Hello my friend! š
Donāt have much to say today, as I spent most of my free time this week on playing video games. So, just recommend a few books that I read during the New Year holiday š
Designing a Healthy Home
The Happy Design Toolkit
Mid-Century Design
NPRās Podcast Start Up Guide
A Designerās Income Review & Strategy for 2024!
Designing a Healthy Home
Just cracked open this book āDesigning a Healthy Homeā and, honestly, itās pretty eye-opening. Iām no expert in home design at all, but it turns out a lot of what it talks about actually makes sense in the bigger picture of design too.
So far, hereās whatās really hitting home for me:
Bringing Nature Indoors:Ā The book talks about using stuff straight from nature in our designs. Itās like having a piece of the outside world right in your living room, which is pretty cool and, apparently, good for us too.
Natural Materials, Natural Roles:Ā Itās all about not forcing natural materials to be something theyāre not. Like, letās say a piece of wood ā using it in a way that shows off its real texture and color, instead of trying to make it look all synthetic and plastic-y.
Nature as More Than Just Decor:Ā This is my favorite bit. The book suggests weaving in aspects of nature into our designs in a way thatās more than just about looks. Itās about making our spaces feel more in tune with the natural world, which I think is a pretty neat idea.
So yeah, itās turning out to be quite the read. Itās making me see how we can blend nature into our spaces, not just to make things look pretty, but to create an environment that feels good too.
The Happy Design Toolkit
Planning to do a major tidy-up at home during the Christmas break, including my home workspace. So, I grabbed this book, āThe Happy Design Toolkit: Architecture for Better Mental Well-being.ā Itās pretty neat. The title says it all, right?Ā Improving mental health through architectural design.
The book isnāt about big, lofty principles. Itās more about handy, practical tips you can actually use. Kinda reminds me of the old Chinese Feng Shui idea, like incorporating natural elements and going with the natural flow of things.
A lot of it talks about architectural stuff, which isnāt really my jam. But Iām more into the home design bits. Picked up a few cool tips, like putting potted plants on the kitchen windowsill or hanging plants around. Also, the suggestions for zoning out office spaces, plus their recommended lighting and furniture combos, are pretty solid.
After Christmas, Iām all set to get moving. Since Iām working from home so much, might as well make the place more comfortable, right?
But hereās the kicker:Ā No matter how hard you try, with kids around, your home is never gonna be minimalistĀ š¤£
Mid-Century Design
Lately, Iāve been drawn to books like these - the kind thatās more like a list or summary. Theyāre great because you donāt have to read them in order. Just jump straight to the bits that catch your eye, and you still get so much out of it.
This book, Mid-Century Modern: Icons of Design,Ā dives into the iconic designs of the mid-20th century, focusing on stuff like furniture, tools, and appliances. Itās got all these classics like the Vespa scooter, the Panton chair, and some cool lighting. A lot of these designs from back in the day are still around, still kicking after seventy or eighty years, which is pretty mind-blowing. Some ideas even date back to the 1930s, before World War II, when metal was scarce and designers started playing around more with plastic. And the way people back then imagined the future really shaped these designs. Some items, like the Egg Chair, still look super futuristic even now.
The coolest thing for me? Sonyās portable TVs and radios from the 1950s! If we think theyāre cutting-edge today, imagine the stir they caused back then. And hereās my takeaway: In this era of AI, itās super helpful to broaden our knowledge base. Even just a quick look at these products' styles, names, designers, and so on can help us work better with AI, as long as we have a basic understanding of these design movements and their iconic works.
NPRās Podcast Start Up Guide
Over the Christmas break, I finished reading āNPRās Podcast Start Up Guideā by Claire Weldon from NPR. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to interview Yang Yi, the COO of JustPod, a podcast agency. We discussed podcast production stories, which led me to this book.
This book is a must-read for anyone serious about podcasting. Itās divided into four sections: imagining, planning, creating, and sharing. Unlike other technical podcasting guides, about 50%-60% of this book focuses on the questioning and preparation phases. Questions like what content you want to produce, how to deliver the most value, and identifying your audience are incredibly valuable.
The book also covers details often overlooked in traditional interview or roundtable podcasts, such as collecting ambient sounds, scene sounds, and editing techniques, all of which are fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the storytelling techniques and methods discussed. While audio content creation may not require as strict or specific narrative demands as literary works, the principles of storytelling are still crucial and, in some cases, universal.
Personally, even with years of experience in podcasting, I learned a lot about storytelling from this book. Highly recommended for anyone interested in podcasting.
A Designerās Income Review & Strategy for 2024!
In this video, I review my financial income from last year as a designer and share my strategy for the next year. I discuss my primary and secondary income streams, as well as my investment income. I analyze the different categories of income and highlight the importance of balancing expenses, saving, and investing. If youāre interested in understanding your financial situation and planning for the future, this video is for you.
Have a great one and see you soon!
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š»Ā Bear Who?
Hi there š, Iām Bear, a seasoned Product Designer with 15 years of overall design experience and six years in product design, transforming the user experiences for millions š
As an Apple Award-Winning Podcast Host at BearTalk and a Design Mentor at Springboard and CareerFoundry, I apply my self-taught design skills and science background to solve complicated problems and mentor budding designers š
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