A Back-to-School Reading (and Listening) List
Now that the kids have gone back to school, it’s time for creative professionals to focus a little more time on continued education, too. Put away the summer beach reads and check out one of these resources on marketing, design and business, recommended by the team at Atomicdust.
What We’re Reading:
Chief Marketing Officers at Work: Want to get into the mind of the CMO? This book has interviews with executives from Target, GE, Harvard Business School, Spotify and more.
Do Purpose: Why Brands with a Purpose Do Better and Matter More: What’s one way to help build brand love? Be a brand with purpose. Author David Hieatt offers quick anecdotes and insight on building a purpose-driven company and inspiring customers.
A Smile in the Mind: This expanded edition of the 1996 original explores witty thinking in graphic design – and proves that humor has a place in every industry (even the funeral industry).
Radical Candor: This leadership guide argues that the best way to be a “kick-ass” boss is to care personally and challenge directly. Throughout, author Kim Scott includes anecdotes from her time at Apple, Google, and her own start-up.
15 Things They Didn’t Teach You at Design School: A quick read (who doesn’t love a listicle?) from Creative Bloq, creatives from around the country reveal what they wish they had known in college, to give you a head-start in your creative career.
Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days: Serial entrepreneuer Chris Guillebeau shares a step-by-step roadmap to starting a business. A great resource whether you’re launching a side project, a full-time gig, or trying to get a new idea off the ground, Chris shares tips for brainstorming, financing, marketing and more.
Vlog Like a Boss: How to Kill It Online with Video Blogging: With the popularity of YouTube, Instagram Stories and Snapchat, it’s no secret that video is a new ‘must’ in content marketing. YouTuber Amy Schmittauer shares strategies learned from her years of experience, and helps readers get over their fears and start uploading.
And Listening To:
Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad Podcast: This weekly podcast from AdWeek is an easy way to stay up to date on the latest trends in advertising and technology. While they tend to focus more on traditional media and consumer brands, it’s a great way to check the pulse of the industry and see where more conservative, B2B markets may be headed soon.
Open for Business Podcast: This podcast from eBay and Gimlet Creative is about building a business – everything from hiring and setting prices to surviving failure. We especially liked episodes #4 Every Launch is a Movement, #7 How to Reinvent Your Business and #12 Who You Are, Not What You Sell. Fair warning, it is a branded podcast so there are a lot of eBay plugs.
How I Built This Podcast: Guy Raz hosts this podcast about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built. Each episode features a different founder from some of the world’s best known companies and brands.
The Observatory Podcast: Legendary designers Jessica Helfand and Michael Bierut talk about everything from the latest commercial campaigns and technology news to musings on graphic design philosophies.
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