Synopses & Reviews
The business world is going through a period of profound and massive change that goes far deeper than any financial slump. The economics of efficiency that has defined the landscape for at least the past hundred years is now giving way to an economics of creativity. Mass production is bowing to customization and niche markets. On top of that the once-maligned notion of sustainability has not only entrenched itself into the business world but it's clear that companies who haven't planned for a bright green future are scrambling to transform themselves or risk getting left behind.
A Fine Line is a story about business transformation and a guide through this new business landscape. Written for business executives, managers, and consultants by Hartmut Essligner, the founder of one of the world's foremost strategic-creative consulting firms, frog design, inc., this book reveals the secrets behind Esslinger and frog's own transformation from industrial design wunderkind to a strategic-creative consulting firm that has helped companies as varied as Apple and Disney change the way they do business.
The success frog and its clients have discovered involves a creative processes steeped in design. And while businesses and designers have a long history of success working together, there is a unique difference between frog and most other design firms. Instead of working to inject a temporary innovation booster at companies, frog works to make design an integral and permanent part of a company's strategy. Design by frog's definition and practice is an end-to-end meta-process that cultivates innovation, designs the business system and organization to support the innovation, plans for successin a measurable way, and leads the client through execution. Only then will profound, sustainable, and lasting business transformation and success occur. The stories, ideas, and strategies in these pages will prove that the cultural, humanistic, and economic power of creative strategy is the best preparation for the many evolving business challenges of the new century.
Synopsis
A story of business transformation and a guide to creative strategies for designing a better business
Written by Hartmut Esslinger, the founder of one of the world's foremost innovation firms, frog design, inc., The Power of Beauty reveals the secrets to better business through better design. Linking the amazing story of Esslinger's transformation from industrial design wunderkind to a global innovation powerhouse to the challenges facing businesses in the rise of the creative economy today, The Power of Beauty illustrates how successful business leaders partner with designers in building a better and more profitable future. Instead of offering companies a temporary innovation ???booster', frog works to build creative design into the framework of any organization's competitive strategy. The stories, ideas, and innovative solutions in this book clearly illustrate the economic power of creativity and design's role in shaping a sustainable competitive advantage for businesses in the rapidly evolving creative economy.
Hartmut Esslinger (San Francisco, CA and New York, NY) is the founder of frog design, inc, a global innovation firm, and one of the most respected designers and business consultants in the world. Esslinger founded frog design in his native Germany and sparked a design revolution. His work has defined the modern consumer aesthetic with such revolutionary products as the Apple Macintosh computer, Sony's original Trinitron television, and Lufthansa's brand and fleet image. He is also Founding Professor of the Hochschule f??r Gestaltung in Karlsruhe, Germany and Professor for Convergent Design at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria.
Synopsis
praise for a fine line
"A breath of turbo-charged fresh air that doesn't regurgitate the ego-maniac CEO's selective memory or an outside expert's misinterpretations. Hartmut explains innovation through the lens of design, and it's about time we gained his valuable perspective." Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist, Apple and co-founder of Alltop.com
"At Flextronics, we fell in love with Hartmut and frog, and their passion for bringing crazy great designs and design processes into the forefront of great product companies. We used their expertise to help our customers, many of the greatest product companies in the world, including Apple, HP, Cisco, Microsoft and others. It is a credit to Hartmut that in the midst of a shocking global recession, frog still sets quarterly revenue records. Theirs is a unique and fascinating story." Michael Marks, partner, Riverwood Capital LLC and former CEO, Flextronics
"Hartmut's new approach to design is felt in every room in every house in every country and in every business around the world. He proved that thoughtful design is not only good for people but is good for businessand that both are interlinked. I have been fortunate to have observed first hand his impact at Sony, Apple, and HP?and have learned so much from him. He is an unsung hero of our times! A Fine Line is a must-read for designers and business people alike." Satjiv Chahil, senior vice president, Hewlett-Packard
"A fascinating, breathtaking, and exemplary insight into a success story that never had so much topicality, and so much informative potential as just now. Esslinger offers an honest and encouraging portrait of the incredible power of the business and design alliance. A Fine Line is a handbook of design expertise and the art of business at its best, showing a variety of radical solutions and fresh new ideas." Professor Dr Peter Zec, president, ICSID and founder, red dot awards
Synopsis
"Esslinger's work shows that taste can triumph, design and production can be soul mates, and the eye of an individual can shape a product and a company." From the Foreword by Michael Moritz, partner, Sequoia Capital
For the first time, Hartmut Esslinger, internationally acclaimed designer and founder of frog design, inc., reveals the secrets to better business through better design. Having spent forty years helping build the world's most recognizable brands, Esslinger shows how business leaders and designers can join forces to build creative strategies that will ensure a more profitable and sustainable future.
A Fine Line shares the amazing story of Esslinger's transformation from industrial design wunderkind to a global innovation powerhouse, while detailing the very real challenges facing businesses in the new global economy. Offering companies far more than a temporary innovation booster, Esslinger shows how he and frog build creative design into the framework of an organization's competitive strategy, the same approach that has worked so well for leading edge companies such as Sony, Louis Vuitton, Lufthansa, Disney, Hewlett-Packard, SAP, Microsoft, and Apple.
Offering a step-by-step overview of the innovation processfrom targeting goals to shepherding new products and services to the marketplaceEsslinger reveals how to arrive at a design that reflects an intensely human experience and will connect strongly with consumers. With Esslinger's unique perspective, rich stories, and global mindset, A Fine Line explores business solutions that are environmentally sustainable and contribute to the future of a thriving and lasting global economy.
The blending of design and business intelligence holds the key for shaping a sustainable competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving creative economy. A Fine Line equips business leaders with the necessary tools to thrive in tomorrow's world.
About the Author
Hartmut Esslinger is the founder of frog design, inc., a leading global innovation firm, and one of the most respected designers and business consultants in the world. Esslinger founded frog design in his native Germany and sparked a design revolution. His work has defined the modern consumer aesthetic with such revolutionary products as the Apple Macintosh computer, Sony's Trinitron television, Lufthansa's brand and fleet image, Disney's Cruise Lines and Consumer Electronics, and Louis Vuitton's brand aesthetic. His designs are in the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum in New York. He is also Founding Professor of the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Karlsruhe, Germany and Professor for Convergent Design at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria.
Table of Contents
Foreword.
The Author.
Introduction.
Chapter 1: Design-Driven Strategy: Staking a Claim in the Creative Economy.
Chapter 2: True Lies: The Role of Leadership in Innovation.
Chapter 3: Designing to Win: The Creative Business Strategy.
Chapter 4: Minds Beat Money: The Innovation Process, Step by Step.
Chapter 5: A Business Design Revolution: The Greening of Planet, Inc.
Chapter 6: Design-Driven Strategies for Better Business-And a Better World.
Chapter 7: The Factories.
Epilogue.
Resources.