack of understanding on both sides of our team. Yet over time, I’d always wonder why I was not part of any strategy meetings, or only get pulled in at the end of them--to take orders and push pixels.CBSD is an essential resource for creatives, creative entrepreneurs, and creative teams, teaching you the language, framework, and tools you’ll need for your business as well as devising and implementing successful strategies and strategic thinking. Davis’s work is thorough and in-depth, yet his approach and writing style is down-to-earth. This book is packed with insights, references, resources, examples, personal anecdotes--including gems from Davis’s mentors, peers, and students. Or you can train in slaying your creative career dragons by taking on and tackling the number of exercises and projects to reinforce the powerful framework of creative strategy.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019
Having worked as an in-house graphic designer over two years, I heard these four words all too many times: “Just Make It Pretty”. Although I knew my team and I had the same goals for our clients and our company--the concepts, language and jargon of business always intimidated me. To boot, there was always a lack of understanding on both sides of our team. Yet over time, I’d always wonder why I was not part of any strategy meetings, or only get pulled in at the end of them--to take orders and push pixels.
CBSD is an essential resource for creatives, creative entrepreneurs, and creative teams, teaching you the language, framework, and tools you’ll need for your business as well as devising and implementing successful strategies and strategic thinking. Davis’s work is thorough and in-depth, yet his approach and writing style is down-to-earth. This book is packed with insights, references, resources, examples, personal anecdotes--including gems from Davis’s mentors, peers, and students. Or you can train in slaying your creative career dragons by taking on and tackling the number of exercises and projects to reinforce the powerful framework of creative strategy.
Go beyond “Just Make it Pretty” and Slay your Dragons
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019
I only wish I came across Creative Strategy and the Business of Design and Douglas Davis’s important work sooner. His point of view and what CSBD teaches not only educates, but elevates our design community. I’d first come across Douglas Davis on The Futur podcast, and knew right away I had to pick up this book--I was not disappointed. Since then, I’ve not only been able to transform my perspective of design, but also my approach to creativity and design as well. By coincidence, I’d recently been able to connect with Douglas through his work with AIGA, and I am now growing my side hustle in design to include branding and brand strategy.Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019
Having worked as an in-house graphic designer over two years, I heard these four words all too many times: “Just Make It Pretty”. Although I knew my team and I had the same goals for our clients and our company--the concepts, language and jargon of business always intimidated me. To boot, there was always a lack of understanding on both sides of our team. Yet over time, I’d always wonder why I was not part of any strategy meetings, or only get pulled in at the end of them--to take orders and push pixels.
CBSD is an essential resource for creatives, creative entrepreneurs, and creative teams, teaching you the language, framework, and tools you’ll need for your business as well as devising and implementing successful strategies and strategic thinking. Davis’s work is thorough and in-depth, yet his approach and writing style is down-to-earth. This book is packed with insights, references, resources, examples, personal anecdotes--including gems from Davis’s mentors, peers, and students. Or you can train in slaying your creative career dragons by taking on and tackling the number of exercises and projects to reinforce the powerful framework of creative strategy.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2022
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2023
Amazing read, Douglas is helping me see the business side of Art. I recently starting designing for corporate and commercial businesses and his insight is very helpful.
My take away is “research is your best friend”. It helps you have awareness while building yourself, your brand, and improving work for clients.
My take away is “research is your best friend”. It helps you have awareness while building yourself, your brand, and improving work for clients.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2020
When it comes to figuring out the most effective, tactical solution possible to a business problem, this book has a lot of that covered. It has many approaches you can take in an attempt to gather as much insight as possible, as well as the few ways you can use what you've gathered and turn that into an effective, practical framework capable of yielding great results once properly executed. It also has several references and practice exercises that will help advance your problem solving skills. Great book and very in-depth.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2018
Top reviews from other countries
Aryan J
Those who want place themselves as a Key Design Expert , a must read book
Reviewed in India on September 1, 2022
Aryan J
Reviewed in India on September 1, 2022
One of the founders was a friend of mine who had given me a call and asked to fix it.
Very soon I realized that it was because of the misalignment of the product team & marketing team, they are totally polarised in their thoughts, and at this time I introduced a simple process :
for Product team it was : Business requirements > User Requirements > Feasible Features > Content Viability
for Marketing & Branding team it was: Features > Benefits > Value > Key Message
so what was missing earlier? the communicative bridge between, Product: People: Profit.
and it took 3 days to hand off this process from start to end to the startup team.
The head of product & director of marketing feels so relieved after a successful trial of the session. They thanked me & asked me how much he owns me. I said, "$10,000 (750,659 INR)"
The Head of the product was shocked. " What do mean, $10,000 ? You were here for a few days only. You delivered a simple framework. Anyone amature designer could google and do that. I need an invoice breakdown, please."
I understood they measure work basis on time not on the value delivered, So I reaches my Bonsai invoice and hand shared the invoice to his mail.
The head of the product reads it and immediately transfers the balance.
The invoice read: Process Framework delivery- $ 1000. Knowing what Creative strategy to introduce: $9000."
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There are those who know & there are those who don’t know, and that applied knowledge is not just power, it's a profit.
"Creative Strategy and the Business of Design" is filled with many of such business thoughts, frameworks & strategies I've discovered to give me the results and rewards for my efforts.
I have read and absorbed each page of the book like Goku absorbs nature's energy to make a spirit bomb in the Dragonball Z series. and It was about two be 2 years since I finished but even today I dive inside the book to find gems
Hats off to Douglas Davis & the team!
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Marko Pfann
I wish I would have had this book 10 years ago
Reviewed in Germany on December 29, 2018
