Become the designer
your startup needs.

Bootstrapping Design

Roll your own design.

The new eBook for bootstrappers, founders, and hackers.

By Jarrod Drysdale

You’re building a business, but great design feels out of reach.
What if you could design it yourself?

  • 130 page PDF
    (DRM Free)

  • 2 Printable
    Cheatsheets

  • Resources for
    Further Learning

Download a Sample

Save thousands
by not hiring
a designer.

Designers are expensive. Templates never quite fit. Save money and get the tailored design your startup needs. Learn to do-it-yourself while your business grows.

Learning
is simple.

Learning design doesn’t have to be insurmountable. Great design isn’t just lofty theory. Hone your instincts. Train your eye. Employ basic techniques and see an immediate improvement in your work.

Design for
success.

Design can produce measurable gains for your business. Learn to place emphasis and guide users to take action. Earn the trust your business deserves with a polished, professional design.

You are
a designer.

You are capable of beautiful design.
Learn to start with a blank screen and end
with a compelling solution for your business.
Craft an experience worthy of your elegant code.

Why spend

$1000s

hiring a designer?

“I highly recommend it for developers and product builders...I created a good enough design myself, without much time or money, and was able to launch my product. —Eric Davis, @edavis10, Read his review.

“Design is often described as something mysterious, that can only be accomplished by the talented few. That's bullshit. Design is a skill that can be learned. It's also a process that can be reverse-engineered, to a degree. Jarrod's book will give you a huge head-start in both. —Jarkko Laine, @jarkko

“Bootstrapping Design helped me understand and apply design principles and made my site better. I'm so glad I picked it up! —Tait Larson, cofounder of StyleMePretty.com

“The best part is easily how ruthlessly practical the book is. I love how it's always saying things like, "Here's what the experts do. That's hard/complex. Stick to these simple guidelines and you'll get decent results." It's surprisingly comforting and encouraging. It makes me want to try it. —James Edward Gray II, @JEG2

“Finished [Bootstrapping Design] by @studiofellow in one sitting. Such an awesome book. Go buy it. Right now. —Mike Breen, @hardbap, tweet permalink

“Just finished [Bootstrapping Design] by @studiofellow. As a developer with moderate design skills it is well worth the money. —Daniel Pehrson, @dpehrson, tweet permalink

*All quotes used with permission.

Bootstrapping Design

will help your business succeed.

  • 130 page PDF
    (DRM Free)

  • 2 Printable
    Cheatsheets

  • Resources for
    Further Learning

$50 $39

Beta Edition

Includes a free update when the final edition is ready.

Buy Now

or Download a Sample

Why should you become the designer?

Because designers are expensive and templates are created without any understanding of the problem they propose to solve. With basic knowledge, you can create a design that is more than good enough to launch a new business.

Who is this book for?

The book is written primarily for programmers, but founders of all backgrounds and skill sets will learn just as well. Those not familiar with coding might not recognize a couple of terms, but the core principles are accessible to everyone.

Does the book cover this or that specific design topic?

This book contains the minimum design fundamentals that bootstrappers must understand in order to launch a business.
My intent is to emphasize design basics.
You’ll notice some topics, even popular ones, are absent. This is not because such topics are unimportant but because they are neither suitable for beginners nor relevant to their bottom line.

This book is a starting point for learning design, but also includes resources for further learning.

Photo of Jarrod Drysdale

About Jarrod Drysdale.

I’m a web designer and bootstrapper. I believe in bootstrappers and the businesses they are building, and I know design can help them succeed. I’ve completed work for such diverse clients as funded tech startups, financial companies, movie studios, and consumer brands working at agencies and as a freelancer. I write code. I prefer getting things done to just talking about it. I want to help your startup succeed with practical but effective design.

hello@BootstrappingDesign.com | @studiofellow

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