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8 Books Every Graphic Designer Should Read

Must-have graphic design books…

There are countless brilliant graphic design books out there, offering everything from technical advice to inspiration. Whatever you are after, we have gathered together the hottest and best titles that every graphic designer should be reading…

All the books on this list are recommended by those who work in the graphic design industry.

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#1 Thinking with Type

Type is such a critical and unavoidable part of design. We need to be really good at it.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:

Contributors: Nicole LeBlanc from Scott Allen Creative

#2 Logo Modernism

Every logo designer should study the graphic work of the mid-century. This compendium of trademark symbols is great for two things: browsing for inspiration, and checking to make sure that brilliant logo design you just came up with hasn't been done five or ten times before.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:

Contributors: Peter T. Donahue from Peter Donahue

#3 Pretty Much Everything

This book was given to me by a much more talented designer than myself in my early days in the industry. The reason I am recommending this book is the perspective of Aaron and the inspiration I have drawn from it. It ranges from how to's to posters & logos, Aaron provides insight & commentary that will have you laughing and leave you thinking. This book has been described as The Complete Package for a new generation of designers.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:

Contributors: Jesse Reynolds from Efferent Media

#5 A Type Primer

This book provides readers the fundamentals for laying out typography properly, including kerning (letter spacing), leading (line height) and how to set up a proper grid system for layout/type setting. John Kane book is extremely detailed, straightforward and a must-read for graphic designers.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:

Contributors: Alvaro Flores from Campaign Creators

#6 Mastering Layout: On the Art of Eye Appeal

This book was one that was recommended to me early on in my career in design by an adjunct professor who worked for TBWAChiatDay. He had roots in sign painting and calligraphy before he was working for any ad agencies.

I always had a liking for old hand-painted signs or pinstripe work on vehicles and this book taught many principals for layout that was used by many of those painters. They did not have any layout software such as Photoshop, Illustrator etc. They used many of the techniques and principals Mike Stevens outlined in this book and many of them work great today.

I know many fantastic artists who have struggled with proper layouts or using a particular typeface that throws the entire layout/design out of whack. This book reinforces these very basic yet powerful principals that will aid you down the road. Much of this is not taught enough today and because so much is done on the computer and not sketched out first.

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:

Contributors: George Kern from Printed Pixel

#8 How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul

This book is perfect for turning your graphic designing talents into a viable business. From how to find work, how much to charge, and what to do when a client rejects three weeks of work and refuses to pay the bill this book covers it all!

Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:

Contributors: Alvaro Flores from Campaign Creators

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Written by Ben Skute