The How Atlas
Understand what makes you good at what you do.
When you understand how you do your best work, you can do more of it. You can make better choices, explain your value, build stronger case studies, and have clearer career conversations.
The How Atlas helps you turn what you've learned through experience into a practice you can see, explain and use deliberately.
GET THE FREE SAMPLE
GET THE COMPLETE ATLAS — $29 AUD
The How Atlas
Understand what makes you good at what you do.
When you understand how you do your best work, you can do more of it. You can make better choices, explain your value, build stronger case studies, and have clearer career conversations.
The How Atlas helps you turn what you've learned through experience into a practice you can see, explain and use deliberately.
GET THE FREE SAMPLE
BUY THE HOW ATLAS $29 AUD
The How Atlas
Understand what makes you good at what you do.
When you understand how you do your best work, you can do more of it. You can make better choices, explain your value, build stronger case studies, and have clearer career conversations.
The How Atlas helps you turn what you've learned through experience into a practice you can see, explain and use deliberately.
GET THE FREE SAMPLE
BUY THE HOW ATLAS — $29 AUD
WHY MAP IT?
Designers map everything. Why not how we work?
Designers map everything. Why not how we work?
We map journeys and systems because mapping makes things visible. It reveals patterns and connections that are hard to see when you're in the middle of them.
The How Atlas turns that same practice on your own work to uncover what makes you effective — so you can tell stronger stories about your work, and make a clearer case for what you bring.
We map journeys and systems because mapping makes things visible. It reveals patterns and connections that are hard to see when you're in the middle of them.
The How Atlas turns that same practice on your own work to uncover what makes you effective — so you can tell stronger stories about your work, and make a clearer case for what you bring.
How it works
1
See what you actually bring.
See what you actually bring.
Look back at real work to recognise the skills, choices and contributions that are easy to overlook when you're busy doing the job.
Look back at real work to recognise the skills, choices and contributions that are easy to overlook when you're busy doing the job.
2
Know what makes you effective.
Know what makes you effective.
See the patterns behind your best work — so you know what to repeat, what to protect and what you might need to change.
See the patterns behind your best work — so you know what to repeat, what to protect and what you might need to change.
3
Be able to use and explain it.
Be able to use and explain it.
Take that understanding into your next project, portfolio, interview or performance review — with better evidence of what you contribute and how you work.
Take that understanding into your next project, portfolio, interview or performance review — with better evidence of what you contribute and how you work.
How it works
How it works
Know how you work. Whatever comes next.
Starting out
Understand the designer you're becoming.
Looking for a role
Tell a stronger story about what you bring.
Established
Know what brings out your best work.
At a crossroads
Get clearer about what you want next.
Making your case
Put evidence behind your contribution.
Know how you work. Whatever comes next.
Starting out
Understand the designer you're becoming.
Looking for a role
Tell a stronger story about what you bring.
Established
Know what brings out your best work.
At a crossroads
Get clearer about what you want next.
Making your case
Put evidence behind your contribution.
WHAT YOU'LL TAKE AWAY
Eight maps.
Eight useful things to know about yourself.
Eight maps.
Eight useful things to know about yourself.
By the end, you'll know more about what makes you effective, what you need to do your best work, what you contribute, and where you want to go next.
By the end, you'll know more about what makes you effective, what you need to do your best work, what you contribute, and where you want to go next.
1
Influence Map
Influence Map
Know how you get people on board and move work forward.
Know how you get people on board and move work forward.
2
Energy Map
Energy Map
Know the conditions you need to do your best work.
Know the conditions you need to do your best work.
3
Contribution Map
Contribution Map
Be able to explain the value you bring beyond the things you make.
Be able to explain the value you bring beyond the things you make.
4
Collaboration Map
Collaboration Map
Know what helps you work well with others — and what tends to derail it.
Know what helps you work well with others — and what tends to derail it.
5
Process Map
Process Map
Know what you actually do when you need to move the work forward.
Know what you actually do when you need to move the work forward.
6
Learning Map
Learning Map
Get better at separating useful lessons from the stories you tell yourself.
Get better at separating useful lessons from the stories you tell yourself.
7
Tool Map
Tool Map
Know which tools help you think and work better — and which ones don't.
Know which tools help you think and work better — and which ones don't.
8
Growth Map
Growth Map
Know what you want to work on next — and why.
Know what you want to work on next — and why.
See for yourself how the Atlas works.
Download the introduction and first chapter and see what’s really behind your best work.
Download the introduction and first chapter and see what’s really behind your best work.
GET THE FREE SAMPLE
GET THE FREE SAMPLE
GET THE FREE SAMPLE
Show the work. Explain why you mattered.
Show the work. Explain why you mattered.
The How Atlas helps you go beyond showing what you made to explaining what you contributed — how you shaped decisions, created momentum and moved the work forward.
The How Atlas helps you go beyond showing what you made to explaining what you contributed — how you shaped decisions, created momentum and moved the work forward.
Stronger case studies.
Better interviews.
Clearer career conversations.
Stronger case studies.
Better interviews.
Clearer career conversations.
Why I made The How Atlas
Why I made The How Atlas
I've spent more than 25 years designing and leading design teams.
We each develop our own way of working — shaped by experience, instinct and the choices we make. But much of it remains invisible to us.
I created The How Atlas to help designers see how they work more clearly — and make more deliberate use of what they discover.
Joe Smith
Author, The How Atlas
I've spent more than 25 years designing and leading design teams.
We each develop our own way of working — shaped by experience, instinct and the choices we make. But much of it remains invisible to us.
I created The How Atlas to help designers see how they work more clearly — and make more deliberate use of what they discover.
Joe Smith
Author, The How Atlas
"Understanding how one actually works is a high value thing, and not always thought about consciously."
Matto Rochford
Creative Leader, Founder at Cnectory.
"Understanding how one actually works is a high value thing, and not always thought about consciously."
Matto Rochford
Creative Leader, Founder at Cnectory.
Know what you're taking with you.
Know what you're taking with you.
AI is changing the work — and what it means to be valuable as a designer.
Get clear about what you bring beyond the output: your judgement, instincts, influence, collaboration, and what you do when the answer isn't obvious.
Whatever comes next, know what makes you effective.
AI is changing the work — and what it means to be valuable as a designer.
Get clear about what you bring beyond the output: your judgement, instincts, influence, collaboration, and what you do when the answer isn't obvious.
Whatever comes next, know what makes you effective.
The How Atlas
Know your value. Make it impossible to miss.
The complete 90-page digital workbook.
Instant PDF download. Work through it digitally, print the pages you need, and return to your maps whenever you want to reflect on your practice.
GET THE FREE SAMPLE
GET THE COMPLETE ATLAS $29 AUD
The How Atlas
Know your value. Make it impossible to miss.
The complete 90-page digital workbook.
Instant PDF download. Work through it digitally, print the pages you need, and return to your maps whenever you want to reflect on your practice.
GET THE FREE SAMPLE
BUY THE HOW ATLAS $29 AUD
The How Atlas
Know your value. Make it impossible to miss.
The complete 90-page digital workbook.
Instant PDF download. Work through it digitally, print the pages you need, and return to your maps whenever you want to reflect on your practice.