What about museums, universities, and performing arts venues? Is there still a place for these thousand-year-old institutions in our lives? Or are we holding onto them out of habit, guilt, or nostalgia? Considering the power of technology today, can't we replace these relics with faster, cheaper, and more efficient online tools, apps, and AI? Through exotic storytelling, human behavior insights, and proven design techniques, Kevin Kelley - an attention architect and cofounder of Shook Kelley, a strategic design firm that pioneered the field of 'convening' - unfolds why physical places are essential to civil society, business, and community. In these pages, he reveals what it takes for physical places to attract an audience and maintain a competitive edge in our increasingly digital world, whether you're a: Retail leader or institutional manager trying to attract people to your offering while keeping the disruptors at bay - Student of design who values social facilitation over object-oriented design - Concerned citizen worried about the loss of community and civility Irreplaceable offers a welcomed antidote to the anti-human digital future crushing our main streets and infiltrating every corner of our lives through surveillance capitalism. It provides a comprehensive roadmap for creating human experiences that have the power to convene and bring friends, neighbours, and strangers together in prosocial environments in ways the digital replacements can't replicate.

About the Author
Kevin Ervin Kelley, AIA, is an award-winning Architect, Experience Designer, and Cofounder of the bi-coastal strategic design firm Shook Kelley. As a lifelong advocate of bringing people together in prosocial settings, Kevin's expertise is in studying how the environment of a place affects our behavior, perception, and decision-making. Since opening their firm's doors in 1992, he has worked with executive leadership teams for some of the world's most well-known brands, such as Harley-Davidson, Whole Foods Market, Kraft, The J.M. Smucker Company, The Cleveland Orchestra, professional sports teams, universities, urban districts, and hundreds of local and regional businesses to stay relevant and profitable in our rapidly changing modern landscape.

In addition to being a frequent speaker at retail, food, and other consumer conferences in the US and abroad, Kevin has taught courses at Harvard University and his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.


Book Information
ISBN 9781637744741
Author Kevin Ervin Kelley
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Matt Holt Books
Publisher BenBella Books
Weight(grams) 442g
Dimensions(mm) 237mm * 161mm * 25mm