You’re going to have to put in some work in order to be successful, and that requires reading. There will be a lot of wisdom and knowledge for you to learn and then go out and apply. I’ve been doing this for the last 15 years; I’m not at the millionaire mark, but I am coming close. So I want to share these eight books that every graphic designer should read; they’ll give you the best possible chance of success. To make it easier to find and read these amazing books, I’ve included affiliate links in this article.
1. You-Squared
The first book I recommend is called You-Squared (You 2), and it was written by fellow Ph.D. Pritchett. He has a follow-up book to this one, but I’d recommend starting with this short read for now so you can get your head in the right place before taking off—it’s all about building some momentum. Secondly, over the last month, I’ve bought ten copies of this one myself (to give away to others), and every person who’s taken them said they’ve been super powerful and transformational.
2. The Ultimate Sales Machine
Chet Holmes is a very successful salesperson and author who is currently the third generation co-owner of Chet Holmes International, one of the largest employment providers for sales professionals in North America. His first book, The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies, was published back in 2008. There were several other books I read by Ryan Holiday that lie to you about being able to find the right path for your career as well as do something great with it because that’s not really what he does. However, this book right here (The Ultimate Sales Machine) could take ten or more books and would still be just as powerful if you are a graphic designer understanding the marketing side of your profession, including promotion.
3. Good to Great
Book number three is titled Good to Great. It tells the story of creativity and innovation within a business, as well as how important it is to lead an effective company. I found this book exceptionally dull at times but still very insightful on what makes a successful company like Pixar work. The success of Pixar can be summed up with quotes from this book because they have all happened before when Disney was making great movies long ago (and how not only did Pixar help with that reinvention, but it ultimately helped them). So if you want to get better at something or learn new skills for life, I would highly recommend this find here for yourself today!
4. EntreLeadership
Number four is EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey. He’s well known in the financial space, but he’s also a great entrepreneur and a great leader. There are tons of wise things that you can use daily after reading this book. It changed my mind and perspective on being a leader. If you’ve hired employees – you’ll know what it is talking about.
5. The 4-Hour Workweek
If you haven’t read the first four books, I encourage you to do that before diving into The 4-Hour Workweek. The fifth book is fantastic as well–I had my wife and some friends read it. You may have heard of it already; there’s so much information in here that it can be easy to forget what you retain from any given reading.
6. Traffic Secrets
Book number six is Traffic Secrets; Russell Brunson is the founder of click funnels. He’s incredible. I started by reading his other book, Dotcom Secrets, first and then read expert secrets to understand how he became a thought leader in marketing.
7. Think and Grow Rich
I don’t have that book with me for number seven, but I’ve often talked about this helpful book in my previous videos. The Think and Grow Rich is a powerful book for sure. It’s not something you can ever lose from reading it twice; heck, read it three times. I want to encourage readers and leaders alike because of a quote that my dad told me as a kid “Knowledge is power.”
8. StoryBrand
The last book I wanted to mention is Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand and creating your story brand. It applies too if you’re a graphic designer, once you have the foundation from Chet Holmes or The Ultimate Sales Machine. This technique and mindset will help when you design brands for people and not just make a template but use stories that go with them, and so great brands tell great stories. So get this one under your belt if you’re a graphic designer as well!
Thank you guys so much for reading. I’m Adrian Boysel and as always, keep looking up.
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