Listening to Design: A Guide to the Creative Process

Listening to Design takes readers on a unique journey into the singular psychology of design. Drawing on his experience as a teacher, architect, and psychotherapist, Andrew Levitt breaks down the entire creative process, from the first moments an idea appears to the final presentation of a project. Combining telling anecdotes, practical advice, and personal insights, this book offers a rarely seen glimpse into the often turbulent creative process of a working designer. It highlights the importance of active listening, the essential role of empathy in solving problems and overcoming obstacles, and reveals how the act of designing is a vehicle for personal development and a profound opportunity for self-transformation.

With clear, jargon-free, and inspirational prose, sections on “Storytelling and the Big Idea,” “Listening and Receiving,” “Getting Stuck,” “Empathy and Collaboration,” and “Presenting and Persuading” signal a larger shift in design toward staying true to creative instincts and learning to trust the surprising power and resilience of the creative process itself. This enlightening and timely book is essential reading for designers, architects, and readers working in all creative fields.

Andrew Levitt teaches in the design studios at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Canada. He has also trained and practiced as a psychotherapist. He is the author of The Inner Studio: A Designer's Guide to the Resources of the Psyche.