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The Form of the Book

Jan Tschichold

A collection of essays written between 1949 and 1974, the year of Tschichold’s death. Many describe archaic elements of book design, but as a whole the text is as relevant to design today as it was a half century ago. more

Graphic Design

Adrian Shaughnessy

Shaugnessy’s irreverent guide—the ABC’s of design—addresses the underside of the designer’s life, with entries on banks (page 30), presentation skills (page 230), and sacking clients (page 268). Each post is short and discreet, making for a book that need not be read in the order it was made. Much to my surprise, the monospaced text font is entirely comfortable to read. more

Designing with Web Standards

Ethan Marcotte, Jeffrey Zeldman

The king of web standards returns for a third edition, this time with the addition of the talented Ethan Marcotte. Required reading. more

There’s nothing funny about design

David Barringer

A clever (and, yes, funny) collection of essays. Sidebars pepper the text with sources and commentary; the latter often reveal less about the subject matter than the nervous and endearing habits of the writer. more

Designing for People

Henry Dreyfuss

The first book on industrial design. A lovely, timeless book. Dreyfuss scattered the pages with his sketches, making for a playful, very human read. more

Designing Design

Kenya Hara

How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

Adrian Shaughnessy