Design Your Self: Rethinking the Way You Live, Love, Work, and Play

This book struck me first in their design and then the content. I must say some of the things in there are pretty common sense, things you already know but it just sort of reminds you that you need to do this or that to get your life even more ironed out. I especially like the what to do at which age part. As with any similar kind of book, you need to be doing the things in it to benefit.

I bought this book because it was popularly reviewed in some hipsterish magazine. The book is immediately appealing, with engrossing typography and stunning colors. The content is very much a philosophical diatribe on the part of the author. Some of his philosophy I liked and immediately embraced, but much of it my intuition told me wasn't quite right on a personal level. Things like: abolish all black from your wardrobe, furnish your house with no sharp edges, use gawdy bright colors to fill your living spaces with, and make sure every piece of furniture has at least one purpose. But I keep thinking about this book. It won't leave my mind alone. I've started realizing that my mood and life experience *is* actually more enjoyable when I surround myself with white and gawdily bright colors. This comes as somewhat of a shock. I'm a somewhat conservative software engineer who likes to keep all his ducks in a row. But the look of surprise/concern/envy/comedy on my coworkers faces when I showed up to work in flourescent green sneakers was worth the price of this book alone. If you can change something about your life to make it more enjoyable, then go with it. If you can remove something from your life to make it more enjoyable, do that.

In reading this book I was reminded of an assignment I had in school one time to write a paper on my philosophy of life. This book is kind of like that paper, but written by Karim Rashid and greatly expanded to 300+ pages. He presents his view of thinking about how you live life. In some ways I agree, such as to not get to tied down with possessions, unless you really want them for personal, artistic, or other reasons. In some ways I don't, for instance he recommends buying a new computer every year or so because the new ones are so much better. I'm writing this on one that is several years old but which will take data in just as fast as I can type it. A faster machine would not make me type any faster. On the whole, I like more of his ideas than the ones I reject. But what I really liked was the fact that he wrote them down in such an entertaining way that makes a book enjoyable and gives you food for thought.

To a designer, everything is up for grabs. This is premise that drives Rashid's book. A wonderful concept segregated in categories of relevance that make it a fun and simple read at first blush. Upon futher investigation, one begins to decipher Rashid's intent to taking on design as a lifestyle as well as a concept that is applied to tangible goods. Brilliant at times, waxing poetic other time, and slightly sterotypical in his opinions (but then again, he is entitled to them), I have to say that I adore this book. It is a wonderful reference book for daily living and it is a great source for reminding oneself to be present and how to create an environment that fosters being present. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in re-vamping, organizing and enjoying their life vis a vis their lifestyle design.