Get your copy of Plan A, because there's no Plan B

I think most of my colleagues would agree that encounters with marketers may not always turn out to be the most pleasurable. You might get the feeling that you are being taken for granted. A stereotype is that you are the designer with no clue whatsoever about how to earn money, and if you are a designer with a soft spot for green issues, green designer, that makes you twice naive. Well, there’s now a ‘dictionary’ for you to avoid getting lost in translation: The Green Marketing Manifesto

John Grant’s latest book was what I found in my hand as I first set foot in Pli. Having done a great deal of reading about green design, this was my first green read on a field other than my own. To be sincere, seeing the words green and marketing together was about to get me started with my prejudices, of which there was no sign once I started turning the first pages.

However, the strength of this book does not just come from its ability to make peace between the two concepts that have previously been seen as polar opposites, or the fact that it is really up-to-date with the latest examples from the Web 2.0. It is derived from the inspirational way that it has a balanced tone, avoiding both dreamy optimism and dark pessimism. It does not leave it at only a clear diagnosis, but comes up with an endless number of solutions. It is full of marketing and business ideas and, attention colleagues, you can even find tips for possible new design ideas, which is something you might not always expect from an author who’s not a designer.

Grant is in my native Istanbul as I’m typing these words, where he will present his ideas before the most cruel marketers of the city. Good luck John, I hope you can initiate a sparkle of change!