« 50 in 50. #8: Beat the Reaper | Main | 50 in 50. #10: Getting Them To Give a Damn »
November 17, 2009
50 in 50. #9: The Back of the Napkin
Since I love the title of this book, the premise (“Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures”) and even the cover (hand-drawn type and stick figures on . . . you guessed it, a napkin), I was really hoping I’d love The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam.
But . . . no. Don’t get me wrong, the book is interesting, engaging and contains lots of useful insights. But it falls short of its promise of telling the reader exactly how to use pictures to solve problems and sell ideas. And especially for people who don’t think they’re artistic—what Roam calls the “red pens” who say “I’m not visual”—I don’t believe The Back of the Napkin will help them overcome their reluctance to pick up a pen and draw.
Still, this book is worth skimming through. Some key insights:
- Visual thinking is a powerful way to solve problems, and though it may appear to be something new, we already know how to do it.
- Even if you can’t draw, you can use lots of simple elements—basic shapes, lines and arrows and stick figures—to convey information visually.
- There are seven ways to organize information: proximity, color, size, orientation, direction, shape and shading. Using these cues helps make simplify information and make it clear.
Although I didn’t love The Back of the Napkin, I do like the book. And if you need visual inspiration, I think you will like it, too.
Posted by Alison Davis at November 17, 2009 02:33 PM
(Find me around the web)
Comments
I enjoyed Roam's book, but if you felt it was wanting for more depth, you might check out Betty Edward's book on drawing from the right side of your brain. The intent of the book is to hone r-mode versus teach drawing. http://tinyurl.com/ykkaomb
Posted by: Paul Maloney at November 18, 2009 11:21 AM