Writing this book was a labor of pure love (with the accompanying labor pains), and it was a relief to eventually get all of this proven thinking out of my head and into print once and for all. Finally I could rest, knowing that I had preserved all of the invaluable knowledge I’d built up over years of sweating and toiling, sifting and writing, squeezing my brain like a sponge to drip out juicy messages in the middle of noisy creative studios. I had fulfilled one of my lifetime’s ambitions: I had created something that might actually last into posterity.
But it’s only a book, and what can a book do? Well, this book traveled around the world and started to capture imaginations in many different and wonderful ways. I had little idea about the journey this book would take me on and the people it would lead me to. Soon after it was published I sold Jupiter, the design agency I founded and which had grown to £6 million turnover. This textbook then played a key role in my being recruited as a Design Associate at the UK Government’s Design Council, where my fellow colleagues would mercilessly deride me whenever I dared to mention “my book” in meetings (I can only assume it must have been jealousy). Then all sorts of other unforeseen opportunities sprang forth, and I jumped at all of them: I’ve now been writing a weekly column (“Mark Shaw’s Creative Nottingham”!) in the Nottingham Post for over three years now, and I was recently appointed a Visiting Fellow at the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University. Most importantly, I got to know Alfredo Muccino from Liquid Agency, after interviewing him about his work, and this changed my life forever.
Alfredo was one of the best interviewees in the first edition, with such an interesting personality and so much fun too: a mixture of New York/Italian art scene punk rocker and Silicon Valley creative thinker. Open minded and approachable, opinionated and obstinate— everything I like in a friend. I was an instant fan, and when he suggested the possibility of collaborating I didn’t have to think twice. In time I was to open the European office of Liquid, their highly successful branding agency, and I hope to be part of Liquid for the rest of my career.
I have the modest title of President of Liquid Agency Europe (but there’s no need for formalities, you can call me “Mr President,” or “Pres,” I don’t mind), and I have been lucky enough to develop a thriving brand design agency, based on some of Liquid’s brand models and excellent reputation. So the biggest thanks for this new edition has to go to my current inspiration: Alfredo Muccino; his stalwart and equally inspiring business partner Scott Gardner; and our guru and thought-leader at Liquid, Marty Neumeier (thank God he didn’t stay as the fifth Monkee!).
On a more practical level, this new edition is the result of a great team effort. I need to give full credit to Susan George, my editor at Laurence King, and to my brother Tim, who has been an invaluable collaborator. Lila Randall at Liquid Agency Europe has also played an essential role. Lastly I must thank my slightly bemused kids, Leilah, Sam, and Fin, who still haven’t read a single page of this book (to my knowledge) and yet somehow seem to instinctively think and act like creative copywriters. I’m still working out how this osmosis effect works.
I am over the moon that this book has been translated into Chinese, and equally I can’t wait to see this new edition in print—I’m curious to see where the next chapters in this journey will lead. Maybe there will be a third edition, in which I’ll update you once more!
Remember, effective communication is the secret to great business, and to leading a happy and fulfilling life!