As 2024 approaches, graphic designers are encouraged to refine their skills, update their concepts, and stimulate their creativity. To aid this transformation, a compilation of top 10 essential books has been curated for experienced designers, design students, and graphic design enthusiasts. These books aim to provide primary knowledge and inspiration in many areas, including practicing essential skills, delving into theoretical aspects, understanding recent trends, and sparking creativity.
The book-list includes an interesting mix of titles: “Making and Breaking the Grid” by Timothy Samara emphasizes grid usage in design layouts while “Interaction of Color” by Josef Albers centers on color psychology in design. Then there is “Illustrated Decisions” by Kevin William, known for making complex UX/UI concepts easy to understand through illustrations, “Universal Principles of Design” by William Lidwell offers a guide to essential principles of design and “Thinking with Type” by Ellen Lupton focuses on the importance of typography in UX/UI design.
Other books in the collection include “Design as an Attitude” by Alice Rawsthorn, which goes beyond conventional design concepts to underscore the broader impact of design on life and society.
Critical graphic design reading for 2024
“Problem Solving by Design” by Richard Norman, focuses on how design frameworks could provide solutions to complex problems while “Design, Nature, and Revolution: Towards a Critical Ecology” by Matteo Pasquinelli explores the connection between design and natural ecosystems.
Also included in this collection are practical guides like “Graphic Design School” by David Dabner and historical narratives such as “History of Graphic Design” by Philip B. Meggs and Alston W. Purvis and “Graphic Design: A New History” by Stephen J. Eskilson. There are even books that explore design in daily life like “Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman and those that delve into typography like Ina Saltz’s “Type Rules! The Designer’s Guide to Professional Typography”.
These books not only serve as helpful resources for designers, but they also inspire readers to push boundaries, ignite creativity, and manifest significant changes in the graphic design industry beyond 2024. They are more than mere guidebooks, they serve as mirrors reflecting societal changes and a source of inspiration and knowledge for the design world.
