Visual Communication in Digital Design

This book is an excellent tutorial for people who want to understand the basics of good graphic design.  Written in a clear and easy to understand manner, the author walks the reader through how to use design elements to communicate effectively.  Areas covered include balance, using lines, designs, patterns, textures, color, space, grids, stability, layout, grid systems, color theory, and typography.  The result is a product that is visually appealing and moves the reader's eyes in the direction you want them to go for maximum effect.  If you want to learn the art of vis

Ultimate Leadership

This is one of the most practical books on leadership that I have read.  There are a plethora of books on leadership styles and principles of leadership.  This one is unique in that it focuses on how to implement the basic principles of leadership within the context of different leadership styles. Principles of leadership do not change but how they are implemented within an organization can vary greatly based on the leadership style.

Will Your Next Mistake Be Fatal?

When a business fails, a plane crashes, or some other catastrophic event occurs it is rarely the result of a single mistake. Instead it is the result of a chain of mistakes each of which just compounds the prior ones until the final catastrophe. In this book the author examines how these chains of events start and how the culture, habits, assumptions, and other factors combine to move it to its final conclusion. Mr.

The Power of Impossible Thinking

Although touted as a business book with the subtitle Transform the Business of Your Life and the Life of Your Business this is a book with tremendous value for everyone. There are many, many books on the market discuss how business leaders often get into a mental rut and as a result miss important opportunities. While this one is similar it is also very different in that it not only provides much better examples but also provides suggestions and methods on how to get out of that mode of thinking.

Moral Intelligence

Not every business leader lacks a moral compass that guides their lives despite what the news services would have us think. In fact, the authors of this book suggest that everyone has an innate moral compass and the moral intelligence to know what is right and wrong. What the leaders lack when they engage in questionable or blatantly illegal actions is the moral capacity to follow that compass.

Managing Customers as Investments

Are you spending more on your customers than they are worth?

Light Their Fire

Companies pay a lot of attention to a strong marketing plan for consumers but often don't pay much attention to internal marketing. One of the most powerful marketing forces you have is your employees. When they are excited about your product then they tell others. The authors of this book provide step-by-step guidance on how to get your employees to become your best marketing source by being your most dedicated consumer. They even include details on how to do things like break bad news to employees in such as way that it does not demoralize others.

Green Weenies and Due Diligence

One of the things that distinguishes most industries is some form of jargon used by the insiders. Here to rescue the newbie is a compendium of terms and definitions from the world of business. Besides general jargon that is common among most businesses like alpha dog and peanut gallery it includes terms specific to particular industries such as Investments, Accounting and Tax, Debt and Banking, Legal, Real Estate, Insurance, Contracts, Business Planning, Acquisitions, and Divestitures. This is fascinating reading with lots of terms I've heard before and even more that are entirely new to me.

The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid

With so many businesses focusing on the middle to upper income markets under the belief that they are the ones with the disposable income to purchase their products, C. K. Prahalad argues that there is tremendous profit potential at the bottom of the pyramid among the poor nations. In a compelling argument he presents his position with clarity, convincing narrative, and multiple examples. But this is not just about corporate profits from the poorest nations but also about how it can be used to significantly reduce or eradicate poverty.

Finding Fertile Ground

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in America. This is true even while forty percent of new businesses close in under a year and only twenty five percent make it to their eighth year. What determines which ones will be successful? While it is partly management skill and other business acumen it also depends in great part on picking the right venture. The purpose of this book is to help the reader find the right venture in the technology arena.