What You Need to Read This Summer According to Toronto’s Top Designers
Author: Adrianna LeBlanc
Summer in Toronto is record breaking hot and humid. Toronto’s top designers recommend cooling off by the pool with these thought provoking books before the leaves begin to fall. Tell us what your favourite book this summer is in the comments section.
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard
Suggested by Michael Mavian, Associate Creative Director, Bruce Mau Design
“This book is a breath of fresh air on the topic of business, culture and the way things can and should be done today. I think it’s especially interesting with the current state of tech and start-ups and how Patagonia has been so ahead of their time for so long. It’s an inspiration to see what can happen when you put people and the world we live in first.”
Dear Data by Giorgia Lupi & Stefanie Posavec
Suggested by Xavier Massé, Designer, Visual Communicator & Educator, George Brown College
“A must read on a hot summer day. Not only will this book encourage you to record your life (interactions, travels, arguments...) in the form of data points, but then it will give inspire you to create poetic data visualizations. ”
Change By Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation by Tim Brown
Suggested by Xavier Massé, Designer, Visual Communicator & Educator, George Brown College
“Tim Brown is the CEO of IDEO, the agency considered as the ground zero of strategic and innovative design thinking. This book is a must read, in order to understand the fundamentals of strategic user centered design.”
The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
Suggested by Zachary Murray, Founder/Creative Director, Vanquished Media
“Everything in the world was made up by people no smarter than you. Most people won’t like that because that because it eliminates most of their excuses for why they can’t or haven’t done things.”
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William Mcdonough, Michael Braungart
Suggested by Christian Lo + David Ryan, ANONY, Partners
“We at ANONY think this book is a must read for designers! Most products are created with a “cradle to grave” mentality and this books talks about how designing from a "Cradle to Cradle" mentality can be good for design, the planet and people.”
