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Blog

What We’re Reading in 2020

by Anthony Closkey, January 17, 2020

As a small brand design agency with a multi-talented staff, we’re big fans of self-educating. Whether that means mastering a new digital advertising tool, embracing a new approach to creative thinking, or gaining a greater understanding of the world in which our work exists, we love when we find what we need in a book.

Here are a few of the books we’ve each been meaning to read for a little while – perhaps you can add them to your reading list and learn alongside us.

Shift Collaborative Book Shelf
Iterate: Ten Lessons in Design and Failure book cover

Iterate: Ten Lessons in Design and Failure

by John Sharp (Author), Colleen Macklin (Author), Steven Davis (Illustrator), Yu Jen Chen (Illustrator), Tuba Ozkan (Illustrator), and Carla Molins Pitarch (Illustrator)

As the authors say, failure is the secret ingredient of the iterative creative process. I’m looking forward to learning more about how to welcome failure in pursuit of rapid iteration and discovery.

— Cynthia

The Sum of Small Things book cover

The Sum of Small Things: A Theory of the Aspirational Class

by Elizabeth Currid-Halkett

The book is about the current impact of the leisure class. I think all people choose products as an exercise in forming personal identity, and most people spend carefully to self-identify as a good person. But what happens when using privilege to purchase education, health, parenting, and retirement is actually widening the class divide?

— Anthony

The Business of Social Media: Clients & Customers Not Just Likes & Followers cover

The Business of Social Media: Clients and Customers, Not Just Likes and Followers

by Angela K Denton

The Business of Social Media looks like an excellent resource for anyone (including myself) looking to utilize social media to nurture customer/client relationships rather than simply sharing content. 

— Caitlin

DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story cover

Data Story: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story

by Nancy Duarte

Nancy Duarte explains how to portray data visually in a way that explains it through the lens of empathy, sparks action, and sticks with those that view it.

— Kelly

eck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life cover

Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life

by James Victore

Written by accomplished designer and motivating educator James Victore, Feck Perfuction seems to be the perfect book to keep on hand in moments of desired creative inspiration.

— Ruby

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking cover

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

By Susan Cain

As an introvert, I’m intrigued by the idea that Susan shared in her Ted Talk about people not being 100% introvert or 100% extrovert but instead that people fall in between depending on the situation.

— Sarah

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