The Designer’s Bundle

Three essential Holloway guides to nurture your creativity and your career.

Land Your Dream Design Job(

$35value

)Art for Money(

$25value

)Creative Doing(

$25value

)

$85 value

$60$42

Readwise Reader Special

People don’t talk about the business side of art. I would’ve killed to have this info when I started my film company.Andrew Jackson(Director, on Art for Money)

Knowledge for Every Designer to Support Creativity and Career Growth

The Designer’s Bundle is a special offer of Holloway’s most popular guides that can help any designer:

Creative Doing by Herbert Lui explores practical techniques to improve your creative work, especially when you’re blocked or looking to find new inspiration.
Art for Money by Michael Ardelean tells you how to stay true to your creative vision while not selling yourself short, by serving clients well.
Land Your Dream Design Job by Dan Shilov is the definitive guidebook to plan for and get a product design job that’s right for you.

Each guide in the bundle distills decades of wisdom, experience, and exploration. Get lifetime access to each online book, future updates, bookmarks, highlighting, commentary, and all other digital resources included with the title.

Any one of Herbert Lui’s inspired yet down-to-earth prompts has the potential to get you unstuck and to reconnect to the energy that fuels meaningful productivity. But to have so many collected in one place makes them even more powerful: somewhere, here, is the remedy for almost any creative block you might encounter. I know I’ll be returning to Creative Doing again and again.Oliver Burkeman(New York Times bestselling author of “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals”, on Creative Doing)

Creative Doing

What’s Inside

Part I

Start the Creative Process

Set Up Starting Points Read Preview

Make Your Work a Craft

Part II

From Action Comes Progress

Make Constraints Your Canvas Read Preview

Never Run Out of Ideas

Decide What Quality Means

Communicate Your Work

Get Feedback

Part III

Creative Purpose

Get Out Of Your Own Way Read Preview

Know Your Why

Reviews for Creative Doing

We’re all creative beings, but sometimes we need a bit of help. Herbert offers a brilliant toolkit of 75 prompts and ideas you can apply right away to do your best work. I’m a big believer in small steps that lead to massive results, but if you’re in a tough spot it can be hard to figure out exactly what those steps are. Creative Doing is the perfect guide when you feel blocked or when looking for inspiration to take things to the next level.

Rick Pastoor (Co-founder of Rise and author, GRIP)

Choose your passion, then choose a time each day, and dedicate it to only pursuing this passion. For me it was painting, and I decided to do it every day, at lunchtime. I wish I had had this book to guide me when I got started, but luckily, you have Herbert Lui’s insight into the creative mind as a roadmap in starting your journey.

Michael “Big Mike” Saviello (Visual artist)

Having done nearly 10,000 drawings up to this point, there’s no secret to art except consistent, creative doing. It’s not easy, but once you embrace ‘Process’ over ‘Result’ you’ll find you have a lifetime of learning and discovery and creative freedom ahead of you. If you want to learn this method and philosophy, this book is a great place to start.

Shantell Martin (Visual artist)

Herbert Lui is a gifted writer, an original observer, and a truly creative thinker. He always has something to say that’s smart, fresh—and generous.

Rob Walker (Journalist and author, “The Art of Noticing”)

★★★★★ Creative Doing is a slim, inspired volume that deserves space on the shelf of every person who seeks to work in a creative manner.

(Amazon reviewer)

★★★★★ A concise guide with some amazing prompts for getting out of a creative funk.

(Amazon reviewer)

★★★★★ Even if only one of the many suggestions or prompts helps you, it’s well worth the price.

(Amazon reviewer)

Art for Money

What’s Inside

Foreword

Dedication

My Mess Is My Message

Release Your Guilt

The Benefits of Freelancing

Price Your Work

Value Yourself Read Preview

Determining Target Revenue

Determining Retail Value

Creating Your Quote

Should You Just Bill Hourly?

Offering Discounts

Writing a Good Proposal

A Sample Proposal Read Preview

Touch Points

Phases of Work

Pricing Structure

Scope Your Work

Final Fees

Client Contact

Create Your Contract

Proposal Checklist

Doing The Job

Clean Up Your Space Read Preview

Calendarize

Set Alerts and Deliver Early

Stay Organized: Systems, Tools, Apps

Get Your Money

Getting Paid On Time Read Preview

Forming an Entity

Banking, Collecting, and Saving

Client Relationships

The Happy Client

When to Fire a Client

Growing

Be as You Wish to Seem

Network Like Hell

Build Your Team

The Last Word

Reading List

Reviews for Art for Money

I didn't know what a scope of work was until 2013. I wish I would have had this book in 2003.

