Creative Strategy and the Business of Design

by Douglas Davis

“Douglas wears a lot of hats–all stylish and functional. There’s a huge disconnect happening right now in the industry and Douglas’s book is a means to bridging that gap.” —The Huffington Post

The Business Skills Every Creative Needs!

Remaining relevant as a creative professional takes more than creativity--you need to understand the language of business. The problem is that design school doesn't teach the strategic language that is now essential to getting your job done. Creative Strategy and the Business of Design fills that void and teaches left-brain business skills to right-brain creative thinkers.

Inside, you'll learn about the business objectives and marketing decisions that drive your creative work. The curtain's been pulled away as marketing-speak and business jargon are translated into tools to help

–Understand client requests from a business perspective
–Build a strategic framework to inspire visual concepts
–Increase your relevance in an evolving industry
–Redesign your portfolio to showcase strategic thinking
–Win new accounts and grow existing relationships

You already have the creativity; now it's time to gain the business insight. Once you understand what the people across the table are thinking, you'll be able to think how they think to do what we do.

Genres: Design, Business, Nonfiction, Art Design, Creative, Art, Buisness

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2016

Reviews

[Adam David · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you work in any design discipline or creative industry outside the marketing, advertising or communication design, this book covers what you probably already know. If you’re like me, business, strategy, product development and design naturally bind together. Nothing in this book is particularly new, interesting or groundbreaking. I also found it repetitive. Ideas and concepts are constantly recapped throughout. It’s quite frustrating and frankly patronising.

[Hiran Venugopalan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a designer, with no business knowledge, but want to learn the basics of "Business Strategy" and related stuff, this is a good place to start. It is written more like a text book, follows an order, and defines things assuming reader has no context. (which is a great thing)

[Aleksander Prifti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for everybody who works in the creative industry! This book is a thought-provoking and indispensable guide for anyone seeking to bridge the gap between creativity and commerce in the design industry. With keen insights and practical advice, it offers a comprehensive roadmap for designers and creative professionals to not only harness their artistic talents but also leverage them effectively in the competitive business landscape.

Douglas Davis combines his wealth of experience and a clear, engaging writing style to demystify complex concepts, making them accessible to both seasoned practitioners and newcomers alike. This book is a valuable resource that empowers designers to not only create compelling visuals but also build sustainable and profitable design businesses.

[mle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is such a grift. The author has nothing to say, and most of the text comes across as filler to make a word count to publish a book for the sake of it.

[Kashthi Vajawat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Creative Strategy and the Business of Design is an insightful guide that bridges the gap between creativity and business thinking, showing how design can become a strategic tool rather than just an artistic expression. Through his conversational tone and personal experiences, he explains how understanding the “why” behind a project transforms a designer from a visual executor into a strategic thinker. He emphasizes the importance of interpreting and questioning creative briefs, identifying key insights, and translating business objectives into compelling creative solutions. One of the book’s most valuable lessons is how creatives and strategists can work together—where data meets storytelling and emotion gives life to information. The author’s examples, such as learning to “speak business” as a designer, make the concepts feel real and applicable to client situations. His chapters are short, crisp, and practical, filled with narratives that make even technical marketing terms feel approachable. What stands out is his constant reminder that business problems are, in fact, creative problems waiting to be solved. By the end of the book, it becomes clear how design and strategy can work together, and how creative challenges can be approached with clarity, purpose, and strategic insight.

[Krasi Daskalov · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent introduction to the strategic and business aspects of design. It gives a great perspective on how every designer's decision should strive to achieve a specific goal with a specific desired outcome. Brand and graphic design are now inextricably linked with business and are no longer simply expressions of creativity and art. Author seeks to guide us to make more objective and relevant decisions that can be rationally justified by using real data rather than subjective feelings. I really like the proposed design and creative process, which first seeks to define the most important parameters that a creative solution seeks to resolve, making the execution far more clear and defined.

