The Personal MBA ™

The Personal MBA™ - Training the Next Generation of Self-Made Entrepreneurs, Managers, and Business Leaders

The Personal MBA (PMBA) is a systematic program of business self-education designed by Josh Kaufman to help people master advanced business concepts without enrolling in a traditional MBA program. Instead of spending time in a classroom, PMBA members believe it’s possible to get a great education by reading good business books, applying what you learn to your daily work, and discussing advanced business topics with others.

The Personal MBA consists of three main components: (1) a recommended reading list of best-in-class business books; (2) participation in the PMBA community forums; (3) optional personalized coaching to help keep you motivated and moving forward toward your business and personal goals.

The official PMBA reading list and manifesto is a collection of the very best books the business press has to offer. The list is the tangible result of hundreds of hours of research and evaluation, and covers every important topic currently addressed in traditional MBA programs. To learn more about the reading list, read the PMBA manifesto.

100 Years of Design Manifestos

100 Years of Design Manifestos -- Social Design Notes

Since the days of radical printer-pamphleteers, design and designers have a long history of fighting for what’s right and working to transform society. The rise of the literary form of the manifesto also parallels the rise of modernity and the spread of letterpress printing.

This list of design manifestos was buried in a previous post but deserves its own permalink...

The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies

The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies – Drawger

Welcome to The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies... where tools of the trade that have died or have just about died a slow slow death are cheerfully exhibited.

Operating System Interface Design Between 1981-2009

Operating System Interface Design Between 1981-2009 | Webdesigner Depot

A Graphical User Interface (GUI for short) allows users to interact with the computer hardware in a user friendly way.

Over the years a range of GUI’s have been developed for different operating systems such as OS/2, Macintosh, Windowsamiga, Linux, Symbian OS, and more.

We’ll be taking a look at the evolution of the interface designs of the major operating systems since the 80’s.

I should mention that this article showcases only the significant advances in GUI design (not operating system advances) and also not all of the graphical user interfaces and operating systems existing today.

Social networks for creative pros | Create | Creative Notes | Macworld

Social networks for creative pros | Create | Creative Notes | Macworld
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If you’re like most creative professionals, you rely on advice and inspiration from peers to stay on the top of your game. Mainstream social networking sites such as Facebook include thriving design communities, but finding the relevant information means wading through random quizzes and personal drama. For more focused interaction and education, a better option is using the many social networking services built specifically for creative pros.

CUSTOM LETTERS

CUSTOM LETTERS - FIRST HALF 2009 — LetterCult

As we approach the halfway point of 2009, we’ve begun seeking out the best and brightest in the ol’ Custom Letters Dept. And we are asking for submissions—if you see something we’ve missed, please send us a link.

Custom Letters is an evolving category that includes calligraphy, sign painting, graffiti, stone carving, digital lettering, hand lettering, paper sculpture, and type design (we’d prefer to feature new/original type over, say, revivals).

Custom, in this instance, means built from scratch; we aren’t looking for customization—a type treatment or 3d treatment—of an existing typeface.

We’ll be adding more pieces as the year progresses, culminating with a Best of 2009 at the end of the year.

Now to the good, the great, and the notable stuff we’ve seen so far in 2009.

A Fine Line - How Design Strategies Are Shaping The Future of Business

A Fine Line - How Design Strategies Are Shaping The Future of Business - Hartmut Esslinger

A Fine Line offers a step-by-step overview of the innovation process — from targeting goals to shepherding new products and services to the marketplace — in order to reveal how to arrive at an authentic human design that connects strongly with consumers. With a unique perspective, rich stories, and a global mindset, Esslinger explores business solutions that are environmentally sustainable and contribute to an enduring global economy.

Design is in the details...

A Portrait of the Designer: Child’s Play

You would think that something like letterhead or business cards would be so simple that anybody could design it. After all, it’s just an application of the client’s logo and contact information onto a blank canvas. When I would bring my first round of comps to Lisa, however, she would immediately point out details that I have never before considered. Direct but patient, she indicated inconsistencies in the spacing of elements and half-point differences in type size that rendered my work inelegant.

In a great article about the importance of detail, Naz Hamid argues, “It’s a phrase you hear often: design is in the details. With design, paying attention to small details—and in some cases, obsessively focusing on ‘what isn’t right’ — can take a design from ‘nearly there’ to ‘there’ and beyond.” Paula tells me that this specificity is the basis for craft — what makes Pentagram Pentagram.