Michael Carney (Creative Director, The Black Keys)

I reached out to Mike for help, knowing he’d built several ventures across multiple creative mediums, and he said “hold tight.” Then he sent over the book you’re about to read. After that, my income tripled.

Angela Fink (Creative Director at Search for Space)

If you want to stop worrying about money and stay focused on your work, read this book.

Harrison Boyce (Director and Photographer)

Michael’s insight was the kick in the pants I needed to take my business to the next level. He made me reevaluate how I was thinking about finances and the value of my work. And the format makes it fun and easy to read.

Jen B. Peters (Illustrator and Graphic Designer)

No BS, I’m a little jealous that everyone will have the cheat codes to lessons that took me ten years to learn.

Anthony Yamamoto (founder, AKY Creative)

Art for Money is the Porsche 911 of self improvement books. Lightweight, good looking, easy to drive, and fast as shit.

Jordi Hays (founder, hirelikewise.com)

I’m a co-founder of a design agency with 40 employees—and still read this book annually to brush up. It holds up every time!

Ben Bator (Chief Innovation Officer, Lafayette American)

This book covers many topics, but the message about building confidence in your value—that alone is worth the purchase.

Matt Miller (Photographer)

People don’t talk about the business side of art. I would’ve killed to have this info when I started my film company.

Andrew Jackson (Director)

I’m all creative and almost no business, so I found Art For Money to be an easy-to-follow guide and reference when taking on any new client or project. It’s great to have this at my fingertips when I’m in doubt. It’s like having a partner who’s constantly making sure I get the full potential out of my work.

Cody Comrie

★★★★★ Simple, concise and really easy to put into practice. You can tell a lot of intention went into writing and editing this book. Where other "Freelance" guides are long winded and filled with fluff, Art for Money gets straight to the point.

Matthew Jung (Amazon reviewer)

★★★★★ Must read for freelancers!! Highly recommend this quick read to anyone who is looking for guidance in the world of freelancing. As a freelancer myself, I found some parts very triggering but very relatable. The tone the author set was very straight to the point and I will be referring to this book for future projects.

Huseyin E. (Amazon reviewer)

★★★★★ Fast track years of painful experience with simple truths. After 15 years in the industry, with 5 years of operating my own creative agency, this touched on so many hard lessons learned over the years in a refreshing to-the-point, conversational manner with just the right amount of human stories and incredibly helpful specific examples (e.g. operating agreements, SOWs, invoices) and a quick black belt in verbal judo for communicating effectively. If I had to sum it up in once sentence: No one knows what they’re doing, so you prob should. Here’s the basics, which is 80% of it.

Scott P. (Amazon reviewer)

★★★★★ Changed the way I look at work. This book really opened my eyes and changed my perspective on how to charge for work, how to think about work, and how to actually work. Highly recommended for anyone self employed, freelancing, thinking about freelancing, or thinking about quitting a bad boss. This guy’s a genius!

(Amazon reviewer)

★★★★★ Great read and insight for anyone in a creative profession. Myself, being all creative and almost no business, found ‘Art For Money’ to be an easy to follow guide and reference when taking on any new client or project. It’s great to have something at my fingertips when I’m in doubt, to give me insight on the best path forward. It’s like having a partner that can get the full potential out of my work.

(Amazon reviewer)

★★★★★ So useful! Glad I found this book. ... The author provides genuine advice and tips, backed up by real world examples, that are applicable to anyone who creates a form of art. I will definitely be leaving this book on my desk to return to at different points in my freelance journey.

Jackie (Amazon reviewer)

