Customer Reviews

Design Management: Managing Design Strategy, Process and Implementation (Required Reading Range)

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The book is an excellent example of the successful combination between theory and practice. Structured as a hypertext the book allows you to open and read at from any page or passage. A lot of contemporary cases from all over the world show you a wide scope of design management specifics. After reading the book you'll be armed with the up-to-date ideas and concepts. This masterpiece by Kathryn Best is most useful for the design practitioners as well as for students or lecturers. Being a lecturer in design management and professional development I can note easy language, in-depth explanations and a good glossary of terms used in design management.

This book presents the structure that sustains the design discipline in the (corporate) world today. You will get more info about the process, the vision and in the end - your own role in this entire structure. It is a great eye opener for the designer engaged only in designing, and a good reference for the manager involved in the process. The graphics gives engagement to the reading. Makes for a good reference book. That's the only reason I got it, since the price tag is considerably high.

I bought this book after reading The Fundamentals of Design ManagementThe Fundamentals of Design Management by the same author. The book covers design strategy, process and implementation of projects involving design. This book expanded on the use of design management theory by adding value to real businesses, while looking at the balance between the practicalities and maintaining the value of quality design.

Best combines theory and case studies to explain key concepts which provoke the reader to form their own opinions. I found this really useful, especially when I was familiar with the product or business, such as the notebook company Moleskine which is used as a case study. I felt this allowed me to contextualise the theories in the book with ease. The author's use of leading professionals' ideas and opinions resonate with the reader; I really trusted the information in this book.

Questions to discuss were asked throughout the book. This really encouraged me to draw my own conclusions which I prefer to being told them! I could see how the questions would be useful in a lecture or during self-study.

All in all an excellent book on a subject fascinating to anyone interested in design, no matter what role they may play within a project or business.