30 books that are helpful to read any designer
Books / / December 19, 2019
Denis Zolotarev
Art director, a specialist in the field of multimedia journalism, digital is-design and infographics. leads blog.
1. "Objects of Desire", Adrian Forti
Published abroad in the late '80s, the book reached Russia only in 2010. In my opinion, this is the most accurate description of the designer profession, its origin, objectives and instruments.
2. "Understanding Comics," Scott McCloud
A book about comics, but in fact is much more - it is a kind of ready-made textbook on visual communication in a broad sense. Published, notably in the form of comics (and therefore advise the English version, although there are translated).
Buy the book →
3. All books by Vladimir Krichevsky, but especially the "Poetics of reproduction"
Krichevsky - excellent vaccination against design snobbery and narrow-mindedness. The sooner you get it, the less likely professionally zakostenet after 30-40 years.
4. "The laws of simplicity," John Maeda
About how to do simple but not boring or poorly.
Buy the book →
5. "History of Art", Ernst Gombrich
Book has an incredible number of editions and is widely regarded as the best work on the topic. The theme, in my view, necessary for any designer: knowledge of history helps to predict the future. I advise you, of course, to read the English version (the quality of the Russian edition of poor).
Buy the book →
6. "Modern font" Villu Toots
It is fashionable to talk about typography and how to repeat the mantra Ruder name, Tschichold and Bringhersta. But I want to suggest a somewhat different version: "Modern font" Villu Toots.
Yet published in the USSR, the book (as I recall), since out of print, but you can easily find an electronic version of it (or buy a second-hand bookshops). In my opinion, the most distinct work about the history and origin of the letters as such, necessary basis for further study already that can do with them.
Sergey Slutsky
Founder and creative director of the studio presentations "Metaforma».
1. "Sell packaging," Lars Vallentin
Good packaging can not be separated from the product, it increases its value. Despite the fact that the book in question about the design of packaging for food products, the principles are universal and easily broadcast in any form.
2. Slide: ology, Nancy Duarte
Presentation - this is not just a set of slides in PowerPoint, as a visual story that helps you achieve goals. Rather than produce nonsensical slides and data, convert presentations tool reports in your ideas to the audience.
3. "Steal like an artist," Austin Kleon
What is the difference between the theft and the search for sources of inspiration? Your own path begins with collecting ideas - do not reject foreign influence and form their own unique style.
Buy the book →
4. "You will be able to draw in 30 days," Mark Kistler
Figure faster words helps to explain their ideas to others. Many are afraid to take a pencil - this book will provide the tools and techniques that eliminate fear, reveal the artist in you and help you enjoy the process.
Buy the book →
5. "Visual thinking" Dan Roem
The book will teach you just visualize the business situation and use visual thinking in everyday life. Draw pictures and solve problems.
6. "Understanding Comics," Scott McCloud
Despite the fact that the comic book - a collection of static images, it is filled with life and dynamics. The minimalist depiction of and even between the frames on the page are hidden ideas and principles, which are used in film, animation, web design, interface design.
Buy the book →
Paprika Xu (Paprika Xu)
Designer Canva - online photo editor and graphic designer.
1. "Good strategy, good strategy. What is the difference and why this is important, "Richard Rumelt
At the heart of any good strategy - look deeper into the situation, its latent potential, and the appropriate approach to it. Rumelt shows how such an opinion can be formed using a variety of tools, guides thinking in the right direction.
2. "Think slow... Make up your mind quickly," Daniel Kahneman
The book offers a practical and truly useful insights about the process of committing the selection both in business and in private life, and then, what can we use technology to protect themselves from the mental failures, often leading to problems.
Buy the book →
3. "Corporation geniuses. How to manage a team of creative people ", Edwin Catmull, Amy Wallace
This book, written by the founder of Pixar - about leadership and creating an environment conducive to the development of creativity and storytelling. It is particularly strong in the part that is dedicated to criticism and the relationship of teamwork and individual contribution to the team votes.
Buy the book →
4. "The Design of Everyday Things" by Donald Norman
"The Design of Everyday Things" shows that good and at the same time practical design is possible. The rules are simple: make the elements visible, use the natural balance of functionality and control and wisely use the resulting limitations. The goal - to bring gradually to the desired user action the way you want at the right time. This book - a powerful source of valuable observations about how and why some products to customers like, and other irritating.
Buy the book →
Pavel Gorshkov
Design director Redmadrobot. profile Facebook.
