How do you become great at what you do?
There’s no one perfect way, but I think a lot of it has to do with always learning. What defines greatness today won’t necessarily count tomorrow; every time you level up, you tend to discover there are even more levels that you can still achieve, many of which you couldn’t even see before simply because you didn’t have the knowledge or experience to see them yet. The more you learn, the more you can do.
So with continued growth and learning in mind, I quizzed our team on the books they think are absolute must-reads on career, design, and branding. What books helped them get where they are today?
If you’re looking to level up, make sure you’ve read these classics. They’ll build you a foundation on which you can grow to amazingly high heights — and that’s a good thing.
Chaun Osburn, Art Director
I love this book, Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind, from 99u. It’s a quick read, cheap, and full of great information. Read it now.
It’s well designed, and easy to digest. A repeat read keeps the content fresh. There are also more in the series that are great reads as well, but this one speaks to me the most.
Kate Matsudaira, Principal
So Good They Can’t Ignore You. I loved this book. It is such a smart read because it advises you to stop trying to follow your passion, and instead figure out what you can be the best in world at. By focusing on one thing and being amazing at it, you will have more career power, and that will give you more money, flexibility, and opportunity.
I once met a great engineer, and he was so focused on testing. I asked him why he got into testing instead of the standard software engineering route, and he told me it was because he could be the very best at testing. And he was a really smart man. He later went on to be a VP, then SVP, and now is a retired millionaire – and I believe it all came from his focus and ability to execute on his plan.
Andrew Saxton, Lead Designer
The last great book I read is also the one I’d most highly recommend – Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, by Austin Kleon. I’d recommend this book to any aspiring or professional designer – a must read!
Max Benoit, Project Coordinator
I’d recommend Brand Thinking by Debbie Millman. I read a few branding books in preparation to getting hired in this field and, while informative and valuable, I found them very dry.
Millman’s approach is to instead explain branding through a series of interviews with leaders in the field, picking their brains as far as design, advertising, and the implications (good and bad) of branding on a global scale. It’s a very human approach to dissecting this industry. Highly recommend!
Chris Comis, Project Manager
The book everyone should have is Elements of Style. Essential for clear concise writing.
Paige Kwon, Visual Design Intern
One book I would highly recommend is Designing Type by Karen Cheng. It’s an in-depth book about type guidelines and how it is implemented in design. Karen Cheng analyzes characteristics of fonts and type styles, and helps you understand the construction of letterforms.
It’s a great book if you want to learn about type and how it’s made! Also the book itself is very well designed and easy to digest.
Kate Stull, Copywriter
How To Win Friends And Influence People.
This book has so much straightforward, timeless advice on how to make the most of the relationships in your life — whether it’s at work, with a client, or even with your friends. Everything you want in life will be made possible in some way by other people, so knowing how to work with them and be a person they want to help and be around will help you live a happy, successful life.
What’s your branding or career must-read?
We are always on the hunt for books that will make us smarter. What’s the book you think everyone absolutely must read in order to know great branding or to have a great career? Tweet it at us! We’re @pigeonwisdom – can’t wait to hear your recommendations!