Free A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink Page B

sensibility, is one of my three favorite magazines of any kind. Period. Read it, know it, live it.
    (More info: www.oprah.com/omagazine )

    Print — Another great graphic design magazine, this one is known for its voluminous Regional Design Annual.
    (More info: www.printmag.com )
     
    Real Simple — One designer I know calls this magazine her bible. Its theology is straightforward: “to bring clarity to everyday tasks, so readers can focus on what really adds meaning to their lives.”
    (More info: www.realsimple.com )
    Be Like Karim.
    In response to my request for advice on how those of us who aren’t professional designers can incorporate a design sensibility into our lives, Karim Rashid sent me his “Karimanifesto,” a fifty-point guide to life and design. Here are some excerpts:
1. Don’t specialize.
5. Before giving birth to anything physical, ask yourself if you have created an original idea, an original concept, if there is any real value in what you disseminate.
6. Know everything about the history of your profession and then forget it all when you design something new.
7. Never say “I could have done that” because you didn’t.
24. Consume experiences, not things.
33. Normal is not good.
38. There are three types of beings—those who create culture, those who buy culture, and those who don’t give a shit about culture. Move between the first two.
40. Think extensively, not intensively.
43. Experience is the most important part of living, and the exchange of ideas and human contact is all life really is. Space and objects can encourage increased experiences or distract from our experiences.
50. Here and now is all we got.
    The above from Karim Rashid, one the most world’s most versatile, prolific, and celebrated designers. (More info: www.karimrashid.com )
    Become a Design Detective.
    It’s a favorite hobby of the real estate–obsessed and the just plain nosy: visiting open houses. Follow their example and spend a Sunday walking through other people’s homes. Scour the real estate ads in search of residences likely to yield an eclectic mix of design ideas and insights. Tour a half dozen homes and look for design trends and commonalities, as well as unique or quirky expressions of the owners’ personalities and tastes. Take a page from architect Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House, and “notice what constitutes the spaces that feel good to you. Try to determine if they appeal on an emotional level or in a physical way. And try to articulate why.”
    Perhaps turn this into a group outing by collecting several friends and heading off to different open houses. Gather at the end of the day to compare notes. And be sure to take advantage of decorator show homes and neighborhood house tours. They can provide a healthy dose of design diversity in just a few hours.
    The snooping approach can also work on the job. Next time you’re at someone else’s workplace, look around. How does the physical environment make you feel? Would you be productive and happy in this kind of setting? How do the layout, the lighting, and the furniture enhance or impede how people interact and communicate? What design elements would you incorporate into your own workplace?
    Participate in the “Third
    Industrial Revolution.”
    If we’re all designers, what better way to get started than by designing something yourself? “In the future,” says Italian designer Gaetano Pesce, “customers will expect original objects. What I call the third industrial revolution will give people the opportunity to have a unique piece.” You can sample the revolution by designing your own Nike shoe—with the color, pattern, and image that’s right for you. (More info: nikeid.nike.com) You can also do the same with Vans skate shoes. (More info: www.vans.com ) Or, for the ultimate expression of individuality, use your handwriting to create your very own font. (More info: www.fontifier.com ) “The proliferation of mass customization