A Comprehensive Reading List for and by Designers

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2	Category	Title	Author	Abstract	Purchase Link

3	Business	Articulating Design Decisions	Tom Greever	Principles, tactics, and actionable methods for talking about designs with executives, managers, developers, marketers, and other stakeholders.
4	Business	Creativity, Inc.	Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace	Co-Founder of Pixar, Catmull writes for managers and employees, calling them to be creative, passionate, and unique.
5	Business	Design is a Job	Mike Monteiro	This easy read explains how to build your business backbone while feeding your creative talent.
6	Business	Drawn to Business	Bill Beachy of GoMedia.us	Beachy tells his story along with 15 others of how to build a successful design company.
7	Business	How Google Works	Jonathan Rosenberg and Eric Schmidt	Chocked full of skills and techniques on how Google's "Smart Creatives" operate in a fast paced, creative environment. A must read for any designer working in a product company.
8	Business	Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success	Ken Segall	Segall discusses how simplicity at Apple is more than just design—it's in every aspect of the business.
9	Business	It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be	Paul Arden	Arden's book is a inspiring read for designers and non-designers alike, and he offers his wisdom on a wide-variety of business problems.
10	Business	Manage Your Day-To-Day	Jocelyn K. Glei and 99U	This manual shows how to stop working hard and start working smart in a workplace that never seems to stop.	http://www.amazon.com/Manage-Your-Day-Day-Creative/dp/1477800670
11	Business	Remote	Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson	This book explores the benefits and challenges of remote work as more companies look to decentralize the office.
12	Business	Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping	Paco Underhill	This research-based book reveals that we have a method to our madness when shopping.
13	Classics	Art as Therapy	Alain de Botton	Philosopher Alain de Botton shares a new way to look at familiar masterpieces, noting that they can actually be therapeutic for their audiences.	http://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Design/dp/1118766571
14	Classics	Designing With Web Standards	Jeffrey Zeldman	Now in the third edition with essential updates for the modern web, this classic, industry-changing guidebook remains the essential source for creating fast, effective websites.
15	Classics	Responsive Web Design	Ethan Marcotte	Ethan Marcotte explains how to think beyond the desktop and craft beautiful designs that anticipate and respond to your users’ needs.
16	Classics	Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design's Golden Age	Steven Heller and Louise Fili	This well-organized handbook shows typefaces, handwriting, neon signs, and more.
17	Classics	The Noble Approach	Tod Polson	This book shares Noble's approach to animation design from concept to final frame, illustrated with sketches and stunning original artwork spanning the full breadth of his career.
18	Classics	Universal Principles of Design	William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler	This cross-disciplinary reference for design pairs clear explanations of design concepts featured with visual examples of those concepts applied in practice.	http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-William-Lidwell/dp/1592530079
19	Future	Design Forward	Hartmut Esslinger	Esslinger explores how design can have an impact on sustainability for the future in both the environment and the economy.	http://www.amazon.com/Design-Forward-Creative-Strategies-Sustainable/dp/3897903814
20	Future	Design Is the Problem	Nathan Shedroff	Shedroff calls designers to focus on sustainable products and solutions.
21	Future	Obey the Giant	Rick Poynor	This collection of essays by Poynor describes the increasing connectivity of commerce and culture.
22	Future	Predictably Irrational	Dan Ariely	This book brings to light the hidden forces that shape our daily decisions in life.
23	Future	The Craft of Words	The Standardistas	This book uncovers the importance of words in design and why designers must think of words as an equally important design tool.
24	Future	The Creative Habit	Twyla Tharp	Tharp's books offers prescriptions and exercises to release your creativity from its often-stuck mindset.
25	Future	Thinking, Fast and Slow	Daniel Kahneman	Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Kahneman differentiates between our quick, "gut" way of thinking and our other slower, more logical system.
26	Future	World without Words	Michael Evamy	Evamy shows how simple design can explain so much without words and how culture is moving toward a world without words.
