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Why Design Is Hard
“When you play a video game, you’re in control. You design and decide everything. We're told this is how design careers unfold – that our ideas will be adored and we will influence big decisions. But this is not how the real world works. What we call designing is in reality mostly advising. We make things as suggestions for other powerful people—clients, executives, and project teams—and they often ignore our expertise. This is why design is hard.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. In this potent, humorous, real-world–based book by design-industry veterans Scott Berkun and Bryan Zug, you’ll learn how to use the skills you already have to navigate, negotiate, and influence the people, power, and systems that currently hold you back.”
But it doesn’t have to be this way. In this potent, humorous, real-world–based book by design-industry veterans Scott Berkun and Bryan Zug, you’ll learn how to use the skills you already have to navigate, negotiate, and influence the people, power, and systems that currently hold you back.”
- GenresDesignNonfictionBusiness
118 pages, Paperback
Published September 23, 2024
56 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Scott Berkun
23 books318 followersScott Berkun is the author of four popular books, Making Things Happen, The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker and Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds. His work as a writer and speaker have appeared in the The Washington Post, the New York Times, Wired, the Economist, Fast Company, Forbes, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, National Public Radio and other media. His many popular essays and entertaining lectures can be found for free on his blog at http://www.scottberkun.com, and he tweets at https://twitter.com/berkun.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 23, 2024
In our post-pandemic, "AI all the things!" world, it's never been clearer that to design something — anything at all — is political This, of course, poses a difficult problem for aspiring designers: in addition to focusing on whatever it is we want/need to design, we must also consider the context in which we're designing (cue the Eliel Saarinen quote) and the people whose trust will help us realize our vision.
In Why Design is Hard, Scott Berkun and Bryan Zug offer a humorous, candid, insightful take on the myths to which design and designers ourselves fall prey. For example, the myths that (1) good ideas speak for themselves, (2) the majority of leaders will have knowledge that only designers have, (3) our job titles actually help people understand what we do, or (4) we shouldn't show low-fidelity work. In each case, Berkun and Zug explore how we might proactively engage with these myths using the tools of power, influence, and acceptance.
Why Design is Hard is similar in spirit to books like Mike Monteiro's "Design is a Job", Dan Hill's "Dark Matter and Trojan Horses", and Dan Brown's "Designing Together." What's different, however, is the authors' perspective: this isn't written from the perspective of independent consultants, or the owners of a small design studio; it draws on the wisdom of people who have led or contributed to teams inside of existing organizations. For this reason above all, I heartily recommend Why Design Is Hard to designers who are new to the politics of design.
In Why Design is Hard, Scott Berkun and Bryan Zug offer a humorous, candid, insightful take on the myths to which design and designers ourselves fall prey. For example, the myths that (1) good ideas speak for themselves, (2) the majority of leaders will have knowledge that only designers have, (3) our job titles actually help people understand what we do, or (4) we shouldn't show low-fidelity work. In each case, Berkun and Zug explore how we might proactively engage with these myths using the tools of power, influence, and acceptance.
Why Design is Hard is similar in spirit to books like Mike Monteiro's "Design is a Job", Dan Hill's "Dark Matter and Trojan Horses", and Dan Brown's "Designing Together." What's different, however, is the authors' perspective: this isn't written from the perspective of independent consultants, or the owners of a small design studio; it draws on the wisdom of people who have led or contributed to teams inside of existing organizations. For this reason above all, I heartily recommend Why Design Is Hard to designers who are new to the politics of design.
December 7, 2025
A brilliant summary of many of my thoughts and experiences of working in the world of data. I appreciate how concise this book is. At the same time, I can see how it might not resonate so strongly with people who can't relate the general scenarios provided to specific situations of their own. Nonetheless, this is the exact book I needed to read right now and I'm very grateful to the person who recommended it to me.
August 11, 2025
can’t agree more
November 5, 2024
It was good. Timely. Nodding my head along as I turned the pages. I'll probably read it again when the new year starts.
