(Book Review) Design is a Job, 1st Edition

Overview

Review Published: July, 2017

From passionate design advocate Mike Monteiro comes a practical guide for navigating the design industry.

From successfully finding and screening clients, to presenting your work and receiving client feedback, this book delivers a practical perspective for working on real-world design projects.

Rating:

4.5 / 5

(Great Content, Presentation is Entertaining)

What does this score mean?

Difficulty:

Beginner (Straight-forward presentation, no industry jargon).

Length:

149 pages.

Where to Buy It:

Check your Local Library:

In addition to books and periodicals, many local libraries give their patrons access to a wide array of video and instructional resources. Check with your local library for details.

What's Good

Provides a unique "insider" perspective; this book comes from years of front-line experience with a myriad of different experiences and examples to draw from.
Practical advice & additional resources; from client screening to working with a client's internal design team, this book shares anecdotal insights on how to deal with real-world situations, as well as provides a set of additional resources for further reading.
Vital business guidance without the jargon; advice is given primarily from the perspective of running your own freelance practice or agency, and includes vital information in a straight-forward, digestible way.

What Can Be Improved

Pricing for design services; while this is addressed in a general sense, some readers are going to be looking for definitive numbers, and you won't find them due to the nature of the design industry (but some ballpark numbers and additional resources would provide a good starting point for readers).

The Bottom Line

No-Nonsense approach; this book cuts through all of the bullshit and hesitancy that designers often have to deal with, and teaches you exactly how to deal with common difficult situations.
For any level of UX freelancer or consultant; from understanding the business context you'll be jumping into, to being able to manage stakeholder expectations, this is a book you'll be referencing a lot over the course of your career.
Uniquely valuable content that's very affordable; you're not going to find a practical guide like this anywhere else (as far as I know), and it'll save you countless hours of heart-breaking trial and error for around $15.