Contrary to
what one might imagine, there is no such thing as an experience designer. At
least not in the sense that we might talk of an individual recognised as such.
To make experiences is to be human. Shaman, architect, food engineer – you name
it, they are all experience designers. Informed by an understanding of people’s
needs and wants – our stories, our rituals, our myths – the beautifully
designed experience has the power to transform lives. The Experience Book is an ode to that power.
Essentially, it is a book about
time and how we use it to design and make experiences
that define the spaces we live, work and play in. Divided into a guidebook and
a sourcebook, it begins by explaining what it is about the human mind that so
deeply feasts on the notion of the experience, and then employs this knowledge
to suggest a method or framework for
designing experiences. The guidebook done, the sourcebook serves as
inspiration for the art of experience design, with precedents drawn from the past 35,000 years’ worth of
transformative experience making.
One of the first publications about the
attributes that together make what is fast becoming a recognised discipline, The Experience Book is beautifully presented. Comprised of a wonderfully eclectic range of written forms, illustrated
by a fantastic mix of drawings and photography, and backed by historical
and contemporary examples from the worlds of
architecture, branding, fashion, music, art, sport and business, it introduces
the maker of experiences as part ethnographer, storyteller, master planner and
performance artist.
Challenging the
orthodoxy of function, reasserting process over monument and product, delighting in the unexpected, and championing the spectator over the spectacle, this is a book for anyone interested in the power of design,
be they creator, communicator or consumer.
A guidebook
to explain the theory behind design experiences ? and what it is about the
human mind that feasts upon them.
A sourcebook
to provide inspiration for the art of experience design using examples from
the worlds of architecture, branding, fashion, music, art, sport and business.
These
include everything from the massive Mayan calendar of El Castillo in Mexico, to
Google's new HQ in Silicon Valley, to the immersive entertainment venues of Las
Vegas, to the world of the Voodoo Festival in Ouidah, Benin.
A book for anyone interested in design, be they creator,
communicator or consumer.
A delight to
dip into, to be read at many speeds, in a portable and highly readable format.
Written by experts and evangelists in the field of designed
experience.
Microsite and Instagram account established for the book
https://www.the-experience-book.com
#TheExperienceBook
