The formatting of this book is what sets it apart from others in its category. It resembles an experimental design book more than a business book. Tom Peters uses fonts of all styles and sizes, photographs that have been reworked and put out of context, strange margins and a variety of other visual techniques that will keep you turning the pages, even if the chapter material isn’t all that interesting.

If Tom had printed The Circle of Innovation in color, who knows what the final result would’ve been.

So… is the content any good? Yes, it’s decent. There is a large selection of quotes that aren’t mentioned elsewhere (that I’ve read)… all from people you know about. Some chapters are more applicable than others, depending on if it’s self-help, instructional, inspirational or how-to. Each of these are represented here.

Because I’ve been very design-focused lately, the chapter discussing this was the most impactful to me right now. Essentially what Tom Peters says is that at some point all the features and services between companies are going to match. Like choosing a TV, DVD Player, and even computer.

When that happens, how do most people make their final decision? In a single word: Design.

The obvious representative for the electronics category is Apple. Their products are inarguably the best designed on the market. (Have you shopped for a PC lately? They’re STILL ugly.) Even when the product is UNDER spec for it competitors, if its designed well enough, it can stand in the ring.

Consider how this applies to web sites.

A web site that is well designed - easy to navigate, interesting to look at, intuitive… even a joy to experience - will pull more traffic (and keep it) after you get the word out.

These factors also apply if you’re doing a traditional sales letter. Using catchy (not distracting) graphics, video and a good color scheme will help people to become engaged with the material. People are more likely to stay if the design is appealing.

In a nutshell, The Circle of Innovation is a “must have” because it serves as a reference and inspiration on many levels. Both the content and design make it worth having on the bookshelf and pulling down a few times each year.

PicLens is a stellar new way to browse photos and videos. They have a number of websites integrated, including YouTube, Google Image Search and Facebook and Flickr.

The best part is that browsing speed is increased by at least 200%. When looking through photos and videos on any website, you have to deal with navigation like “Next Page”, “Previous Page”… or clicking on page numbers.

BUT NO MORE, MY FRIEND!

Using PicLens will autoload page after page into a seamless 3D view that makes it quick and easy to preview HUNDREDS of items simultaneously and then zoom in to what is most relevant to the task at hand.

My only wish is that other stock photo websites would begin using this tool to allow for browsing. iStockphoto comes to mind.

Definitely check out this tool!

Hat tip to Andrew Lock for this one.

Amusement comes from two words:

• Muse: “to think”
• Alpha primitive: “to not think”

Amusement is “how to not think”. Now, consider how much time you spend on “amusement” to avoid seriously considering important things.

More on restaurant marketing.