Designer and writer Alan Moore thinks beauty is the key to everything

Published: August 28, 2017
Author: Steven Thomas

Do Design - Why beauty is the key to everything

"We were all born inherently creative.  We all have the capacity to bring beautiful things into this world and should be unapologetic about wanting to create them, whatever they are." - Alan Moore

Re-think what, why and how you produce

In this smart, accessible book, Alan Moore challenges us all to rethink not only what we produce but how and why we're doing what we do.   Whether you're trying to make change for yourself and others, developing your business, writing a presentation, launching a new website or just want a creative jolt, Moors' book is inspiring and practical.

Split into 7 key sections that provide a compelling structure Do Design can help us all push boundaries and design better products (big or small) that form better connections with our friends, family, colleagues and customers.

Key section summary

In 'Beauty' he argues that creating beauty is everything.

"Ask yourself this simple question: Do I want a beautiful meal or dreary one? A beautiful relationship or an ugly one? To live a beautiful life or an average one?" 

Within 'The Craft' he draws from the symmetry of the universe to ask the most beautiful question in the world.

"In understanding the design of our world, there is a gravitational pull towards beautiful theories to describe its inner workings...Many believe supersymmetry takes us towards a fully unified description of nature at the deepest level."

In 'The Mindset' he encourages us to define our guiding (design) philosophy, to find stillness, truth and ways to embrace curiosity and serendipity.

"It is easy to dismiss the notion of needing a guiding philosophy, just as you might shrug off the idea of beauty as being nothing more relevant to our world than decoration."  He continues "It is in truth that we find beautiful things, and it is in truth that we can operate authentically."

As part of 'The Process' Moore shows that creativity needs structure, the right tools and a willingness to see the space between the lines.

"...design something to be inevitable...labour at your work until people cannot imagine what you have designed existing any other way.  Beauty is work well resolved.  It is simple."

During 'Persevere' he explains we can love the work we do and that understanding anything worthwhile takes time and commitment.

"Willie Nelson has made 250 albums and is still touring in his eighties.  He did not get a break until he was 40."

In 'Connect' he asserts that we can all lead, connect and create with others as well as quoting Muhammed Ali's best poem.

"We as leaders must always be a work in progress...Never lose sight or empathy for the people you lead.  Leading with empathy and humility to be in service to all, is key to great leadership."

Finally, in 'Aspire' he challenges us to create better, for ourselves and others - to choose this as our purpose - thus bringing a greater sense of freedom to what we do.

"We need to dedicate ourselves as craftspeople, strong in ourselves, innately curious about the world we live in and how we can contribute to making it better"

A book for anyone, from any background, with any skill-level

This is a book for anybody who wants to produce better work.  Alan challenges us all to find new ways to pay attention to what surrounds us and to set ourselves on a path to use the inspiration we find to create positive change.  This may all sound very grand but he does it in a such an accessible way that anyone could use his tools and techniques to inform anything they are working on. In fact, as a bonus section, he even shares fourteen practices to create enduring beauty that will help anyone experiment with better design.

"Whether you are an artisan, an entrepreneur, or a CEO searching for some homespun, hard-won wisdom, 'Do Design' hopes to inspire, guide and show how we might so elegantly create for enduring beauty." - Alan Moore

About the author

Alan Moore has designed and created everything from books to businesses. He has a unique grasp on the forces that are reshaping our world and how to creatively respond to them. Working on six continents, Alan has shared his knowledge in the form of board and advisory positions at companies such as Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and Coca Cola, holding workshops and speaking as well as teaching in institutions as wide-ranging as MIT and Reading University’s Typography Department, Sloan School of Management and INSEAD. He is the author of four books on creativity, marketing and business transformation including No Straight Lines: Making sense of our non-linear world (2011). He still works as an artist. He tries every day to lead a life as beautifully as he possibly can.

About The Do Book Company

The Do Book Company is an independent publishing house based in Shoreditch, London. They produce a series of inspirational guidebooks in print and digital formats.

Each book is written by speakers from the Do Lectures whose ideas have inspired others to go and Do. The aim is to recreate that same positive change in book form – whether that’s the mastery of a new skill or craft, a simple mind-shift, or a shot of inspiration to help you get started.

Each book is fairly short, about 100 pages, as it focuses on the ‘doing’ rather than the background theory. Concise, practical guides that make it easier to Do stuff.

Main image by PICSELI on Unsplash

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