Inspirational Typography Resources

42 Amazing Resources for Inspirational Typography: Speckyboy Design Magazine

There are many theories to what constitutes good typography, its not as simple as choosing an appropriate font and setting it in the style of a particular project, that would be too easy. Theories and tutorials are one thing, putting typography into perfect practice is another, and is perhaps the hardest part of any design. Every designer you ask will give you a different answer to what constitutes good type, where is the benchmark?

PutItOn.com

PutItOn.com - Home to the World's Undiscovered Artists

* 1 gigabyte of space for your portfolio
* No transaction charge when selling your work
* Ability to stream audio/video works in their entirety
* Live personal broadcasts to your followers
* Translation of your words into 10 global languages
* And many more robust portfolio management features"

An Open Letter to Design Students Everywhere

A must read for all my IDD Majors:

Design Observer: An Open Letter to Design Students Everywhere

With structure comes freedom. And freedom, let’s not forget, is what education is all about. It is a great time to be a student. Go out and make great things, things that help us, inform us, enlighten and change and impact the world in millions of meaningful and glorious ways. Your education will not end the day you graduate: on the contrary, what you're doing is learning how to learn, and how to think, and how to visualize the ideas that percolate in your brain. So here's what you do: never stop thinking. Never stop asking questions. Never, never stop reading, looking, imagining what else can be done. And don’t be afraid to start small. You’ll get there, eventually. And when you do? Send somebody a thank you note.

Lots of Inspiration

Fast Company: 100 Most Creative People in Business

“There are no rules about creativity. Which made constructing our list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business a tricky task. We looked for dazzling new thinkers, rising stars, and boldface names who couldn't be ignored. We avoided people we've profiled in the recent past. We emphasized those whose creativity addresses a larger issue -- from the future of our energy infrastructure to the evolution of philanthropy to next-generation media. So read on. Enjoy. Quibble. Complain.”

Business Design: The curriculum of 2012

“In the near future, I believe that you'll be able to get an advanced degree in Business Design.
Some programs like the d.school (a formative experience for me) and Rotman are playing with this idea, but I don't think these programs really nail it yet.
The educational experience would be applied and pragmatic. Classes would be harder than fluid dynamics (ok maybe not, but close). As a student you would feel as inspired and challenged as you would in the most advanced studio art class. Theory alone wouldn't cut it. If you didn't do something practical by the end of the term in each class, you would fail. We would get things done.”

GOOD Transparencies Archive

“An archive of Transparencies that have run in our past issues and online at www.good.is”

The best in advertising, design, and digital creativity | Creativity Online

Creativity Magazine Online

Yale Graphic Design MFA 2009

Lux Et Veritas: Yale Graphic Design MFA Exhibition 2009

I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition last Friday – the final day of the show. I was intrigued enough by the presentation of the work that I scrawled some notes that I thought I’d share.

Steven Heller on Hand Lettering

Graphic Content | Hand Lettering - The Moment Blog - NYTimes.com

I am a big fan of this anti-type typography. This may be because it is something I can do without mastering complex techniques. But it is more complicated than that. Nonetheless, hand lettering is liberating. Sure, most official documents, in fact, most things we read (like books, magazines and blogs) require official typefaces — the more elegant, readable and legible, the better. But not every type treatment needs to be standardized. The hand offers a more human dimension and individual personality.

For those about to graduate (or look for an internship)

Three from Viget Labs – Web Design Blog: Web Design & Innovation in web standards

Finding a Job in the Design Field

Portfolio Reviewin’, Thoughts and Ideas for Design Students

Interview Expectations : Web Strategy, Web Design, Web Development, and Web Marketing

Very funny...

in a totally design geeky kind of way...

M A X K E R N I N G

More on sketchbooks

"Sketchbook" by Timothy O'Donnell

Sketches provide a truer reflection of a designer's thought processes, preoccupations, and problem-solving strategies than can be had by simply viewing finished projects. Highly personal and idiosyncratic, sketchbooks offer an arena for unstructured exploration — a space free from all budgetary and client constraints. Sketchbook aims to elevate these books — visually arresting objects in their own right — from mere ephemera to important documents that provide valuable insights into the creative process.

Another color palette generator

Color Scheme Designer 3

Design Student to Design Professional

Never Sleep

There is a major disconnect between the life of a design student and the transition to being a design professional.

To demystify the transition, we share the failures, successes, and surprises during our years in college and progression into the field: the creative process, monetary problems, internships, interviews, mistakes, and personal relationships. We include the work from our first design class to our most current client work, along with side stories and interviews from our mentors, teachers, and peers. This book will serve as the ultimate companion for design students, educators, and anyone breaking into a creative field.