Land Your Dream Design Job

What’s Inside

Part I

The Modern Product Designer

Product Design Skills, Traits, and Responsibilities Read Preview

Defining Your Ideal Role

Mapping Your Design Futures

Part II

Taking Action and Finding Opportunities

Shaping Your Identity Read Preview

Building Your Portfolio

Applying for Roles

Networking Authentically

Part III

Preparing for Design Interviews

Preparing for the Phone Screen Interview Read Preview

Final Interview Preparation

Presenting Your Portfolio: Crafting a Compelling Story

Portfolio Presentation: Public Speaking Tips

Behavioral Design Interviews

Part IV

Acing Design Exercises

The Take-Home Design Exercise Read Preview

Real-World Take-Home Design Exercise Solution

Acing the App Critique

App Critique in Action

Whiteboard Challenge

Whiteboarding Remotely

Part V

After the Interviews

Post-Interview Retro

Learning From Rejection

What to Do When You Get the Offer

Breaking Down Your Design Job Offer

Negotiating Compensation

Leaving Your Job on a High Note

Starting Your Job Strong

Land Well and Own Your Career

Appendix: Resources

Acknowledgements

Reviews for Land Your Dream Design Job

Land Your Dream Design Job is a timely bible for any designer who wants to break into the field. The book is filled with a variety of easy-to-understand principles, examples, tips, and tricks that uncover the ambiguous land of portfolio-building and design interviewing. Even better, you will learn how to define your career goals and pursue the job that's right for you. I highly recommend this book for any designers wanting to pursue their next ideal role.

Hang Le (Head of Design at HelloSign)

Dan's advice and insight into the design interview process is invaluable, particularly at a time when many companies are focused on the design of their products. His book breaks down the interview process into manageable and actionable components, and takes the mystery and confusion out of an often frustrating or scary experience.

Chris Shu (Design and Product Recruiter at Alto Pharmacy)

Dan has summed up the ins and outs of the design interview process, for any designer looking to crack the code on nailing a portfolio review. It’s also a must-read for any hiring manager or product designer involved in the interview process—If your team wants to win, you have to set your candidates up for success, and this book will help you do just that.

Zain Ali (Design, YCombinator)

Finding genuinely thoughtful and thorough insights on design interviewing is rare. Shilov's book is a gem that does that and more with a comprehensive yet pragmatic approach from career aspiration to job offer and beyond. Sage advice for both the early career designer and design veteran (and a refresher course for design managers hiring talent too!).

Melissa Hui (Founder, Context Leap)

Whether you are a new designer or an established one, Shilov’s masterpiece is a step by step blueprint for success to literally landing your dream design job. Starting right from understanding the role, through navigating the design interview process till you ship your first project as a product designer; the book guides you through the ‘what’, ‘why,’ and ‘how’ of the journey. With abundant resources, frameworks, and anecdotes, Shilov distills his experience and expertise in an easy-to-consume format that’ll have you taking a lot of notes for your next play. An excellent read whether you have or have not landed your dream job!

Aniruddha Kadam (Product Design Manager, LinkedIn)

Whether you’re new to the field or have been in the mix for a while, the prospect of finding a job in the design world can be anxiety inducing. With more and more organizations recognizing the value design practices can bring, the industry is evolving rapidly. The considerations for finding the best place and position for you can seem innumerable. This book can help. Dan has done an excellent job of not only organizing all of the things to think about, but providing structure and process to help readers think things through in an intuitive, approachable manner. I would recommend this book not just to job seekers, but also hiring managers and recruiters who want to design their hiring process in alignment with candidates’ experiences.

Adam Connor (Head of Experience Research & Design Elixir, Author of Discussing Design)

Dream design jobs are hard to come by, and more competitive than ever. This book will equip you with methods that can help make getting your dream job a more sure thing.

Marissa Louie (Director of UX Design at Expedia)

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IneedmoretimeinmylifesoIcanreadallof@hollowayguides

Whether you’re a product designer at the beginning of your career or an experienced designer looking to refresh your portfolio and redefine your career goals, Land Your Dream Design Job is a comprehensive book that helps you approach your design career with intention. This book gives you full perspective on the whole interview process and challenges you with questions for self-reflection. You’ll learn new skills and principles that will enhance your career and help you move to the next level.Julie Stanescu(Founder, Rethink, on Land Your Dream Design Job)

About the Authors

Herbert Lui

Creative Doing

Herbert Lui is an editorial director and author. He has been writing since he was 15. His work has appeared at publications like Fast Company, Hypebeast, and Quartz, and he later joined Lifehacker as a staff writer. His company Wonder Shuttle has advised organizations such as the City of Toronto, Shopify, and Skillshare on their writing and publications. He writes the Best of Books newsletter, which shares three great books every month.

Michael Ardelean

Art for Money

Michael Ardelean has always worked at the intersection of art and money. Having grown up bored and broke in suburban Detroit, Michael knew how to get a lot out of a little—streamlining processes and shaking off the baggage of life is his guiding philosophy. His first career, as a pro BMX biker, inspired him to share this outlook and his strategies with others struggling to design a comfortable life around their passion. He moved into merchandising, with a VP role at Alternative Apparel, followed by several years managing a design studio. Michael then began helping creative freelancers with the business end of their work as a consultant. Today, he runs his own recruiting firm, Intro, with the goal of improving organizations (like Madhappy and Buck Mason) by empowering individuals. His passion is advocating for artists of all kinds by helping them make their unique talents financially viable.