October 29, 2024
Scott Berkun is one of my favorite writers and the author of The Year without Pants, one of the best books on managing people I've read. If you have anything to do with management, go and read that book.
On the other hand, if you are a designer, I would not recommend reading Why Design is Hard.
Honestly, I barely made it through the first chapter. By nature, I'm very optimistic and always try to find a way to make things happen. So reading a book that feels like an endless moaning and whimpering about the hardships of being the designer no one in the organization takes seriously is a real pain. And this moaning, in various ways, takes up about 80% of the book.
As a designer, I feel almost offended that the author takes such a stance and proclaims that all designers behave like narcissistic crybabies focused only on their art. Yeah, there are designers like this, but definitely not most of them. And it's not just about designers—you can find people like this in all professions.
So, is design actually hard? Well, guess what? It is. Design is not just drawing pretty pictures; it is also a lot about communication and working with other people. Designers are typically not solitary artists. They need to communicate their ideas with other people. And this exactly is the big revelation the author serves us in the book. Well, that is a bit underwhelming, isn't it? And the author's advice on how to overcome this? *Seek power.* Seriously. If you are a designer, no one takes you seriously, so seek power to push your ideas forward.
I disagree. First, you need to actually provide value with your designs—to the users first, to the business second, and always to both. Then, you need to clearly communicate this value with others. Yes, it is not easy, but what is?
If you want to read a really good and practical book on thriving as a designer in the real world, read UX for Business by Joel March. And mainly - quit bitching how hard the life is and go and do something about it.
On the other hand, if you are a designer, I would not recommend reading Why Design is Hard.
Honestly, I barely made it through the first chapter. By nature, I'm very optimistic and always try to find a way to make things happen. So reading a book that feels like an endless moaning and whimpering about the hardships of being the designer no one in the organization takes seriously is a real pain. And this moaning, in various ways, takes up about 80% of the book.
As a designer, I feel almost offended that the author takes such a stance and proclaims that all designers behave like narcissistic crybabies focused only on their art. Yeah, there are designers like this, but definitely not most of them. And it's not just about designers—you can find people like this in all professions.
So, is design actually hard? Well, guess what? It is. Design is not just drawing pretty pictures; it is also a lot about communication and working with other people. Designers are typically not solitary artists. They need to communicate their ideas with other people. And this exactly is the big revelation the author serves us in the book. Well, that is a bit underwhelming, isn't it? And the author's advice on how to overcome this? *Seek power.* Seriously. If you are a designer, no one takes you seriously, so seek power to push your ideas forward.
I disagree. First, you need to actually provide value with your designs—to the users first, to the business second, and always to both. Then, you need to clearly communicate this value with others. Yes, it is not easy, but what is?
If you want to read a really good and practical book on thriving as a designer in the real world, read UX for Business by Joel March. And mainly - quit bitching how hard the life is and go and do something about it.
May 7, 2025
Overall, the book uses its fun 'voicy' nature to help designers get buy-in in the corporate world.
The first section regarding ego was not as helpful and made me question if other designers actually had inflated egos as suggested or if this was just a dialed up exaggeration.
The real value lies in the remainder of the book about getting buy-in and working with other groups. It focuses on integrating design thinking into organizational goals and between department teams. It's not just limited to designers; the advice is helpful to everyone that wants to generate trust and have impact in the work they do.
I would recommend this book to folks entering the workforce for the first time or struggling at an organization that hasn't yet been accepting of your ideas. This book will give you tactics on improving your standing and navigating how big decisions are made.
The first section regarding ego was not as helpful and made me question if other designers actually had inflated egos as suggested or if this was just a dialed up exaggeration.
The real value lies in the remainder of the book about getting buy-in and working with other groups. It focuses on integrating design thinking into organizational goals and between department teams. It's not just limited to designers; the advice is helpful to everyone that wants to generate trust and have impact in the work they do.
