Biography · Similar reads
Books like How to
The best books like How to are Steal Like an Artist, The Creative Habit, and The Design of Everyday Things. How to by Michael Bierut is about graphic design, creative process, client work. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Steal Like an Artist
01
Austin Kleon · Self-help
Steal Like an Artist is Austin Kleon's short, illustrated guide to the creative process, built around the premise that nothing is truly original — all creative work is built from and inspired by what came before.
A kindred biography read.
Read the summary → - The Creative Habit
02
Twyla Tharp · Self-help
The Creative Habit is legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp's account of how creativity works in practice — not as inspiration but as habit, discipline, and preparation.
A kindred biography read.
Read the summary → - The Design of Everyday Things
03
Donald Norman · Psychology
The Design of Everyday Things began as The Psychology of Everyday Things when first published in 1988, and Donald Norman revised it substantially for a 2013 edition that updated the examples for a digital age.
A kindred biography read.
Read the summary → - Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
04
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace · Business
Creativity, Inc.
A kindred biography read.
Read the summary → - Abstract Painting: Concepts and Techniques
05
Abstract Painting: Concepts and Techniques
Valérie Filiou · Self-help
Abstract Painting is a practical handbook for painters who want to move beyond representation and learn to work with color, form, and gesture on their own terms.
Both dig into creative process.
Read the summary → - Adventures in the Screen Trade
06
Adventures in the Screen Trade
William Goldman · Memoir
William Goldman wrote Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, Marathon Man, and The Princess Bride, among many others.
Both dig into creative process.
Read the summary → - Articulating Design Decisions
07
Tom Greever · Business
Articulating Design Decisions addresses a gap that most design education ignores: knowing how to make good decisions is necessary but not sufficient.
Both dig into professional practice.
Read the summary → - Clean Code
08
Robert C. Martin · Science
Clean Code is Robert Martin's extended argument that writing readable, maintainable code is a professional obligation, not an optional refinement.
Both dig into professional practice.
Read the summary → - Hegarty on Advertising: Turning Intelligence into Magic
09
Hegarty on Advertising: Turning Intelligence into Magic
John Hegarty · Business
John Hegarty co-founded Bartle Bogle Hegarty in 1982 and spent four decades creating advertising that, at its best, genuinely shifted how people thought about brands.
Both dig into creative process.
Read the summary → - Making and Breaking the Grid
10
Timothy Samara · Self-help
Making and Breaking the Grid is a textbook for graphic designers that does something most design textbooks avoid: it teaches both halves of its title with equal seriousness.
Both dig into graphic design.
Read the summary → - Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers
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Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers
Dennis DeSantis · Self-help
Making Music is Dennis DeSantis's catalog of seventy-four specific problems that electronic music producers encounter, paired with concrete strategies for addressing each one.
Both dig into creative process.
Read the summary → - Save the Cat
12
Blake Snyder · Self-help
Save the Cat is Blake Snyder's screenwriting manual — brisk, opinionated, and unembarrassed about being practical.
Both dig into creative process.
Read the summary →
Books like How to: quick answers
What are the best books like How to?
The best books like How to by Michael Bierut are Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace, Abstract Painting: Concepts and Techniques by Valérie Filiou, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with How to, such as graphic design, creative process, client work.
What should I read after How to?
A natural next read after How to is Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. A kindred biography read. Other strong choices are The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace.
What books are similar to How to by Michael Bierut?
How to centers on graphic design, creative process, client work. Books with a similar feel include Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace, Abstract Painting: Concepts and Techniques by Valérie Filiou, Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
