Top Books To Be Your Best At Design
Who said that qualified designers don’t use books? That’s truly unfair. Books enhance designers to deep in design theory, learn some new skills and recharge creative batteries for new ideas. Whatever you want, books can give you something you need. In this article, our designers at Cadabra Studio curated the list of the best graphic design books. Welcome to our essential reading list.
Books For UX Designers
A Project Guide to UX Design by Russ Unger, Carolyn Chandler
The book covers different UX design methods and analyzes all the stages of the project development process. The information is presented as a theoretical overview of both UX design and project management.
The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett
This book is an essential reference for designers worldwide. The author provides comprehensive information about usability, brand identity, information architecture, interaction design, so the process of creating the user experience won’t overwhelm you.
Measuring the User Experience by Tom Tullis and William Albert
Read about the connection between neuro-marketing and online market research that improves UX measurement and increases usability. You’ll find updated tips on writing online survey questions, 6 case studies from the authors, and the guide on how to effectively measure the usability of any product by choosing the right metric, applying it, and effectively using the information it reveals.
Books For UI Designers
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
A well-known typographer and poet Robert Bringhurst created a superior style guide to clarify the art of typography. The combination of practical, theoretical, and historical information makes a big deal for UI designers, editors, and marketers.
Designing with Type: The Essential Guide to Typography by James Craig, William Bevington, Irene Korol Scala
In this book, James Craig presents a complete typography overview, making it a valuable tool for anyone interested in typography. With more than 250,000 copies being sold, the book is a best-seller and provides access to lessons from professional typographers around the world.
UI Is Communication: How to Design Intuitive, User Centered Interfaces by Focusing on Effective Communication by Everett N. McKay
Everett N. McKay provides his readers with comprehensive explanations about designing user interfaces by focusing on human communication. You can immediately apply this guide to your projects, so your decisions will be effective and confident. There are also design makeovers with real examples in the book.
Books For Logo Designers
Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities by David Airey
Airey gives a clear explanation of the process. The book explains the importance of well-crafted brand identity systems, the creation of iconic logos, and how to work effectively with clients. This book aims to make you a successful logo designer.
Logo Life: Life Histories of 100 Famous Logos by Ron van der Vlugt
The Logo Life book is a mix of short stories about the logos for world-famous brands. The author describes all the little steps of the visual evolution of the listed logos. Moreover, you can find examples of the most iconic logo usage in brand advertising.
Logotype by Michael Evamy
The Logotype book features more than 1,300 typographic logos worldwide, making this book truly international. Examples presented in the book are drawn by different designers from different countries.
Books For Product Designers
Practical Empathy: For Collaboration and Creativity in Your Work by Indi Young
Practical Empathy provides step-by-step guidance of practical empathy for end-users. This kind of empathy can help you create and design something that suits users’ needs, and it’s the basis of usability design and plain language writing.
Communicating the UX Vision: 13 Anti-Patterns That Block Good Ideas by Martina Schell, James O’Brien
This book identifies the 13 main challenges designers face in their everyday work. Authors describe problems and blocks in the design process, so the readers can analyze their work in more persuasive ways. Besides, you can learn how to respond constructively to feedback from coworkers and stakeholders.
Interviewing Users. How to Uncover Compelling Insights by Steve Portigal
Interviewing Users provides effective interviewing techniques and tools that enable product designers to conduct informative interviews with everyone. The author advises transforming simple data gathering into powerful insights about people. Product designers, managers, and researchers can apply the presented interviewing techniques and tools to their interview workflow.
Books For Graphic Designers
Know Your Onions: Graphic Design by Drew de Soto
This is more than just a book thanks to its creative design. Graphic designers can use it as a notebook that contains the author’s tips and knowledge inside. Besides, you can make references and specific notes on the blank pages. Know your Onions book is a practical guide that covers essential techniques of graphic design and its digital implementation.
The A-Z of Visual Ideas: How to Solve any Creative Brief by John Ingledew
The book aims at the student market and explains the key ideas and techniques that have been used throughout design history. John Ingledew shows the roots of ideas and inspiration, helping the readers to unlock their creativity. Also, he provides designers with numerous strategies to help solve creative briefs and design problems.
How to be a Graphic Designer, Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy
How to Be a Graphic Designer offers clear guidance for running and promoting a studio, finding work, and collaborating with clients. The book also includes interviews with leading designers such as Jonathan Barnbrook, Sara De Bondt, Stephen Doyle, and others.
What They Didn’t Teach You in Design School: What You Actually Need to Know to Make a Success in the Industry by Phil Cleaver
This book is a toolkit for inexperienced young designers, giving them the instructions for a successful start. The author provides readers with useful tips about the first job, how to impress a new employer, and how to work for clients.
The Most Recommended Books By Cadabra Studio
The Mom Test: How To Talk To Customers and Learn If Your Business Is A Good Idea When Everyone is Lying to You by Rob Fitzpatrick
The Mom Test tells you how to benefit from customer conversations. Talking to customers is one of the foundational skills and it is important to use it properly. The author teaches readers how to detect the liers and work with them effectively.
The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
The Design of Everyday Things shows that fine and usable design is possible. It is about the ways how some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them. Shortly, Donald A. Norman created an effortless user guide to the right action on the right control at the right time.
The Animator’s Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles, and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators by Richard Williams
Richard Williams created this magnificent set of books to provide designers with written principles of animation that every animator needs. He illustrates information with dozens of drawings, sharing the secrets of the masters useful for professionals, students, and fans.
Design, Form, and Chaos by Paul Rand
In this book, legendary Paul Rand speaks about the practice of graphic design. Illustrating his ideas with examples of his own stunning graphic, Rand discusses various topics about good design, the relationship between management and designers, the place of market research, etc. The examples are aimed to plan processes that lead to a final design.
Sketching User Experiences: The Workbook by Bill Buxton, Saul Greenberg, Sheelagh Carpendale, Nicolai Marquardt
The Workbook enhances designers with the step-by-step process of the different sketching techniques. The author highlights the main differences between the traditional ways of sketching and UX sketching. Different sketching methods and the modules are reviewed.
Whether you are an amateur in graphic design, searching for design methods, or a senior product designer looking for a fresh view on design systems or strategies, the listed books are your helpers. Use our design book list as a guide of what to read, inspire, study, analyze, and practice to get better as a designer in your field.
