Every time I look for books for designers, I find the same books over and over again, which becomes pretty annoying. To be a successful product designer, there is just so much more than simply understanding the principles of design, driving research to understand needs of users, and working on your soft skills. Product design is a challenging, multi-disciplinary activity that requires understanding a wide range of concepts and techniques, especially if you want to be seen as a design leader.

Here is a list of my favorite books that helped me understand other disciplines and broaden my views on both product-building and the designer’s role in it.

Jason Calacanis, Angel

I started investing as an angel investor just a few years ago, and for now I only invest in two to three startups per year. Being located in the SF Bay Area and having experience working for small startups early in my career gave me a huge advantage in terms of familiarity on how startups function, make decisions, and raise money. The book by Jason Calacanis, called “Angel,” will help designers have more empathy to the challenges that cofounders face, understand why they make some “stupid” product decisions, and how to make better design decisions.

If you are considering becoming a design advisor and angel investor, this is definitely your must-read book!

Bradberry and Greaves, Emotional Intelligence

This book is for anyone who wants to ensure their emotional intelligence is a positive force used to improve their relationship and careers. I really wish I had read this book in high school, as it would have saved me a lot of trouble and annoyance. Basically, it suggests how to recognize your own emotional triggers so you can be more logical.

Northouse, Leadership

I got this book for my Leadership and Business Strategy class at Northwestern University and at that time it was such an eye opener. I had not studied leadership formally in the past, so I didn’t have many points of reference. Each chapter covers a different approach to leadership and ends with some case studies and a survey that the reader can take.

In the product design industry, we created this mismatch between how we treat people managers and senior ICs. But good managers are not necessarily good leaders, and I wish IC designers understood that there are many ways to be a leader — without having to directly manage people.

“Managers embrace process, seek stability and control, and instinctively try to resolve problems quickly — sometimes before they fully understand a problem’s significance. Leaders, in contrast, tolerate chaos and lack of structure and are willing to delay closure in order to understand the issues more fully.” — Abraham Zaleznik

Kahn, Product Planning Essentials

This is a graduate class book and, to be honest, I haven’t finished reading this book yet, but I still want to include it in this list. The author of the book, Kenneth B. Kahn,is a professor of marketing and director of the da Vinci Center for Innovation in Product Design and Development at Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as a nationally recognized scholar and consultant in the field of product development.

“Product Planning Essentials” covers strategic issues that emerge during the product’s life cycle, including identifying opportunities, idea generation, and evaluation, technical development, commercialization, and eventual product dismissal.

Chip Kidd, Cheese Monkeys

My favorite part about this book is that it’s written by a contemporary American graphic designer, author, and editor. But Chip Kidd is best recognized as a graphic designer for book covers.

Cheese Monkeys is the story of a freshman at a huge state college who decides to major in art. While it’s really funny, it also has numerous insights into the practice of design in general.

“Rather than discourse on theory, Kidd has embedded his beliefs in the old, universally appealing stories of maturity, finding your calling in life and being inspired by, and loving, a demanding, serious and highly eccentric teacher,” Thomas Hine, The New York Times Book Review