The thrill of victory…the agony of defeat. Design Disasters captures the flip side of success, bringing insight, solace, and energy to the act of failure. Not just any failure. Design failure. So public. So humiliating. How do designers who are really, really good (we swear!) turn a disaster into a triumph? Read this book and find out, as dozens of top names reveal the heartbreaking—and sometimes hilarious—mistakes they have made and talk about how they were able to grow from the experiences. Self-delusion, overcommitment, procrastination…they’re all here. Poor communication, missed deadlines, enraged clients…yes, they’re here too. Read Design Disasters and weep? No! Read Design Disasters and be inspired to find the silver lining in even the cloudiest situation.

Steven Heller is co-chair of the MFA / Designer as Author department at the School of Visual Arts. For 33 years, he was an art director at the New York Times. Heller, the author of more than 100 books on design, lives in New York City.