27	Graphic Design	Above the Fold	Brian D. Miller	This book focuses on the timeless fundamentals of good web design
28	Graphic Design	Data Points	Nathan	Nathan YauYau focuses on the graphics side of data visualization in his follow up to "Visualize This".
29	Graphic Design	Design, Form, and Chaos	Paul Rand	Rand draws from his own experience and others that inspired him to share his process of creating good design.	http://www.amazon.com/Design-Form-Chaos-Paul-Rand/dp/0300055536
30	Graphic Design	Form+Code in Design, Art, and Architecture	Casey Reas	This non-technical guide serves as an introduction to the history, theory, and practice of software in the arts.
31	Graphic Design	Graphic Design Before Graphic Designers	David Jury	Jury gives a history of printing and includes almost 800 illustrations, most in color.
32	Graphic Design	Grid Systems in Graphic Design	Josef Müller-Brockmann	Müller-Brockmann's theories on grid design covered in this book are essential to computer-assisted designers.
33	Graphic Design	How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul	Adrian Shaughnessy	Shaughnessy writes for young graphic designers, focusing on how to run a successful business and manage their creative process.
34	Graphic Design	Meggs' History of Graphic Design	Philip B. Meggs and Alston W. Purvis	This academic textbook is the gold standard for graphic design history.
35	Graphic Design	The Animator's Survival Kit	Richard Williams	The Academy Award-winning animator behind "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" writes an informative handbook on the underlying principles of animation.
36	Graphic Design	The Visual Display of Quantitative Information	Edward R. Tufte	A book about the theory and practice of how to design visual data.
37	Graphic Design	You're Designing It All Wrong!	Tal Florentin	A free e-book that will perfect the way you design for screens.
38	Icons & Logos	Geek-Art: An Anthology	Thomas Olivri	Olivri's anthology consists of almost 800 examples of "geek art."	http://www.amazon.com/Geek-Art-Anthology-Design-Illustration-Lightsabers/dp/1452140480/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404142164&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=%22Geek-art%2C+une+anthologie%22+by+Thomas+Olivri
39	Icons & Logos	Logo Creed	Bill Gardner	This book goes from discovery to research to development to delivery and gives examples from lead designers about their own processes.
40	Icons & Logos	Logo Design Love	David Airey	Airey's book goes beyond just images of logos in order to step into the process of creating them.
41	Icons & Logos	Monogram logo	Leterme Dowling and Counter-Print	This image-heavy book consists of 452 logos and ciphers from around the world.
42	Icons & Logos	Symbol	Angus Hyland and Steven Bateman	This well-organized book shows more than 1,300 symbols organized into groups and subgroups.	http://www.amazon.com/Symbol-Steven-Bateman/dp/1856697274
43	Icons & Logos	The Icon Handbook	Jon Hicks	Hicks goes from the basics to the finished in seven steps, laying the roadwork for a predictable way to create an icon.
44	Innovation	Creativity for Sale	Jason Surfr	The man behind IWearYourShirt and BuyMyLastName shares a practical guide on how to turn passions into profits.
45	Innovation	Everything I Know	Paul Jarvis	Described to be "It’s a swift kick in the creative ass without fairies, unicorns or new-age clichés."
46	Innovation	Execute	Josh Long and Drew Wilson	This book shows you how to move fast and stay inspired. The book itself was written, designed, and off to the printer in 8 days.
47	Innovation	Life's a Pitch: How to Sell Yourself and Your Brilliant Ideas	Roger Mavity	In just about any job, but particularly creative jobs, pitching is an essential skill for success.
48	Innovation	Show Your Work!	Austin Kleon	Kleon's follow up to "Steal Like an Artist" focuses on how to use your network and how to let your network use you.
49	Innovation	Steal Like An Artist	Austin Kleon	Kleon urges readers to remix, borrow, steal, and re-imagine to play with creativity.