[Jamie from The Doer Co · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think as an overview about business for creatives who've never read another business book - Creative Strategy and the Business of Design is too broad. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this as a first business book because it only briefly glosses over some important concepts. I enjoyed reading it personally though, as I've read about all of the points touched on (including many of the books referenced internally) in detail outside of this context. If you read this as a first business book you would need to read more of the books recommended and then re-read this to get the full value out of it.

[Sofilobos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estuvo bien. La verdad creo que que el libro estuviese en ingles me la complico un poco por que si los terminos me resultan aburridos en español, imaginate en ingles.
Nose si las escuelas de diseño serán diferentes en Estados Unidos pero había partes que yo las sentía medio obvio por que son cosas que ví en la facultad, tipo hacer briefs, investigar a tu publico, los mejores canales para transimtir el mensaje, etc.
No quiere decir que el libro me haya sido completamente inutil, hay partes que resalté y recordarle a un diseñador como lidiar con los "suits" siempre viene bien y tenía un par de tips buenos.
Creo que está bueno como para tener y consultar de vez en cuando.

[Dan Cristino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting out as a designer who wants to give more while at the same time melding into the cauldron of business and creativity, this book gives clarity to how you should operate with a goal in mind. The ever growing and more intertwined areas of business where creativity matters require understanding the language they are using while at the same time making them understand you in straightforward and frictionless conversations. Being able to master these traits and techniques laid in the book will help you navigate with lesser and lesser unnecessary stress.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just alright. Was hoping this book was going to be a "how to" on fusing your creative brain with your analytical brain but its definitely more of "an intro to business for creative thinkers". The information in here is decent but not explained very well and goes off topic quite frequently. If I knew absolutely nothing about business this would be an ok starting book to read, but if you've studied business for any amount of time this book doesn't really have much to offer.

[Cynthia Rimmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Main takeaway was differentiating between features and benefits. Features are what an item offers and benefits are how it actually helps the consumer. For example, my car might have the ability to play video games as a feature, but that’s of no benefit to me, however the hybrid feature of my car means I don’t have to stop for 500 miles, which saves me time and reduces stops in sketchy neighborhoods.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who only ever attended design school and never gave a thought to strategy, this book was an eye-opening experience to say the least. Not only does the author break down the basics of strategy and it's importance, but there are also great examples and explanations along the way. A must read for any solopreneurs or employed designers looking to step up their game.

[Julia Braga · Rating 5 out of 5]

CSBD is seriously my favorite strategy book, written in a tangible way with clear insights, the way a strategy book should be.

Douglas emanates experience in his writing, and is a book that you will revisit over and over again for referencing. I made everyone in the studio read it!

[Yvonnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great guide for the Creative industry. Covering aspects of merging Business and Creative. There are many insights from industry experts as well as recommendations for further reading. It is a practical insight that can be useful for beginners to advanced levels of experience.

[Benny R · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly standard overview of how creativity fits into and enhances business and marketing strategies. It covers the basics of briefs, positioning, and client communication, but feels surface-level if you already have any real design or creative experience. Nothing great, nothing terrible.

[Stef Hamerlinck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book on how strategy and design influence each other. How to always start with strategy.

[Kelsey Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing.

[Heghine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for designers who want to do design at high prices. Know how to make a strategy and get qualified work

[Jes Tongio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Valuable guidebook that I'll keep handy in all my creative projects and career moves. However it is very dryly written.

[Floduardo de Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Probably one of the best in brand strategy. A must have mostly for brands lovers, and entrepreneurs in the creative field.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-designed book, but the content was underwhelming. Was expecting that this was about the business of design strategy rather than branding strategy 101.

[Jeremy Rickaby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plainly and bluntly put, i found it hard to get through. There seems to be a lot of useful nuggets throughout, however I felt the delivery overall was repetitive and almost too technical. I just couldn’t sink my teeth into it and stay drawn in. Perhaps worth another try down the road.

[Myo Pyae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for creative people to venture into directly communicate with clients in business terms, instead of just making things pretty.

Recommend it to all designers who often need a constructive rationale in the marketing aspects for their design decisions whenever challenged by the clients.