Design Is a Job, The Necessary Second Edition FAQ

Look at this printer’s proof all spread out like a crime scene.

TL;DR: It’s a damn good book. Just fucking buy it.

“You know it’s the 10th anniversary of your book, right?”

“No shit? The first one?”

“Yes, you might want to consider doing a second edition and revising some of the stuff in there.”

“I am very sure I don’t want to do that.”

That was a conversation between me and Erika Hall earlier this year. When I said I didn’t want to revise the book I very much meant it. Insert something about not looking back, always moving forward. Meaning, I was really into watching my TV shows at the time. But a seed was planted. A few weeks passed. I casually picked up the book, which I hadn’t read in — checks notes — ten years. (I mean, who, besides Malcolm Gladwell, reads their own books?) And I found myself arguing with my own book. Turns out past me wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. So I called up Katel LeDû, who runs A Book Apart, and asked if she was willing to do a second edition. Amazingly, she said yes. 

So you have questions about the new edition, yes? I hopefully have some answers. Let’s do an FAQ and then post it on a blog like it’s 1998! 

Why did you write a second edition?

Same thing that motivated me to write the first edition—I want to help designers. Design, especially UX design, changes pretty quickly. And the world, which both affects design and is affected by design, has gone through a wild transformation in the last ten years. The first edition no longer reflected the current situation. And since the book is still being read, and even used in school curriculums, I felt like it was my responsibility to update it to help people navigate the current situation. Terrible times called for a different book. And this book is significantly different. It’s simultaneously a bit bleaker than the first, and a bit more hopeful, too.

Who did you write this edition for? 

Throughout this pandemic I’ve been doing workshops on Zoom. And as time passed, I was seeing folks coming in looking more and more spent. They’d just gotten out of one meeting, and had another meeting right after the workshop. Some of them were trying to do all of this while also taking care of kids. And most of them were doing it from homes where they had never intended to do this type of thing. ALL of them told me they were working much longer days than they’d ever had before. And these were the people lucky enough to be working from home during the pandemic! Companies used the pandemic to intrude into people’s homes and demand more from them than they ever had before. Many of those companies have been posting record profits during the pandemic. Many of these folks are now being laid off. 

I’ve already read the first edition, do I need to read this one?

First off, thank you for reading the first edition. Secondly, yes. It’s significantly different from the first.  The first edition might as well be a history book. The second edition is planted squarely in the present, with hopefully a clearer eye on the future. 

Is it all that different?

I’d say it’s about 50% new material.

What’s the biggest difference between them?

Well, from a practical point-of-view, the first edition was pretty much written for people in client services — Grandpa Simpson voice: which was the style at the time! Now most designers work in-house. So we get to deal with that whole dynamic of power structures, toxic workplaces, how everyone in HR is a cop, etc. And the book spends a significant amount of time talking about designers as workers. 

Gimme that in plain language, man.

The first edition is a business book. The second edition is a labor manual. (Don’t tell your boss.)

Are you smarter than you were 10 years ago?

No, I’m more aware of how much I don’t know than I was 10 years ago.

Should I purchase a large box to hand out to recent design school graduates?

Yes, and… get on the right side of history about student debt forgiveness.

What’s up with all the stupid marketing videos?

Man, I was trying a lot of different stuff. First off, just like no one else is going to write your book, no one else is going to market your book. And  publishers don’t have marketing budgets, that goes for big publishers and small. Unless you’re one of the top 5 authors on earth, you’re not getting a marketing budget. Then you’re about against all the social media algorithms. You gotta just try a lot of things. Some will work, and do more of those. Some won’t work, so don’t do more of those. But never be afraid to tell people that your work is worth their time and attention. If I didn’t think this book was worth your time, attention, and money, I would’ve spiked it.

How can we help?

What a great question! First off, buy the book. That’s always nice. Then, if you get something out of it, tell people about it! Tell them in person, tell them on Twitter (which may or may not exist in a few days), LinkedIn, etc. Pull out a favorite quote. People love quotes! And make sure to include a link to here: https://abookapart.com/products/design-is-a-job.

Or, you can just grab one of these:

What are you listening to right now?

The new Dry Cleaning, but that’s not a book question. It is really good though.

Who is Sam Cabrera and why did she write your foreword?

I met Sam a few years ago at an AIGA-related event and she just seemed like a great combination of smart and pissed-off at the status quo. Since then she’s taken over the Los Angeles chapter of AIGA, and she’s doing a lot of good work. When I think of the future of design I think of people like Sam. I’m excited for more people to get to know her.

In your last book you said you would never write another design book, and yet here we are.

Yeah, and I meant it when I said it. And I’ll say it again: I’m not writing another design book.

Will there be an audiobook version?

Yep. Recording it as we speak.

Where do I buy it?

Great question. You can buy it at A Book Apart.