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Text and
illustrations
by
Marty Neumeier
THE
46 RULES
OF
GENIUS
THE 46 RULES OF GENIUS

AN INNOVATORS GUIDE TO CREATIVIT Y
TEXT AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY MART Y NEUMEIER
NEW RIDERS
FIND US ON THE WEB AT WWW.NEWRIDERS.COM
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NEW RIDERS IS AN IMPRINT OF PEACHPIT, A DIVISION OF PEARSON EDUCATION
COPYRIGHT 2014 BY MARTY NEUMEIER
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR
PRODUCTION EDITOR
DESIGNERS
NIKKI ECHLER MCDONALD
DAVID VAN NESS
BROOKE KLASS
CYA NELSON
PROOFREADER
DESIGN DIRECTOR
IRENE HOFFMAN
LIZ WELCH
MARTY NEUMEIER
BERYL WANG
NOTICE OF RIGHTS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE
REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM BY ANY MEANS,
ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, OR OTHERWISE,
WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER. FOR
INFORMATION ON GETTING PERMISSION FOR REPRINTS AND EXCERPTS,
CONTACT PERMISSIONS@PEACHPIT.COM.
NOTICE OF LIABILITY
THE INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK IS DISTRIBUTED ON AN AS IS BASIS
WITHOUT WARRANTY. WHILE EVERY PRECAUTION HAS BEEN TAKEN IN THE
PREPARATION OF THE BOOK, NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR PEACHPIT
SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY WITH RESPECT TO ANY
LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED OR ALLEGED TO BE CAUSED DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY BY THE INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS BOOK OR BY THE
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ISBN 13: 978-0-133-90006-4
ISBN 10: 0-133-90006-1
987654321
PRINTED AND BOUND IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
In honor of
Saul Steinberg
and
E. B. White
WHAT IS A GENIUS?
To most people, a genius is someone with a towering IQsay 140 points or higher. This is simplistic.
A genius is more than that, but also less. In practice it only takes an IQ of 125 to become a genius.
What you need beyond that is a facile imagination
and the skills to apply it, driven by a passionate
will toward a focused goal.
A genius doesnt start out as a genius at everything but a genius at something. For example, you
can be a genius at molecular biology, or a genius
at reading peoples feelings. You can be a genius at
programming software, or a genius at broken-field
running. This puts genius-hood within the reach of
nearly everybody. Over time, a genius may connect
several somethings into a semblance of everything, but this is optional in the definition of genius.
In my recent book Metaskills, I laid out five
talents well need to thrive in an age of increasing
man-machine collaboration. These talents, which
Ive called metaskills, are feeling, or empathy and
intuition; seeing, or systems thinking; dreaming,
or applied imagination; making, or design talent;
and learning, the ability to acquire new skills.
None of these needs a high IQ. What they need is
a high regard for creativity. The rules in this book
are creative rules. Theyre general guidelines to

help you envision, invent, contribute, and grow.
Then whats a genius? Heres my working definition: A genius is any person who turns insight into
innovation, and in the process changes our view of
the world. In other words, its someone who takes
creativity to the point of originality. The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said it best: Talent hits
a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target
no one else can see.
The rules in this book are as timeless as they can
be. None of them are new, yet they can help you
create something new. Michelangelo didnt invent
the hammer and chisel, but by using these tools he
sculpted the Piet. Just as you cant shape a block
of marble with your bare hands, you cant shape
ideas with your bare mind. You need rules. Rules
are the tools of genius. Use them when they help;
put them aside when they dont.
Ive purposely written a concise book. Most
of the creative people I know are consumed by
their projects, and reading a long book is a luxury
they cant always afford. So heres a slim volume
with bite-size advice. You can reach into it randomly, underline its salient points, return to the rules
as needed.
I make no claims of completeness for The 46

Rules of Genius. Instead, Ive chosen to focus on
the principles most often ignored, forgotten, or
heedlessly broken. It starts with some advice on
strategyor how to get the right idea. It continues
with practical tips on executionhow to get the
idea right. From there it moves to building your
creative skills over time, and finally to putting your
brilliance to work in the larger world.
Caution: The 46 Rules of Genius is not for
everyone, for the simple reason that not everyone
can be a genius. This is not usually a failing of
native intelligence. Its more likely a lack of a) will,
or b) skill. I presume you have a good supply of
a), or you wouldnt have this book in your hand.
As to b), youll need a little helpand a healthy
appetite for work. Happily, work is not really work
when youre investing in what you love.
My fondest wish is that youll combine the
desire you already have with these time-tested
principles to ignite an endless cycle of creative
growth: your desire will drive your learning, and
your learning will fuel your desire. This is the magic
that makes a genius. If you accept this as a central premise, the rest will follow.

Marty Neumeier
CONTENTS
Part 1 How can I innovate?
Rule 1 : Break the rules
15
Rule 2 : Wish for what you want

Rule 3 : Feel before you think
Rule 4 : See whats not there
16
18
21
Rule 5 : Ask a bigger question
23
Rule 6 : Frame problems tightly
26
Rule 7 : Think whole thoughts
28
Rule 8 : Stay in the dragon pit
31
Rule 9 : Approach answers obliquely

Rule 10 : Wait for the jolt
33
36
Rule 11 : Use beauty as a yardstick
38
Part 2 How should I work?
Rule 12 : Design quickly, decide slowly
44
Rule 13 : Use a linear process for static elements
46
Rule 14 : Use a dynamic process for reactive elements

Rule 15 : Work to an appropriate structure
48
52
Rule 16 : Express related elements in a similar manner

Rule 17 : Match form to function, function to form
Rule 18 : Dont be boring
56
58
Rule 19 : Put the surprise where you want the attention

Rule 20 : Apply aesthetics deliberately
Rule 22 : Embrace messiness
67
Rule 23 : Test your ideas in realistic situations

72
62
64
Rule 21 : Visualize with sketches, models, or prototypes
Rule 24 : Simplify
54
70
66
Part 3 How can I learn?
Rule 25 : Learn how to learn
79
Rule 26 : Start with curiosity, not belief

Rule 27 : Do your own projects
Rule 28 : Keep a hero file
83
84
86
Rule 29 : Invest in your originality

Rule 30 : Learn strategically
88
92
Rule 31 : Shore up your weaknesses
94
Rule 32 : Spend long hours in the joy zone

Rule 33 : Make educational mistakes
Rule 34 : Seek instructive criticism
Rule 35 : Fuel your passion
102
104
Rule 36 : Develop an authentic style

Rule 37 : Practice
98
106
110
Part 4 How can I matter?
Rule 38 : Overcommit to a mission

Rule 39 : Stay focused
116
119
Rule 40 : Follow through
122
Rule 41 : Do good design
124
Rule 42 : Build support methodically

Rule 43 : Dont blame others
Rule 44 : Join a network
130
133
Rule 45 : Become who you are

Rule 46 : Make new rules
About the author
143
140
136
126
97
There is
no great genius
without a mixture
of madness.
Aristotle
Rule 4 SEE WHATS NOT THERE
One of the skills that separates a leader from a

follower is the ability to see what might be, but so
far isnt. Most people can see whats already there.
You dont need magic glasses to see that the Eiffel
Tower is a popular tourist destination, or that the
area of a rectangle is the product of its height
and width, or that millions of people will pay extra
for a fancy cup of coffee. But you do need magic
glasses to see whats still missing from the world,
since by definition whats missing is invisible.
The trick is to notice what artists and designers
call negative space. Its the plain background of
a painting, the white space on a printed page, the
silence between lines of a play, or the rests within
a musical score. In the world of art, these are purposeful elements of composition. In the marketplace, these are crevices that harbor opportunity.
Try these three techniques for discovering the
negative space in a marketplace, a problem, or
a situation.
Sift through threats for hidden possibilities.
Every threat carries with it the potential for innovation. The problem of obesity contains the possibility
of new kinds of nutrition. The problem of global
pollution contains the possibility of new energy
21
sources. The problem of high unemployment contains the possibility of new educational models.
The list is endless, if you can learn to see whats
not there.
Examine sectors for uneven rates of change.
The future is already here, goes the sayingits
just distributed unevenly. Look for areas that have
changed, then look for similar or adjacent areas that
havent changed. Search for pockets of resistance
to successful new ideas. Chances are, its only
a matter of time before change comes. Why not
be the catalyst?
Imagine how a growing trend might affect an
established norm. Make a list of nascent and dominant trends, then mentally apply them to industries,
businesses, and activities that havent changed
for a long while. What will the trend toward organic
farming mean for fast-food restaurants? What will
mobile payments do to retail shopping habits? How
might nanotechnology change the energy market?
How will always-on computing change the college
experience?
To find out whats not there, look for the job not
done, the road not taken, the product not made.
These are the magic glasses that let you see the
invisible and conceive the inconceivable.
22

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What are three techniques mentioned for discovering opportunities in the negative space?

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THE 46 RULES OF GENIUS

NIKKI ECHLER MCDONALD

DAVID VAN NESS

are creative rules. Theyre general guidelines to

I make no claims of completeness for The 46

Rule 1 : Break the rules

Rule 2 : Wish for what you want

Rule 5 : Ask a bigger question

Rule 6 : Frame problems tightly

Rule 7 : Think whole thoughts

Rule 8 : Stay in the dragon pit

Rule 9 : Approach answers obliquely

Rule 11 : Use beauty as a yardstick

Part 2 How should I work?

Rule 12 : Design quickly, decide slowly

Rule 13 : Use a linear process for static elements

Rule 14 : Use a dynamic process for reactive elements

Rule 16 : Express related elements in a similar manner

Rule 19 : Put the surprise where you want the attention

Rule 23 : Test your ideas in realistic situations

Rule 21 : Visualize with sketches, models, or prototypes

Part 3 How can I learn?

Rule 25 : Learn how to learn

Rule 26 : Start with curiosity, not belief

Rule 29 : Invest in your originality

Rule 31 : Shore up your weaknesses

Rule 32 : Spend long hours in the joy zone

Rule 36 : Develop an authentic style

Part 4 How can I matter?

Rule 38 : Overcommit to a mission

Rule 40 : Follow through

Rule 41 : Do good design

Rule 42 : Build support methodically

Rule 45 : Become who you are

Rule 4 SEE WHATS NOT THERE

One of the skills that separates a leader from a

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