On C: I kinda feel like the readability rule is worth breaking sometimes for a cover or something that isn't actually UI? Assuming this is interesting enough visually as a set of shapes, it could be worth it.
D is just beautifully honest. It reveals both the process, the product, and the challenging decisions along the way. Plus it shares a truth about getting things out into the world: at some point you just have to ship it (even though you have more ideas to share)!
D nails it for me. Most people or leaders who’d buy the book will “get” one of the examples instantly. It also give the reader a sense for the book’s tone and content. I don’t get either with A, B, or C. And B and C give me the vibe that the book may be dense, take it self seriously or be content I could find elsewhere.
C: Like this but lose the Eiffel Tower. Use something else.
D: Love this but get out of the office space and beyond digital and ask real humans of varying ages...like 40 real humans. Who are the people that are going to buy this book? Ask them.
I like B in the sense that offers consistency and connection to the previous book. I'd suggest pushing the layout and finding other visual elements for the words in the new title to achieve a similar effect.
Another route could be having the title in one single line, but repeat the line many times and use a different typeface for each one. A simple way to illustrate the fact that seemingly endless choice availability compounded by personal preference represent why design is hard...
Concept D has the most polish and shelf appeal. I like the vernacular nature of writing on comps, and it could be pushed further. There are better handwriting fonts like FF Market Pro.
@scott is the book for Designers? Is it for them to get better or just confirm that Design is hard?
Or is it for people who might want a Designer or don’t know they need design, or know how to engage with Designers?
Maybe the cover should appeal to them?
BTW your PM book is my most practical book on the topic (I have the grey covered one). I’ve re read your Confessions of a Public Speaker many times and it’s helped a lot with ironing out the wrinkles in my speaking and the occasional attack of nerves. Thank you.
FWIW I find the title hard to say. "Why Design Is Hard" just feels harder to say than "This is why design is hard" or "A guide to why design is hard" or some other lead into the sentence. I'm not sure why. Words are hard too :-)
Thanks for sharing these and letting us express our thoughts!
Concept D is my favorite as it conveys some of what's hard in a simple, clear, and funny way. Plus, it's visually appealing.
I really like concept C too. It shows how hard design is with a very different approach to D. I would buy concept C as a poster, for example. It's elegant, appealing, simple but somehow complex. It's hard to read until it's not, if that makes any sense. We want to read left to right (at least in English) but it breaks that pattern -- yet it tells us it's breaking that pattern with the box and the red vs. black font color. Really fascinating.
I voted for B and, if there was a '2nd choice', I would have voted then for C. (There are probably ways to retain the vertical structure but make it a bit less eye-crunching to read? Make the letters a little bit thinner?)
Options A and D, though the products of thoughtful ideas and effort, don't hit the mark for me. I'm turned off by cluttered and/or jokey covers; they send a signal of "trivial/insignificant".
Good luck as you push this across the finish line!! I think that will be a dynamite two-volume set.
A repeats the sticky cliche that doesn’t really say anything more.
B sounds good but I feel the sequel doesn’t fit the vibe of the first book.
C is a good concept but it becomes hard to read. How about making it even harder to read to make a point?
D hits on the humour right on and I assume EVPs might also want to take the credit as coauthors LOL!
C & D both made me laugh and are memorable, but the design of C really is too hard to read.
On C: I kinda feel like the readability rule is worth breaking sometimes for a cover or something that isn't actually UI? Assuming this is interesting enough visually as a set of shapes, it could be worth it.
D is just beautifully honest. It reveals both the process, the product, and the challenging decisions along the way. Plus it shares a truth about getting things out into the world: at some point you just have to ship it (even though you have more ideas to share)!
D nails it for me. Most people or leaders who’d buy the book will “get” one of the examples instantly. It also give the reader a sense for the book’s tone and content. I don’t get either with A, B, or C. And B and C give me the vibe that the book may be dense, take it self seriously or be content I could find elsewhere.
A: May not reach your target audience.
B: Too long
C: Like this but lose the Eiffel Tower. Use something else.
D: Love this but get out of the office space and beyond digital and ask real humans of varying ages...like 40 real humans. Who are the people that are going to buy this book? Ask them.
Real humans? Is that still a thing? :)
Yes, and they are really marvelous.
I like B in the sense that offers consistency and connection to the previous book. I'd suggest pushing the layout and finding other visual elements for the words in the new title to achieve a similar effect.
Another route could be having the title in one single line, but repeat the line many times and use a different typeface for each one. A simple way to illustrate the fact that seemingly endless choice availability compounded by personal preference represent why design is hard...
I like D best! Perhaps more diversity of situations/asks, not just sr. stakeholder wants…
I tried to come up with ones that were short and funny - I had other ideas but they required more words that I could fit. Any specific ideas?
"Can we make the ads bigger?"
"Make it pop"
I was thinking the same thing—reflect a greater variety of challenges. Like:
“Adapt for more personas?”
“Need cobrandjng here”
“Legal requires 16-pt warning”
“Can you use genAI to suggest more creative variations?”
Concept D has the most polish and shelf appeal. I like the vernacular nature of writing on comps, and it could be pushed further. There are better handwriting fonts like FF Market Pro.
@scott is the book for Designers? Is it for them to get better or just confirm that Design is hard?
Or is it for people who might want a Designer or don’t know they need design, or know how to engage with Designers?
Maybe the cover should appeal to them?
BTW your PM book is my most practical book on the topic (I have the grey covered one). I’ve re read your Confessions of a Public Speaker many times and it’s helped a lot with ironing out the wrinkles in my speaking and the occasional attack of nerves. Thank you.
Thanks Mark. This book is for primarily for designers - unlilke my last book that was written for everyone (including designers!).
FWIW I find the title hard to say. "Why Design Is Hard" just feels harder to say than "This is why design is hard" or "A guide to why design is hard" or some other lead into the sentence. I'm not sure why. Words are hard too :-)
Thanks for sharing these and letting us express our thoughts!
Concept D is my favorite as it conveys some of what's hard in a simple, clear, and funny way. Plus, it's visually appealing.
I really like concept C too. It shows how hard design is with a very different approach to D. I would buy concept C as a poster, for example. It's elegant, appealing, simple but somehow complex. It's hard to read until it's not, if that makes any sense. We want to read left to right (at least in English) but it breaks that pattern -- yet it tells us it's breaking that pattern with the box and the red vs. black font color. Really fascinating.
I voted D, and A is pretty good too. But D is funny, so I went with that.
D makes me want to buy the book right now.
I voted for B and, if there was a '2nd choice', I would have voted then for C. (There are probably ways to retain the vertical structure but make it a bit less eye-crunching to read? Make the letters a little bit thinner?)
Options A and D, though the products of thoughtful ideas and effort, don't hit the mark for me. I'm turned off by cluttered and/or jokey covers; they send a signal of "trivial/insignificant".
Good luck as you push this across the finish line!! I think that will be a dynamite two-volume set.
D speaks to the core issues any design will face and from the stakeholders and all their diverse wants and needs.
D x100