I am not a designer by any standard, but I was intrigued by this book. The ability to arrange space, color, tools, and structures to encourage creativity has always interested me, and I thought there would be a few tips in this book that I could use. I was not disappointed.
Here are a few of the sections that I really liked:
* All of the design template sections are really nice. This was unexpected for me to find in a design book, but welcome. There is an Intro, Places, Properties, Actions, and Attitudes section. All of them will give you working definitions for the categories, plus some extra advice. I especially liked the attitudes section and the "bias towards action" philosophy that the authors are pushing for with their design.
* Tools Hacks. These are hacks that will help your space without breaking the budget. There are only four hacks, but they will all save you plenty. If you use just one hack, you have made up the cost of the book.
* Recommendations. For every suggestion made, there is a list of recommendations at the end of the section. This is a great addition to the book and makes finding the perfect foam cube or crafting a good work soundtrack that much easier.
* Mixing it up. I love the design of the book (surprise). The visual style and the unconventional structure makes it a great book to pull a lot of advice from fast. After reading a few consecutive pages you will know how to encourage time management, what seating works where, how to get entrepreneurs to leave the building every once in a while, and why you should get to work early and leave late. Will definitely keep your interest.
Whether you are a designer or just want to change a couple of things in your own work space, this is a great book to own. You can plow all the way through it easily, or just flip to the section you like. Recommended.