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The Business of Design: Balancing Creativity and Profitability

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"Granet's book offers the first steps for designers and architects to start, as the title suggests, balancing creativity and profitability... The business advice he imparts could be applicable to any small-business owner."— USA Today

The Business of Design debunks the myth that business sense and creative talent are mutually exclusive, providing the necessary tools to create and run a thriving business. Keith Granet provides a comprehensive guide to running a design business, drawing on over thirty years of experience helping design professionals turn their passion into profit.

• Marketing and public relations
• Business and financial management
• Human resources
• Project Management
• Product Development

Granet explains in detail all aspects of business design, tailored to creative industries, from forming a business plan, to billing, to website design, to learning how to say no to projects. Charts and graphics illuminate each process for a visual audience.

Includes case studies and interviews with successful design practices. Each chapter is interwoven with stories and life lessons from Granet's work with over 400 design firms. Individual architects and designers who have made their mark share their experience in interviews, including John Merrill, A. Eugene Kohn, Victoria Hagan, and Richard Meier.

A vibrant and enticing look at the business side of design practice, this graphically beautiful book is a comprehensive and accessible guide to creating a successful design business.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2011

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About the author

Keith Granet

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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1,558 reviews40 followers
November 5, 2012
While my abilities to do UX are top notch, I know little about the business side of things. Not only am I generally stupid with business decisions, I tend to prefer to focus on the design rather than the monetary costs. I picked up this book to try to give some balance to my knowledge set.

What I found was rather interesting. This book is much like a business 101 course but applied to the design profession - in this case mostly architecture and interior design. The difference, for me, is that this book had beautiful diagrams that made engaging with such a boring topic really engaging. Additionally, the interviews with some of the best designers in these fields were included.

I really enjoyed this book and it gave a lot of very practical advice (e.g., how to charge, what to invoice, what is a profit margin) that I needed.
2 reviews
April 29, 2019
设计师创业在做好与利润间要平衡真的很难,创意和精美都是需要资源投资的,而设计师经常本着最优产品的方向,或碰上自己喜欢的项目时,往往就无底限的投入,倒致项目收入经常抵不上支出,而资源的有限又难平衡于各项目的投入。做为一年20多个的设计团队Leader,在公司施行阿米巴经营来怎么让设计小伙伴们更上一层楼,获得更多的利润也成为我的主要关心方向。

书本更多的是给要创立设计公司的设计师的一份商业上的指导,财务管理、市场营销、人力资源、项目管理,产品开发五块来介绍。书中有很多的图表,这对于设计师理解这个专业有很大的帮助。关键启发点:
1.设计公司的愿景与其它公司不同。
2.依靠别人推荐的重复业务,会让生意更成功
3.思考自己的公司的结构,特别是人员梯队的建设
4.设计自己的财务报表,每月检查一次
5.十分之一原则:收入的十分之一存起来做为公司的备用资金,年底十分之一的员工淘汰
6.最忙的时候发展新业务
7.可计费标准表
3 reviews
March 30, 2022
great practical book for anyone in design field freelancing or starting a business
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

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