Design Entrepreneur

Designers are used to working for clients, but there is nothing better than when the client is oneself. Graphic and product designers, who are skilled with the tools and masters aesthetics, are now in the forefront of this growing entrepreneur movement. Whether personal or collective, drive is the common denominator of all entrepreneurial pursuit; of course, then comes the brilliant idea; and finally the fervent wherewithal to make and market the result. The Design Entrepreneur is the first book to survey this new field and showcase the innovators who are creating everything from books to furniture, clothes to magazines, plates to surfboards, and more. Through case studies with designers like Dave Eggers, Maira Kalman, Charles Spencer Anderson, Seymour Chwast, Jet Mous, Nicholas Callaway, Jordi Duró, and over thirty more from the United States and Europe, this book explores the whys, hows, and wherefores of the conception and production processes. The design entrepreneur must take the leap away from the safety of the traditional designer role into the precarious territory where the public decides what works and what doesn’t. This is the book that shows how that is accomplished.

Any designer who runs a studio, office, or firm is entrepreneurial. In fact, anyone with a studio already has an infrastructure for entrepreneurial content development, and with the technological developments over the last few decades, there are more opportunities now than ever. The use of computers has allowed not only new tools for creating design, but also enables makers with entirely new ways to prototype, promote, and sell their products. Becoming a Design Entrepreneur is the guide for these designers and a breakdown of the prospects and challenges they face. Topics include: •Methods for launching a venture into the market •Tips on presentation, pitch and public relations •How to legally protect intellectual property •Ways to do effective research, and crowd source •How to benefit from social media •Sources for funding and investment and incubators •Case studies from successful and startup entrepreneurs. The ability to produce and market has helped to reposition graphic design in the new entrepreneurial economy, in which graphic design entrepreneurs are constantly raising design bars and standards. Everyone harbors at least one viable product idea, and designers can be "social entrepreneurs," creating campaigns or events that serve the greater good aside from profit-making. Readers will learn to grow as innovators and creators from Becoming a Design Entrepreneur. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Part narrative, part business book; Architect + Entrepreneur is filled with contemporary, relevant, fresh tips and advice, from a seasoned professional architect building a new business. The guide advocates novel strategies and tools that merge entrepreneurship with the practice of architecture and interior design. The Problem:Embarking on a new business venture is intimidating; you have questions. But many of the resources available to help entrepreneur architects and interior designers start their design business lack timeliness and relevance. Most are geared toward building colossal firms like SOM and Gensler using outdated methods and old business models. If you're an individual or small team contemplating starting a design business, this is your field guide; crafted to inspire action. The Solution:Using the lean startup methodology to create a minimum viable product, the handbook encourages successive small wins that support a broader vision enabling one to, "think big, start small, and learn fast." It's a unique take on design practice viewed through the lens of entrepreneurship and is designed to answer the questions all new business owners face, from the rote to the existential. Questions about: - Startup costs - Business models (old and new) - Marriage of business and design - Mindset - Branding & naming (exercises and ideas) - Internet marketing strategies - Passive income ideas - Setting your fee - Taxes - Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) - Securing the work - Client relations - Software - Billing rates - Contracts Building a business isn't a singular act; it's a series of small steps. Using the outline found in Architect + Entrepreneur you can start today. The chapters are organized to guide you from idea to action. Rather than write a business plan you'll be challenged to craft a brand and you'll sell it using new technologies. Follow the guide sequentially and you'll have both the tools and a profitable small business.

New from the editor of the pioneering EDUCATION OF . . . series, this benchmark collection of fifty essays and interviews provides students and working designers with a firm understanding of the pitfalls and triumphs awaiting the design entrepreneur. Designers recount their motives for setting out on their own and reflect on the degree to which their creative spirit has been satisfied by entrepreneurial freedom -in areas ranging from book, Web site, and home product design to golf course development and entertainment design. Contributors such as Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi, Eric Zimmerman, Rudy VanderLans, and others reveal that entrepreneurship is not simply a designer's ticket to liberation -it can also be a labyrinth of clerical tasks and manufacturing nightmares. This collection provides candid anecdotes and no-frills advice for any designer ready to brave the trials and rewards of entrepreneurship.

New from the editor of the pioneering EDUCATION OF . . . series, this benchmark collection of fifty essays and interviews provides students and working designers with a firm understanding of the pitfalls and triumphs awaiting the design entrepreneur. Designers recount their motives for setting out on their own and reflect on the degree to which their creative spirit has been satisfied by entrepreneurial freedom –in areas ranging from book, Web site, and home product design to golf course development and entertainment design. Contributors such as Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi, Eric Zimmerman, Rudy VanderLans, and others reveal that entrepreneurship is not simply a designer's ticket to liberation –it can also be a labyrinth of clerical tasks and manufacturing nightmares. This collection provides candid anecdotes and no-frills advice for any designer ready to brave the trials and rewards of entrepreneurship.

Most companies today have innovation envy. Many make genuine efforts to be innovative: they spend on R & D, bring in creative designers, hire innovation consultants; but they still get disappointing results. Roger Martin argues that to innovate and win, companies need 'design thinking'.

Supported by extensive research and field-testing, Design-Centered Entrepreneurship presents a concise, problem-solving approach to developing a unique business concept. Step-by-step guidelines provide insight into exploring market problem spaces, uncovering overlooked opportunities, reframing customer problems, and creating business solutions. Basadur and Goldsby present students with a creative and practical approach to problem finding, perception, organizational culture, and ethics in the entrepreneurial field. Plenty of useful diagrams help to organize key concepts, making them easily accessible to readers. Drawing on methodologies from the design field, the book will help students of entrepreneurship fill in the missing piece that transforms opportunity recognition into a viable business concept. Additional support for students and instructors, including a virtual Creative Problem Solving Profile, can be found at www.basadurprofile.com/.

This book stitches together a complete design journey from beginning to end in a way that you’ve likely never seen before, guiding readers (you) step-by-step in a practical way from the initial spark of an idea all the way to scaling it into a better business. Design a Better Business includes a comprehensive set of tools (over 20 total!) and skills that will help you harness opportunity from uncertainty by building the right team(s) and balancing your point of view against new findings from the outside world. This book also features over 50 case studies and real life examples from large corporations such as ING Bank, Audi, Autodesk, and Toyota Financial Services, to small startups, incubators, and social impact organizations, providing a behind the scenes look at the best practices and pitfalls to avoid. Also included are personal insights from thought leaders such as Steve Blank on innovation, Alex Osterwalder on business models, Nancy Duarte on storytelling, and Rob Fitzpatrick on questioning, among others.