50	Innovation	The Good Creative	Paul Jarvis	Jarvis outlines the 18 habits of the world's most respected artists.
51	Innovation	What They Didn't Teach You In Design School: The Essential Guide to Growing Your Design Career	Phil Cleaver	Advice on the stage from graduating, and getting into a studio and staying there as a valued designer.	https://www.amazon.com/What-Didnt-Teach-Design-School/dp/1440334366
52	Innovation	Where Good Ideas Come From	Steven Johnson	Johnson identifies the seven key patterns behind genuine innovation, and traces them across time and disciplines.
53	Method and Theory	90 Degrees	Andrew Kim	This iBook exclusive explores the art of knolling.
54	Method and Theory	Designing Brand Identity	Alina Wheeler	Through case studies, this book provides a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand identity.
55	Method and Theory	Designing Design	Kenya Hara	Hara focuses on the importance of emptiness in design while crediting underrated Japanese icons and images.
56	Method and Theory	Designing News	Francesco Franchi	A relative newcomer to the design field, Franchi explains his process behind his editorial design of IL and how the news and media industry should pivot.
57	Method and Theory	Drawing Ideas	Mark Baskinger and William Bardel	Baskinger and Bardel's book is a drawing bootcamp that aims to enhance reasoning skills and ultimately product creation.	http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Ideas-Hand-Drawn-Approach-Better/dp/0385344627
58	Method and Theory	Geometry Makes Me Happy	Index Books	Sections including art, graphic design, illustration, industrial design, and interior design explore the role of geometry in creative expression.
59	Method and Theory	Interaction of Color	Josef Albers	This handbook and teaching aid presents Albers’s singular explanation of complex color theory principles.
60	Method and Theory	Just Enough Research	Erika Hall	Hall presents an easy, cross-disciplinary approach on how to do research to create a solid foundation for your project.
61	Method and Theory	Notes on the Synthesis of Form	Christopher Alexander	Alexander presents an entirely new theory of the process of design by which a form is adapted to the context of human needs.
62	Method and Theory	Sass for Web Designers	Dan Cederholm	Cederholm shares how Sass, the popular CSS pre-processor, provides a clear-cut path to taking better control of your code.
63	Method and Theory	The Shape of Design	Frank Chimero	This anti-textbook focuses on the "why" rather than the "how" of design.
64	People	Damn Good Advice (For People with Talent!)	George Lois	Lois, the original "Mad Man" offers witty advice on life and business.
65	People	Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible	Sophie Lovell	This exploration of Ram's life includes photographs, sketches, and other archival material to explain why we still use products he designed a half century ago.
66	People	George Nelson: Architect / Writer / Designer / Teacher	Stanley Abercrombie	This illustrated biography explores Nelson's classic mid-century modern designs.	http://www.amazon.com/George-Nelson-Architect-Designer-Teacher/dp/3931936821
67	People	Herb Lubalin American Graphic Designer	Adrian Shaughnessy	This biography chronicles the life and career of Lubalin, arguably the world's most influential typographer and graphic designer.
68	People	Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products	Leander Kahney	This biography explores the man behind design at Apple, from overcoming dyslexia to becoming the lead designer of his generation.	http://www.amazon.com/Jony-Ive-Genius-Greatest-Products/dp/159184617X
69	People	Kern and Burn	Tim Hoover	This book includes interviews with 30 designers detailing their failures and successes as they created careers for themselves.
70	People	Lance Wyman: The Monograph edited	Adrian Shaughnessy	This monograph is the first major publication devoted to Lance Wyman’s entire output.	http://www.uniteditions.com/shop/lance-wyman
71	People	Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design Hardcover	Jennifer Bass	Working in graphic design, corporate identity, and even short film, Bass created some of the most recognizable imagery of the 20th century.
72	People	Steve Jobs	Walter Isaacson	Isaacson writes an honest portrait of the iconic designer based on extensive interviews with Jobs himself as well as his family, friends, and colleagues.
73	People	The Manual - Issues 1-3	various	Each issue contains six articles and six personal lessons from six different authors.
74	People	The Vignelli Canon	Massimo Vignelli	Vignelli himself describes what he considers good design and his process behind his work.
