by Justin Dauer
foreword by Steve Portigal
The 2nd Edition of Cultivating a Creative Culture
50% of the sale from every book is donated to Code2040, who "equips Black and Latinx technologists and their allies with the tools, connections, and care they need to advocate for and achieve racial equity in the tech industry.”
Mobile First? In reality, it’s humans first.
The first edition of Justin Dauer's 2017 book Cultivating a Creative Culture was written around a core concept: empathy, humility, and creativity at the office—permeating how we treat one another, support one another, and the collective influence upon how we create.
It's upon that last notion, "how we create," where this second edition further focuses on the parallels between "making" and "interacting.” Process and practice. Design and culture.
We cannot preach outwardly about empathy for those we're designing for if as designers, researchers, architects, developers (and on and on) we're not supporting each other. The notion of being human-centered has an innate synergy between design process (and ultimate product) and office culture (and empathetic interactions). To the benefit of both dynamics, those touch points are identifiable and exploitable.
Creating with compassion in an environment fueled by compassion means we never lose sight of what it's all about: people. Beyond functioning in this manner because "it's the right thing to do," quality of design work, loyalty internally (team) and externally (users), and product innovation are all benefits to reap.
With a new foreword by Steve Portigal, author of "Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories," and "Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights."
Table of Contents
From Square One
A thriving creative culture is the sum of many dynamic parts. Its impact is directly translated over to quality (not quantity) of work, quality of life, and measurable performance.
A Healthy Dynamic
A healthy dynamic at all levels of an organization forms the backbone of a creative culture. The environment sees the profit in employee growth, not just via the almighty dollar.
The Value of Time
To do our best work, to grow our skill sets, and to cultivate an environment in which passions thrive, we need to stop casting a judgmental eye at ‘available’ time that supports employee growth.
Beyond the Viewport
While our livelihoods exist within the digital realm, inspiration has no such contextual boundaries. There is an entire world of design and inspiration beyond the context the digital world affords us.
Humans at the Heart of it All
Putting people first—at the workplace and in our design process— yields an intuitive, successful end product and an endless fountain of inspiration.
Your Cultural Match
Finding your cultural best fit isn’t a swipe-left or swipe-right matchmaking process. It requires research, patience, and honesty about your goals, desires, and work habits.
Illustrations
The Creative Culture Hummingbird
The Creative Culture Hummingbird leaps (flies?) off the pages of Cultivating a Creative Culture and onto your desk! This chill, pensive, self-confident little bird from the book's cover also leads each chapter, demonstrating the respective central theme.
As a companion in your creative space, the full-color 3D-printed Creative Culture Hummingbird will not only keep you company throughout your creative process, but also demonstrate to everyone around you that you're a champion of empathy, objectivity, and creativity.
Material: Full Color Sandstone
Printed by:
