The Heart of Design
Now available! Explore a transformative guide to aligning your creativity, career, and faith. Join a global movement of designers and entrepreneurs shaping the future with intention and excellence.
BOOK OVERVIEW
What is Heart of Design?
An inspiring guide to seeking spiritual alignment and fulfillment in your work and life journey, by nurturing a heart-centered designer mindset.
Whether you’re a professional who feels stuck or misaligned at work or an aspiring entrepreneur who seeks spiritually grounded guidance and inspiration, this book will help you design a new path for your next season of life.
SAMPLE CONTENT
Book Preview
INTRODUCTION
Peter’s Story
Discover the intention and inspiration behind The Heart of Design, and how Peter aims to empower a new wave of creatively confident and talented leaders.
CHAPTER PREVIEW
Foreword
In this foreword, Mohammed Faris Author Productive Muslim and The Barakah Effect reflects on his friendship with Peter Gould and the importance of spiritually grounded design.
BOOK SPIRITUAL ASPIRATIONS
What's Inside?
Seven spiritual aspirations that will guide you on your journey to the Heart of Design.
Niyyah (Intention)
- Design for remembrance, not for distraction
- Envision holistic success with clarity of purpose
- Reframe outcomes to include spiritual well-being
Amanah (Responsibility)
- Recognise talents and opportunities as gifts entrusted to us
- Embrace design and entrepreneurship as tools for service
- Illuminate hearts, inspire hope, and uplift communities
Ikhlaas (Integrity)
- Live and work virtuously with Prophetic guidance
- Maintain sincere companionship for accountability
- Enable and champion ethical decision-making
Barakah (Blessings)
- Appreciate that success is a gift, not an entitlement
- Believe in the abundance of opportunities to succeed
- Consider the long-term, unseen impact
Ridaa (Contentment)
- Foster patience, maintain gratitude and trust in God
- Accept setbacks as Divine wisdom for spiritual growth
- Grow comfortable with ambiguity
Wahda (Unity)
- Cultivate awe at the creative majesty in our universe
- Guide our design practice in alignment with The Designer
- Create work in harmony with the Divine balance
Niyyah (Intention)
- Design for remembrance, not for distraction
- Envision holistic success with clarity of purpose
- Reframe outcomes to include spiritual well-being
Amanah (Responsibility)
- Recognise talents and opportunities as gifts entrusted to us
- Embrace design and entrepreneurship as tools for service
- Illuminate hearts, inspire hope, and uplift communities
Ikhlaas (Integrity)
- Live and work virtuously with Prophetic guidance
- Maintain sincere companionship for accountability
- Enable and champion ethical decision-making
Barakah (Blessings)
- Appreciate that success is a gift, not an entitlement
- Believe in the abundance of opportunities to succeed
- Consider the long-term, unseen impact
Ridaa (Contentment)
- Foster patience, maintain gratitude and trust in God
- Accept setbacks as Divine wisdom for spiritual growth
- Grow comfortable with ambiguity
Wahda (Unity)
- Cultivate awe at the creative majesty in our universe
- Guide our design practice in alignment with The Designer
- Create work in harmony with the Divine balance
HEART OF DESIGN GOODREADS REVIEWS
What People are Saying About the Book
Over 1000+ pre-orders globally! Alhamdulillah 💚
Having taken Peter’s exceptional 5-week Heart of Design course, this book is a long-awaited gift! It’s a truly groundbreaking work that redefines the very essence of design. In a world of constant distraction, The Heart of Design offers a refreshing and essential perspective: designing for remembrance. The seamless weaving together of spirituality, creativity, and entrepreneurship provides a powerful pathway to truly Heart-Centered Design.
John C Van Rooy
I had the opportunity to read the book before the launch and I must say it’s absolutely phenomenal. A brilliant life journey full of wonderful anecdotes and applicable to all who harbour artistic adventures in their hearts as well as those who like to sit back and enjoy the art.
Rehan Khan
A practical and inspirational guide on how to embed spirituality in your creative work. I loved reading the stories of some amazing creatives who have successfully managed to pursue their creative passions without giving up on their discipline or sacrificing their principles.
Mehnaz Anshah
What stands out is Peter’s ability to weave personal experiences with broader insights on purpose-driven creativity. His journey—filled with challenges, self-discovery, and a commitment to meaningful design—mirrors many of the questions I’ve been asking myself. His words are thought-provoking, pushing me to reconsider not just how I design, but why.
Amera Ibrahim
A notable strength of the book is its alignment, that embodies the essence of Jawāmi‘ al-Kalim by presenting profound design wisdom in a concise and relatable manner for the seeker/ dreamer.
The book serves stories and lessons from interviews from over 50 individuals, including creative leaders and spiritual teachers, offering readers a tapestry of perspectives that reinforce the universality of its messages. The timeless lessons mean that when in need of inspiration it should be within reach by reaching into this book. God willing. Crafted with excellence.
The book serves stories and lessons from interviews from over 50 individuals, including creative leaders and spiritual teachers, offering readers a tapestry of perspectives that reinforce the universality of its messages. The timeless lessons mean that when in need of inspiration it should be within reach by reaching into this book. God willing. Crafted with excellence.
Faizal Alimohamed
I found myself reading this book in the quiet hours of the night while on a plane, wrestling with my own challenges as a startup founder. At that moment, I stumbled upon passages that reignited my motivation, providing just enough clarity and inspiration to push forward through uncertainty. This isn’t a book that promises shortcuts or secret formulas to success. Instead, it serves as a lantern—offering guidance through the darkness by sharing the wisdom and experiences of those who have walked the path before us.
Adil Abbuthalha
This book is the best companion (and refresher!) to the Alumni of the Heart of Design workshop. I could hear Peter's voice in my head - as if reading out each line. His soft yet assertive voice accompanies you as he reminds you of what he once shared and taught in the workshop.
But even if you have not sat through Peter's workshop, this book will guide you through the challenges of how to balance being a creative in this material world and yet maintaining modesty and humility. It is a book for every creative person - and everyone is creative.
But even if you have not sat through Peter's workshop, this book will guide you through the challenges of how to balance being a creative in this material world and yet maintaining modesty and humility. It is a book for every creative person - and everyone is creative.
Zee Cornelius
Order The Heart of Design Book
Order The Heart of Design Book
BOOK INSPIRATION
Looking back...
Looking back, perhaps it was inevitable that I would become a designer. After all, I was an art-loving kid in the eighties and nineties, embracing digital tools at a time of rapid change.
It may be less obvious that I would embrace Islam in my early 20s and step into a spiritual journey, a path I could never have plotted or expected; but we plan and God plans, and surely God is the best of planners.
It may be less obvious that I would embrace Islam in my early 20s and step into a spiritual journey, a path I could never have plotted or expected; but we plan and God plans, and surely God is the best of planners.
This book offers guidance and inspiration on the path to holistic success and meaningful work as professionals, founders, leaders, and creatives. It’s a reference for changemakers who want to improve themselves inwardly, not just the world around them.
It offers an approach to help individuals and teams to develop concepts and products with clear intentionality, values, and in alignment with their spiritual path.
Beyond the workplace, Heart-Centered Design is a purposeful way to reframe our life goals and personal dreams as design challenges. This framework encourages us to adopt a perspective beyond financial metrics, user acquisition, and attention. It invites us to discover deeper modalities and imaginative faculties within ourselves.
It offers an approach to help individuals and teams to develop concepts and products with clear intentionality, values, and in alignment with their spiritual path.
Beyond the workplace, Heart-Centered Design is a purposeful way to reframe our life goals and personal dreams as design challenges. This framework encourages us to adopt a perspective beyond financial metrics, user acquisition, and attention. It invites us to discover deeper modalities and imaginative faculties within ourselves.
I hope you will join me in fostering a new generation of creativelyconfident, spiritually grounded designers, entrepreneurs, anddreamers who will serve humanity as best we can.In these often-gloomy and uncertain times, we need to adoptthis approach more than ever. With a heart-centered, design-ledapproach to life and work, I believe the future is bright, insha’Allah.
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
PETER GOULD
FIVE THINGS THIS BOOK WILL TEACH YOU
The Heart of Design: Spirituality, Creativity & Entrepreneurship.
An inspiring guide to seeking spiritual alignment and fulfillment in your work and life journey, by nurturing a heart-centered designer mindset.
Discover spiritually grounded strategic design tools to unlock your ideas with clarity and practical guidance on the path to developing meaningful projects, products, and startups.
Develop your early ideas into clear concepts using a simple framework of timeless spiritual aspirations and foundational design principles.
Illuminate your vision with inspiring stories from like-hearted founders, creatives, and dreamers who lead at the intersection of spirituality, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
Reimagine career opportunities with a design journey to explore your ideas, develop product concepts, and virtuously serve humanity during globally uncertain times.
Transform your outlook on innovation and design with a holistic approach that encourages design for remembrance in an age of design for distraction.
Whether you’re a professional who feels stuck or misaligned at work or an aspiring entrepreneur who seeks spiritually grounded guidance and inspiration, this book will help you design a new path for your next season of life.
BOOK INSIGHTS
Exclusive Insights
The book will also feature exclusive insights from Peter’s journey, and excerpts from his conversations with scholars, entrepreneurs, academics and creative professionals who have implemented heart-centered design.
“
As artists it’s beautiful to make art, but the real goal of the artist on the spiritual path is that you make your life a work of art.
As artists it’s beautiful to make art, but the real goal of the artist on the spiritual path is that you make your life a work of art.
“
When a person is not grounded and doesn’t have the right compass, intention, focus and priority, you can really lose your way.
When a person is not grounded and doesn’t have the right compass, intention, focus and priority, you can really lose your way.
“
I’ve seen how people transform when they start to do something they love.
I’ve seen how people transform when they start to do something they love.
“
We’re trying to ensure that there is Ihsan (excellence) in everything we do. Whether it’s the product, how we interact with our customers, the website, our social media, our blog, everything.
We’re trying to ensure that there is Ihsan (excellence) in everything we do. Whether it’s the product, how we interact with our customers, the website, our social media, our blog, everything.
“
That's what spirituality is. Spirituality is connecting into the essence of something.
That's what spirituality is. Spirituality is connecting into the essence of something.
“
There can be Barakah in anything – especially if that thing brings you back closer to the divine in some way. If it puts you into a spiritual mode, there’s Barakah there.
There can be Barakah in anything – especially if that thing brings you back closer to the divine in some way. If it puts you into a spiritual mode, there’s Barakah there.
“
That's kind of what spirituality is. It's another level of information to connect you to your purpose of life, through the lens of design.
That's kind of what spirituality is. It's another level of information to connect you to your purpose of life, through the lens of design.
“
You have to combine a kind of sanguinity in business with a deep faith that your provision is not coming from the business - it’s coming from God.
You have to combine a kind of sanguinity in business with a deep faith that your provision is not coming from the business - it’s coming from God.
“
If we don't recognize the speed of society and don't design for the place people are … we'll lose them.
If we don't recognize the speed of society and don't design for the place people are … we'll lose them.
“
Young people especially should ask themselves what kind of business do they want to do that can bless as many people as possible? What does that look like?
Young people especially should ask themselves what kind of business do they want to do that can bless as many people as possible? What does that look like?
“
We, as human beings, are designed for Haq. We’re designed for truth, and we’re designed for coherence.
We, as human beings, are designed for Haq. We’re designed for truth, and we’re designed for coherence.
“
As artists it’s beautiful to make art, but the real goal of the artist on the spiritual path is that you make your life a work of art.
As artists it’s beautiful to make art, but the real goal of the artist on the spiritual path is that you make your life a work of art.
“
When a person is not grounded and doesn’t have the right compass, intention, focus and priority, you can really lose your way.
When a person is not grounded and doesn’t have the right compass, intention, focus and priority, you can really lose your way.
“
I’ve seen how people transform when they start to do something they love.
I’ve seen how people transform when they start to do something they love.
“
We’re trying to ensure that there is Ihsan (excellence) in everything we do. Whether it’s the product, how we interact with our customers, the website, our social media, our blog, everything.
We’re trying to ensure that there is Ihsan (excellence) in everything we do. Whether it’s the product, how we interact with our customers, the website, our social media, our blog, everything.
“
That's what spirituality is. Spirituality is connecting into the essence of something.
That's what spirituality is. Spirituality is connecting into the essence of something.
“
There can be Barakah in anything – especially if that thing brings you back closer to the divine in some way. If it puts you into a spiritual mode, there’s Barakah there.
There can be Barakah in anything – especially if that thing brings you back closer to the divine in some way. If it puts you into a spiritual mode, there’s Barakah there.
“
That's kind of what spirituality is. It's another level of information to connect you to your purpose of life, through the lens of design.
That's kind of what spirituality is. It's another level of information to connect you to your purpose of life, through the lens of design.
“
You have to combine a kind of sanguinity in business with a deep faith that your provision is not coming from the business - it’s coming from God.
You have to combine a kind of sanguinity in business with a deep faith that your provision is not coming from the business - it’s coming from God.
“
If we don't recognize the speed of society and don't design for the place people are … we'll lose them.
If we don't recognize the speed of society and don't design for the place people are … we'll lose them.
“
Young people especially should ask themselves what kind of business do they want to do that can bless as many people as possible? What does that look like?
Young people especially should ask themselves what kind of business do they want to do that can bless as many people as possible? What does that look like?
“
We, as human beings, are designed for Haq. We’re designed for truth, and we’re designed for coherence.
We, as human beings, are designed for Haq. We’re designed for truth, and we’re designed for coherence.
Bring The Heart of Design to Your Audience
Join a global movement of designers and entrepreneurs shaping the future with intention and excellence!
With 1,000+ pre-orders worldwide, The Heart of Design is already inspiring change. Interested in becoming a publisher or stockist? Contact us or email at info@uhibbook.com to collaborate.
