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Assembling Tomorrow Book Cover

Assembling Tomorrow

A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future

by Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter

In Assembling Tomorrow, authors Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley explore the intangible forces that prevent us from anticipating just how fantastically technology can get out of control, and what might be in store for us if we don’t start using new tools and tactics. Despite our best intentions, our most transformative innovations tend to have consequences we can’t always predict. From the effects of social media to the uncertainty of AI and the consequences of climate change, the outcomes of our creations ripple across our lives. Time and again, our seemingly ceaseless capacity to create rubs up against our limited capacity to understand our impact.

PURCHASE
 
Carissa’s Perspective

This book is for anyone who cares about the world we live in. Read it for the speculative fiction. Read it for the intangible forces that have made today's world wobble. Read it for the illustrations. Come at it from any angle. I had an excellent time crafting and writing this book with my longtime colleague Scott Doorley. People often ask us how it was to write together. It was really challenging. Not only did we have to align on the ideas, but we wanted the writing to read as one author. I think all of our efforts show. And they are evermore highlighted by the incredible illustrations by Armando Veve. They bring the book to a new plane of existence.

Scott and I are still giving book talks and recording podcasts and beyond so please reach out if you are interested in speaking with us.

Reviews

“This brilliant book offers a new approach to all creative work that will expand your understanding of what it means to make and open up possibilities you didn’t know existed—it did for me.”

Adam Johnson

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master’s Son

“An inherently fascinating read that will be of particular relevance to those with an interest in creativity, decision making, and problem solving in a world of rapidly evolving technology as illustrated by the current introduction of artificial intelligence (AI). . . . Unique and unreservedly recommended.”

Midwest Book Review

“In this moment when design can feel like a tool for profit, for markets, and for power, Assembling Tomorrow paints design as a tool for anyyone who is interested in building better futures and how to use that tool with care, inclusion, and rigor.”

Jarrett Fuller

Fast Company

“Assembling Tomorrow is a dazzling, disturbing, optimistic, and relentlessly useful gem to help you shape the future by understanding the past.”

Robert I. Sutton

Organizational psychologist and New York Times bestselling author

“An elegantly conceived and executed book, Assembling Tomorrow addresses the problems and potential of runaway design with science, art, scrutiny, and speculation.”

Thomas Hayden

Science writer and author of On Call in Hell and Sex and War

“A beautifully crafted and timely call for design and technology to embrace the very thing they’ve often sought to transcend–constraints, nature, and our own humanity.”

Liz Carlisle

Agroecologist and author of Healing Grounds and Lentil Underground

“Prepare for a wild ride! Through a brilliant intermingling of non-fiction and speculative fiction, Assembling Tomorrow will challenge your current mindset and empower you to create a brighter future.”

Dr. Jennifer Aaker

Behavioral scientist and author of Humor Seriously

“A crucial part of your creative toolset that will expand your imagination.”

Liza Chong

Founder of the Design Impact Fund and former CEO of The Index Project

“Assembling Tomorrow brilliantly navigates the complexities of our modern world, blending insightful analysis with imaginative storytelling. It is a must-read for those looking to find harmony in today’s dynamic landscape.”

Jason Mayden

Chief design officer of the Nike Jordan brand

“Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley have created a powerful guide to design—its history, processes, and extraordinary potential.”

Bill Guttentag

Oscar-winning writer-director

“In this era of runaway design—where complexity rules and the stakes for humanity and life on earth are so high—Assembling Tomorrow is both a meditation and a guide, a poetic road map to flourishing.”

David Sun Kong, PhD

Director of the Community Biotechnology Initiative, MIT Media Lab

 
 

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