Dan Shilov

Land Your Dream Design Job

Dan Shilov is a product designer with over a decade of experience creating products for consumer and enterprise companies across web, mobile and wearable platforms. When he’s not hard at work pushing pixels, he mentors designers and speaks at local design organizations. Over the course of his career he’s interviewed countless designers and design managers and seen them all struggle through various parts of the interview process. As a result, he’s been sharing his insights and documenting interview best practices to help designers put their best foot forward in order to land their dream job. Dan holds a master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly am I buying?
By purchasing a title on Holloway.com, you get full digital access to the book and all other resources that come with it, for unlimited use by you. That means you get lifetime access online for that title on the web, using the Holloway Reader. In contrast with Kindle and other ebooks, this also includes future updates from the author or editors. Finally, depending on the title, you get additional digital resources like PDF downloads, documents, spreadsheets, or audio clips! If you purchase a bundle, you get all additional resources for each title in the bundle.
What is the Holloway Reader?
The Holloway Reader lets you read and engage with books bought on Holloway. Many of our readers call it the best reading experience for books on the web—you use it right in your browser, on desktop or mobile. In contrast to ebooks and paper books, online content in the Holloway Reader is always up to date, including updates when changes to the content are made, like responses to reader questions, new data, or new developments. It also lets us experiment with what the future of the book should look like, offering features you won’t find in Kindle or Apple Books.* It includes expert commentary in the margins and offers bookmarks and highlights, instant definitions of technical terms from a glossary, instant previews of links and footnotes, and a powerful search capability only available on Holloway titles—and we have a lot more on the way.
Are there any discounts?
We do offer discounts if you select a bundle or more than one title during checkout. We also offer student discounts to individuals with a valid .edu email address.* Before a book is released, it is available for pre-order at a discount. By pre-ordering a title, you’re supporting us and our authors in their work and you may get a note from the author, early access, or other perks.
Finally, if you sign up on our email list, in addition to excerpts and updates about our titles you’ll get any occasional special offers (infrequently—we don’t want to spam folks!).
Can I buy Holloway titles as a gift?
Yes! You can purchase and instantly share lifetime digital access for any title in the catalog. You can do this for a friend or a small group by selecting the number of invites you want to purchase during checkout. You’ll also get a receipt, so you may easily expense it if it’s a business purchase.
Can I buy Holloway titles for my team or my company?
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We also offer additional options for team access for companies, groups, and classes. Use the team access form (just 3 questions) to set this up and get full pricing information or contact sales@holloway.com.
I have more questions!
Don’t we all. Check the full FAQ. And we’d love to hear from you at hello@holloway.com.

Read with Holloway

We believe in a reading experience that goes beyond paper or e-books. Reading on Holloway means a distraction-free, interactive format to help you find what you need, when you need it, in your browser. Digital access means access to additional digital resources, future updates, curated commentary from experts and readers, and features like search and bookmarks.

Screenshot of the guide on phone and laptop

Definitions of Key Terms

Psychological safety is a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for risk-taking.* Psychological safety enables team members to express new ideas or suggest improvements or changes without fearing potential negative consequences. As a result, psychologically safe teams take more risks and perform better. Unlike trust, which focuses on how individuals feel about each other, psychological safety is focused on beliefs about group norms, and being respected within the group.

Powerful Search Features

Pitfalls and Confusions Explained

dangerWhen thinking about remote work, both startups and larger companies often look to other, often famous, companies for inspiration. But you are (probably) not GitLab or Basecamp, and “just use the GitLab handbook” can be inappropriate advice. The approach to remote work that you want is not necessarily the same. Each company’s size, growth, philosophies, and financial outlook may be very different from those of other companies. And if you’re an employee, one company’s handbook or philosophy won’t necessarily help you succeed elsewhere. We can learn a lot from seemingly successful remote companies, but we shouldn’t blindly copy them.

confusionTerminology about remote work is fraught with debate and inconsistency. Despite the fact that there’s a growing movement behind using the term distributed over remote—notably, viewing team members as remote can have hierarchical implications about what is “central” and what is not—for the purposes of this guide we will use “remote work” throughout to refer to the broad category, and draw distinctions about fully distributed companies or teams when relevant.