75	Product Design	100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People	Susan Weinschenk	This book combines real science and research with practical examples to deliver a guide every designer needs.	https://www.amazon.com/Things-Designer-People-Voices-Matter/dp/0321767535/
76	Product Design	Designing for the Digital Age	Kim Goodwin	This book serves as a roadmap to create useable, helpful products, from team-building to iteration.
77	Product Design	Experience Required	Robert Hoekman Jr.	Become the UX leader you’ve always wanted to be.
78	Product Design	Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products	Nir Eyal	This book discusses the 4-step process embedded in popular products to encourage user behavior.
79	Product Design	Living with Complexity	Donald A. Norman	Norman picks apart the argument for simplicity and vouches for complex (but well-designed) products that shadow our rich lives.
80	Product Design	The Design of Everyday Things	Donald A. Norman	Norman delves into product design from the scientific viewpoint of a cognitive psychologist to explain why some products work and others frustrate.
81	Publications	Computer Arts Magazine		The industry-leading title for graphic designers, Computer Arts is the magazine for people who believe design matters.
82	Publications	DIS Magazine	various	The self-described "post-internet lifestyle magazine" has an editorial mission to interrogate and collapse hierarchies.
83	Publications	Dwell Magazine	various	Dwell is an American magazine devoted to modern architecture and design.
84	Publications	Offscreen Magazine	Offscreen Magazine	Offscreen is an independent magazine about people who use the internet and technology to be creative, solve problems, and build successful businesses.
85	Publications	Smashing Magazine and its publications	Smashing Magazine	Smashing Magazine is a website and blog that offers resources, books, and advice to web developers and web designers.
86	Typography	Dangerous Curves: Mastering Logotype Design	Doyald Young	This book exhibits Young's amazing collection of typography by focusing on the form and curves of the letters.
87	Typography	Decorative Logo Design		This image-heavy book explores the marks and logos of charming brands.
88	Typography	Elegantissima: The Design and Typography of Louise Fili	Louise Fili	A beautiful Monograph of Fili's lavish and elegant typography
89	Typography	Just My Type	Simon Garfield	Garfield uncovers where fonts come from and why we need so many.
90	Typography	The Elements of Typographic Style	Robert Bringhurst	This manual travels between art, history and technical knowledge, serving both as a reference book and a readable story.	http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Typographic-Style-Robert-Bringhurst/dp/0881791326
91	Typography	The Ten Commandments of Typography/Type Heresy	Paul Felton	Felton playfully relates typography to religion in this cheeky book that includes "commandments" and "sacrilege."
92	Typography	Thinking with Type	Ellen Lupton	This best-seller serves as a guide to typography from digital to print, explaining the rules and how exactly to break them.
93	Typography	Type Matters!	Jim Williams	This book is a well-structured answer to modern problems of layout design on computers.
94	User Interface	About Face	Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin and Christopher Noessel	This book explores interaction design with a new focus on the shift to mobile.	http://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Design/dp/1118766571
95	User Interface	Designing for Emotion	Aarron Walter	Walter looks at psychology and how it influences today's design in this book, focusing on how to make users fall in love with your design.
96	User Interface	Designing with the Mind in Mind	Jeff Johnson	Johnson explores the science for UI designers, explaining the theories of cognitive psychology.
97	User Interface	Don't Make Me Think	Steve Krug	In this classic handbook on information design, Krug shares why intuitive navigation is vital for the success of any web-based product.
98	User Interface	Interaction Design	Yvonne Rogers, Helen Sharp and Jenny Preece	This book has a multi-disciplinary approach to interaction design focusing both on technical and social issues.
99	User Interface	Product Design for the Web	Randy J. Hunt	Etsy's creative director explains why web designers need to think more like product designers in order to create the next great thing.
100	User Interface	Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences	Stephen P. Anderson	Speaker and author Stephen P. Anderson takes a fresh approach to designing sites and interactions based on the stages of seduction.	http://www.amazon.com/Seductive-Interaction-Design-Effective-Experiences/dp/0321725522