"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.
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.