A Fine Line: How Design Strategies Are Shaping the Future of Business

Product Description

"Esslinger's work shows that taste can triumph, design and production can be soul mates, and the eye of an individual can shape a product and a company." —From the Foreword by Michael Moritz, partner, Sequoia Capital

For the first time, Hartmut Esslinger, internationally acclaimed designer and founder of frog design, inc., reveals the secrets to better business through better design. Having spent forty years helping build the world's most recognizable brands, Esslinger shows how business leaders and designers can join forces to build creative strategies that will ensure a more profitable and sustainable future.

A Fine Line shares the amazing story of Esslinger's transformation from industrial design wunderkind to a global innovation powerhouse, while detailing the very real challenges facing businesses in the new global economy. Offering companies far more than a temporary innovation booster, Esslinger shows how he and frog build creative design into the framework of an organization's competitive strategy, the same approach that has worked so well for leading edge companies such as Sony, Louis Vuitton, Lufthansa, Disney, Hewlett-Packard, SAP, Microsoft, and Apple.

Offering a step-by-step overview of the innovation process—from targeting goals to shepherding new products and services to the marketplace—Esslinger reveals how to arrive at a design that reflects an intensely human experience and will connect strongly with consumers. With Esslinger's unique perspective, rich stories, and global mindset, A Fine Line explores business solutions that are environmentally sustainable and contribute to the future of a thriving and lasting global economy.

The blending of design and business intelligence holds the key for shaping a sustainable competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving creative economy. A Fine Line equips business leaders with the necessary tools to thrive in tomorrow's world.

Design Strategy Examples from Frog Design, Inc.
Apple's Brand and Design DNA
Frog Design collaborated on Apple’s “Snow-White” design language in the early 1980s. We worked closely with Steve Jobs and Apple’s developers to innovate computer usability and appearance, resulting in iconic products with no historic precedent.
Disney Cruise Lines
Frog Design's retro-futuristic designs for the Disney Magic® and Disney Wonder® combine classic maritime elegance with starship swagger – and appeal to parents and children, alike.
Lufthansa Airlines
In the 1990s, Lufthansa’s Executive Board asked Frog Design to create a new and more emotionally engaging image for the airline and its base at the Frankfurt am Main Airport. From check-in gates to plane interiors, our designs helped redefine the modern air travel experience.