Since my area of activity is related to the UX, then I will share books that will be useful for interface designers. And I'll start with the heavy artillery.
1. "Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems", Jeff Raskin
A monumental work that is the interface at all. It is written for a long time, but revealing the basics, does not lose relevance.
Buy the book →
2. "Mental hospital in the hands of patients," Alan Cooper
A few boring, but useful thinking about the reasons why the people around us are far from ideal interfaces. Despite the fact that since the writing has been quite a lot (by the standards of a booming industry) time and some examples are outdated, it is still valid.
Buy the book →
3. "On the interface," Alan Cooper
This Bible designer - all they need to know about the process and specialist interface design principles. Prepare to book a place on the shelf, because, most likely, will come back to it from time to time.
Buy the book →
4. "Good interface - the invisible interface" Golden Krishna
In contrast to the examples above, easy to read, being extended more article than the primer. First of all, it will be useful for designers who already have a mobile experience design, as vaccination against the misconception that a mobile app - the answer to all questions.
Buy the book →
The design team MYTH
Publisher MYTH releases books for personal and professional growth, business development and happy childhood.
1. «Scrum. Revolutionary method of project management ", Jeff Sutherland
The book is about team work between experts of different professions. On the project most of the time we lose when transferring information to each other: TK - the designer, layout - programmer, code - tester... Perfect command does not convey anything and does not lose - it works synchronously. For information on how to begin to impose a layout that the designer is not middle of painting, this book tells.
Buy the book →
2. Magic Ink, Bret Victor
A former employee of Apple Steve Jobs talks about the team-based design interfaces. According to the author, the interface - is not evil if it helps to solve three fundamental problems: learning, communication and self-expression. Bret Victor - a big fan of Edward Tufte. He translated the principles of the great gurus of flatland in the world of interactive design.
3. "Design thinking in business," Tim Brown
Most underrated book about design and creative thinking in Russian. Not a guide, but rather a manifesto that the design should not be done from the general to the particular (as well as from the particular to the general) - designer constantly jumping between the two levels, wishing to see both individual details and picture entirely.
That is why it is so important to continue to work with your hands, and do not seek to resolve alone the strategic objectives of the company. That is why you need to think not only about the metrics, but about life scenarios of very specific people, to be an ethnographer of the product.
Buy the book →
4. "Art and visual perception" Rudolf Arnheim
Translated back in the Soviet Union, this book is an example of art describe the operation of our sight. The main idea, which the author is trying to convey: our vision does much without our demand.
Often a person receives from the senses is not information for decision making, and a ready answer. How can you talk about what the user wants to solve a problem or there is benefit if he is not always aware of what he sees and what he wants to do? The most important author for designers of any specialization.
Buy the book →
5. Designing Interaction, Bill Moggridzh
Founder of IDEO, the designer of the first laptop in history (GRiD, 1982) and the person who came up with the concept of interaction design. His collection of articles - this is the best excursion into the history of interfaces. The book Moggridzha you find interviews with those who did not write books, but listen to that would very much like Bill Atkinson (the Macintosh), Larry Tesler (Xerox PARC), Doug Engelbart (Mouse creator), Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google) and a lot others.
6. The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst
Ideally designed book about how to make out the book. Graceful proportions and field cover, printed on archival-quality paper. Just hold it in your hands and you know, what should be a well-designed book in the classical style. Rather, an overview than a textbook, - here and about vorstku and about fonts and about formats. But also useful practical things can be learned.
7. "Design: Form and chaos," Paul Rand
The most useful of the fact that you can read about Graphic design. You can vytsepit at least some understanding of what an image, shape, and why is it necessary. And all this work on the examples of Paul Rand.
Buy the book →
8. Electronic textbook "Typography and layout", Artem Gorbunov
I think the best textbook on vorstke for novices and not only. Artem tells and shows how to build a strong and distinctive layout for clear rules. It does not teach how to make brutalism or posmtmodern-stuffing. But teach anyone how to make a neat, legible and expressive. Handy, and those who are doing something to print, and interactive children.
Buy the book →
9. "The language of things", Deyan Sudjic
On the meaning of design and its impact on the culture of perception of the world around us things.
10. "Black Square" Kazimir Malevich
To learn how to think of culture, art, science and nature in an indissoluble unity.
11. "Design and crime," Hal Foster
On the design as politics, economics, marketing, and critical thinking tools.