I would recommend this book to folks entering the workforce for the first time or struggling at an organization that hasn't yet been accepting of your ideas. This book will give you tactics on improving your standing and navigating how big decisions are made.
September 20, 2024
I received an advance copy of this book and felt it spoke to me at every page and chapter. I have been a design professional for over 25 years and the notion that design gets easier with experience couldn't be father from the truth. Scott and Bryan lay out the foundational challenges that we can expect to face and share their perspectives on the hard work needed to overcome them. The book is really well written and the writing styles and perspectives compliment each other perfectly. You will love this book.
September 25, 2024
Attention design educators
Early in my career, I participated in a multi-year leadership program run by Penn State University. I was horrified to discover that public meetings of elected leaders aren’t where decisions happen. It’s where they are made public.
Scott and Bryan’s book synthesizes this ah-ha for the corporate environment with focus on the design team. It is a practical guide to understanding organizational power and influence. And it should be absorbed and incorporated by anyone teaching any aspect of design.
Early in my career, I participated in a multi-year leadership program run by Penn State University. I was horrified to discover that public meetings of elected leaders aren’t where decisions happen. It’s where they are made public.
Scott and Bryan’s book synthesizes this ah-ha for the corporate environment with focus on the design team. It is a practical guide to understanding organizational power and influence. And it should be absorbed and incorporated by anyone teaching any aspect of design.
December 28, 2024
One of those books that makes you nod in agreement and mutter, “Yes. This!” to yourself at a fairly constant rate. Contemplating using this as a text in my Professional Practices of Design course at Georgia Tech . . . . Full of good reminders and, honestly, kinda perfect at ~100 pages and less than $10 on Amazon. Sound advice. Good ideas for reframing situations and active ideas to move away from being passive to becoming influential.
December 11, 2024
A book for ages for Designer at all levels
Going forward, this is going to be my recommendation to every designer I meet. It concisely covers the challenges we face and how to reframe them and reach better solutions.
Going forward, this is going to be my recommendation to every designer I meet. It concisely covers the challenges we face and how to reframe them and reach better solutions.
January 26, 2025
Good. No surprise that what makes design "hard" is remembering that most activities involve relationships and the dynamics of those relationships. A refresher on team concepts and "managing up" was worth the time.
March 24, 2025
Extremely helpful in reshaping my perception of corporate UX design and giving some insight of what I'm in for. Short and easy to read but dense with great information. This book is essentials for designers or even those working with designers regularly.
April 19, 2025
3.5. I agreed with and liked the discussion of the larger ideas in this book a lot, but I think I would have preferred it included at least a few examples of the influence and/or power dynamics discussed for a better understanding of how to put this into action.
June 14, 2025
This book articulated my frustrations as a designer perfectly. It also provided realistic tips for how to approach these challenges, and learn what you're seeking out of your career--do you want to be a true decision maker? Do you want to drive influence? I found it very helpful.
September 2, 2025
Book for class, but honestly really appreciated it. Design is hard. Many people don’t understand our role, value our skills, or see the struggle of asserting our place in the work field. It’s a change of attitude not exertion. Lots of good tidbits and one liners
December 5, 2024
Read it, absorb the knowledge, pick up the recommendations and put them into practice. You might have a chance to not feel like Dilbert or Alice in your next project.
January 24, 2025
Feels like the most genuine outlook about working as a designer I've ever read. No fantasy, it's grounded and practical. A must read for every designer out there !
March 21, 2025
Suggests that one of biggest obstacles for designers is a self inflicted one, and prescribes an attitude change. Very short, good for a junior designer.
March 29, 2025
Most useful design book in a long time!
April 27, 2025
A perfectly timed book for me. I believe everyone who works in a creative field should read it. Highly recommend! 🔥
May 11, 2025
Incredibly useful gift from a colleague at the perfect time
November 7, 2025
short and too the point.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews