tom peters: top 10 to-do's

Design

A few years ago I received a book from a Colleague that absolutely changed my views about design. In-fact, it was this book that really pulled me from behind my computer and put me in the face of Designers, CEO's and Thought Leaders. It was this book that helped me understand that with (at this time) 13 years of design experience, a long list of happy clients, and awards to show-off, I was STILL a novice on a very big landscape. This book: "Design" - by Tom Peters, is what really started me on this journey of Design Thinking as a craft. It was not until MUCH later that Tim Brown of IDEO bought some strong foundation to the thing I had been operating in for about 4 years at this point. 

Today I want to share 10 nuggets out of this book, 10 "art of facts",  that you can chew in and perhaps get a better understanding of what the heck we are all supposed to be doing in the space of design... This list resonates with my soul. 

Thanks Tom. 

TOP 10 To-Do's 

1. Be a "Soul" supplier. At every point n your Design process, do a soul-check on what you are creating. In other words: Don't think "pretty". Think "profound". 

2. List your "loves". Get a little notebook, or open a file on your computer, and keep track of product and service offerings that earn your .... Enduring Ardor. 

3. Harness your "hates". While you are busy at #2, keep track of stuff that earn your ... Absolute Enmity. Think about the common attributes of the stuff on both sides of the ledger. 

4. If it feels good, dote on it. Cultivate a fingertip feel for Design-induced Emotional Attachment. Find a way to carry "it" around with you ... just as I carry around my turnbuckle!! 

5. Be of service. Foster a Design-driven approach to the way that you develop not just lumps of stuff... but also service offerings and business processes. (That means YOU, Finance Department Head) 

6. Hunt for bargains. Look inside your medicine cabinet, your toolbox, your kitchen cabinet, Learn from items therein that are low in cost and high in Design impact. 

7. Judge EVERYTHING by it's cover. Make every package worthy of it's product. Just because Design is not a surface thing (per se) doesn't mean that surfaces don't matter. 

8. Watch for signs. Monitor the signage all around you for examples of Soulful Direction and Woeful Misdirection. 

9. Be true to forms. Invest time, energy, and Design Know-How to the creation of all (ALL) business documents

10. Rage on. Get mad, and get even - with companies that offer shoddily designed stuff. Remember It's their fault, not yours. 

Tom-peters

Tom Peters

design the soul. design thinking the spirit.

"If design is the seat of the soul, then I would argue that design thinking is the playground of the spirit..."

is "good design" in the eye of the beholder?

Train

This morning I was inspired by a blog post that a friend of mine [ bkmacdaddy designs ] http://bkmacdaddy.com - entitled "Is Good Design In The Eye Of The Beholder?" ... Here is a link to the actual deal... http://tr.im/eyeofthebeholder

After I read the blog post, which in my opinion was one of the most profound post written as it pertains to the subject of "what IS good design". In his post [ bkmacdaddy ] drops a LOT of science, and at the end of reading the post I was clear on where he stood. I was compelled. I was compelled because even though the post was elegantly written it never really took me out of the frame of mind that says that design is simply about aesthetic beauty and function, with a emphasis on aesthetics, or as I like to say... "Pretty Things." So in response to his post, which I recommend that you read BEFORE you continue with my post here, because you will have a better understanding of what I am talking about ... Here is the link again ... http://tr.im/eyeofthebeholder

This my comment... In The Hands Of The Beuser?

Great post...

I am not sure if I am the best person to be commenting on this because my views about "good design" can be rather counter intuitive at times... BUT let me offer a spin on this.

In this post we are looking at key factors of design, of course, aesthetics and functionality. This is good. However; what happens when we are talking about the design of a system? OR a cause? What about the design of a new way of doing things, like travel? I would not consider a train OR its tracks to be "pretty" or "beautiful" HOWEVER; I would consider what it does to be GORGEOUS... Sailing across the land, no hills, no bumps, sailing? A train? In the eye of the beholder.

When talking about design, I challenge you, I challenge every designer, and aspiring designer to look at things through a much bigger lens... As designers we have reduced our field of expertise to creating "pretty things" and we have somewhat broken our true roles in the earth...

"The true value proposition of a designer is the way that he or she thinks... There is power in design thinking."

So what is good design? In my opinion, it has some to do with the aesthetics, form and functionality of a "thing" - however; I am also lead to believe that "good design", better yet, "REMARKABLE design", upon execution and deployment, has a profound effect on how we interact with each other and the world around us. SO with that said... If the website that you create does not make the lives of those using it more fulfilling, you have missed the mark somewhere. IF The chair you are crafting does not fundamentally challenge the way we have always sat down, perhaps you hit the mark with "good design" athletically and functionally (as we know it) BUT have you done something remarkable?

Food for thought I suppose...

Thanks bkmacdaddy!! Thanks for keeping design in the forefront!!

how ideas happen... action.

Bigshot

I consult creative people. One question that I get all the time is ... "How do you make ideas happen? WHAT'S the best way to manage ideation?" I always answer the same way... "Action Method" (http://actionmethod.com). Without action, ideas never come to fruition, and the best way to manage actions without all the "fluff", in my opinion, is Action Method.

Processes

Oganizing all of your projects in actions eliminates all if the clutter that can "jam up" the flow of your project. Action Method (as seen above) breaks things down in a way that keeps you on task, and not SOME OF THE TIME, but, ALL THE TIME. 

Testimony
Some of the most creative companies in the world agree with me... Action Method is a product that you can deploy within your organization and get results. Hands down, no fluff, JUST ACTION ... 

Try it out for yourself .... 

Let me know what you think. 

religion: design

Bmw_logo_agency

"Design is treated like a religion at BMW..." - Fortune Magazine

richard branson: leveraging design in business

"Every new product or service that Virgin group offers must: (1) Have the best quality, (2) provide great value, (3) be innovative, (4) dramatically challenge existing alternatives, and (5) provide a "sense of fun" or "cheekiness." 

Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group

sir ernest hall: the power of design

"Design is about demonstrating how beautiful something can be. It has a very profound capacity. Design is a way of changing life and influencing the future..." 

Sir Ernest Hall, Dean Clough

mind map of a station "tagline" meeting

Photo

In an effort to design the ideal tagline for the station at WFXL FOX31 in Albany, GA., we (Designer Josh Boutwell and I) asked nembers of the different departments at FOX31 about their feelings toward the station. We asked the questions, they gave the answers, and we are in the process of designing what we feel will be a tagline that truly reflects the ethos of the station.

Stay tuned...