40% off sale on my design & creativity books
Two of my most popular books are now on sale (plus WDIH)
Hi folks:
Quick news: Office hours are back starting this Thursday at 9am. Register here. This is now open to all of my followers and lists, including UX, but also topics like project management, innovation, public speaking and anything else I’ve ever written or talked about. Will it be chaos? Or will no one show? Who knows!
Regarding this 40% off sale: I rarely sell things directly to any of my email lists, but it is the gift season! Self-employed folks like myself get much of their income over the next two months. I’ve put two of my most popular books for designers and creatives on sale for this week only, and the details are below.
If you want to support my work so I can keep doing it, this is a good time.
Plus the titular book for this substack is on sale too: Why Design is Hard is 40% off on in paperback on Amazon (US).
How Design Makes the World - 40% off
This book was written to replace the classics Design of Everyday Things and Don’t Make Me Think to be the best short primer book on explaining good design to anyone. It has continued to sell well and is used in many college courses. Normally $24.99, it’s now $12.49 (technically 50% off but who’s counting).
It’s a perfect gift for both the designers and non-designers in your life, including executives, project managers, engineers and clients. It teaches anyone to:
Understand the importance of user experience and other kinds of design.
Recognize what prevents good design in organizations.
Get inspired from surprising, fun stories that are easy to learn from.
“This fascinating book will help you see design everywhere and question why it works—or why it fails” – Ellen Lupton, curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
“Nobody’s better at explaining how the world really works than Scott Berkun.” – Jeffrey Zeldman, co-founder of A List Apart
“Design does indeed make the world, and Berkun has written a highly readable book about this fact.” – Henry Petroski, author of To Engineer Is Human and professor of Engineering at Duke University
Get How Design Makes The World at 40% off on Amazon (US). Also on Kindle and audiobook at regular price.
Dance of The Possible: My Guide to Creativity - 40% off
There are sooooo many boring, cliche books on creativity with the same advice over and over again. How ironic is that? How do they make creativity books so repetitive?
Dance of the Possible explains why most of these books, even if fun to read, don’t help much. Instead my goal was to teach readers the actual path to being more creative in work and life.
The backstory: for years I was a creativity and innovation expert, teaching lectures and workshops around the world. This book distills down everything I learned from teaching creativity to hundreds of people into a short, funny, cliche free guidebook. You can read it in just over an hour. There’s not that much to learn! And it will make you laugh at yourself, which is a big secret to creativity in itself.
Normally $17.99 US, it’s just $9.99 this week only. Also on Kindle and audiobook at regular price.
“You’ll find a lot to steal from this short, inspiring guide to being creative. Made me want to get up and make stuff!” – Austin Kleon, author of How To Steal Like An Artist
Get Dance of the Possible at 40% off on Amazon.com (US). Also on Kindle and audiobook at regular price.
Why Design Is Hard - 40% off
Since you’re on this list I shouldn’t have to explain this one! My hope is:
If you haven’t bought it yet, you will now
You’ll buy the book for your entire team
You’ll get it as a gift for designers you know
I really care about designers and want to help them fix the world. Putting this new book on sale hopefully gets these ideas out to more people who need them.
Get Why Design Is Hard at 40% off in paperback on Amazon (US).
“I just finished—and recommend— Berkun’s latest book, “Why Design is Hard.” the real struggle, the daily grind, is not so much about the work but about contexts, constraints, and personalities that make designers question their very existence. Scott’s book is concise, breezy, yet filled with excellent strategies for succeeding when the world—or, at least, your organization—is tilted against you.” Michael McWatters, VP of Product Design for Max / HBO Max
More soon and thanks for following
That’s all for now. I hope you have a well designed and not very hard day. I may have a bonus post before the week is over.
Hope to see you at office hours on Thursday at 9am PST. Register here if you’d like to join.