Recommended Reading
While on my way to my hometown of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania to visit my parents and my girlfriends this weekend, I’m taking a minor detour to Lancaster (which isn’t exactly Amish Country, but it’s the same county). I’m visiting an AIGA student group of graphic designers at PCAD, whom I worked with while at the National AIGA Design Conference in Memphis.
As I began to consider what I’d speak to the students about, I kept going back to books. I love books and I’ve always loved books. While working towards my undergraduate degree from RIT in Graphic Design I was always in the library. Not only did I continually have the maximum number of books out (25) I worked there too, at the RIT Archives and Special Collections. This is where I developed my love for gorgeous books. These books were my extended education. They became my bible for design inspiration, encouraging me to think beyond the project.
So, I prepared my top 10 list of all-time favorite books. Some are current, some are historical and some are pure inspiration. Enjoy!
1. History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs
2. The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters by Chip Kidd
3. Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
4. Lester Beall: Trailblazer of American Graphic Design by my former RIT professor, R. Roger Remington
5. How To Think Like a Great Graphic Designer by my mentor, Debbie Millman
6. The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier
7. The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry by Jay Hambidge
8. Inside the Business of Graphic Design by Catharine Fishel
9. Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design by Steven Heller
10. Obey the Giant: Life in the Image World by Rick Poynor
Here are two more books that are really important for anyone to read (designer or non-designer):
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Great list! Three books that I have all my students read ( both general graphic design and web design) are:
Designing for Interaction *( a must) http://www.designingforinteraction.com/
Designing with Web Standards http://www.zeldman.com/dwws/
and
Thinking with Type http://www.papress.com/other/thinkingwithtype/index.htm
The first two books address many aspects of the big picture rather than focusing on technical detail. They are great for students who are looking to understand the major concepts of web and interaction design. I recommend them to both my beginning Graphic Design students and Web Design students
The third I prefer recommending to students over The Elements of Typographic Style ( though that is a good book) because it is easy to digest and makes Typography fun. It also has a great companion website that even has lesson plans. Ellen Lupton rocks.