At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Design books – and here are the answers.
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Understanding the concepts of Design starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.
In Typographic Systems, Kim Elam, author of our bestselling books, Geometry of Design and Grid Systems, explores eight major structural systems beyond the traditional ordering systems of the grid – including random, radial, modular, and bilateral systems.
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
The User Experience Team of One prescribes a range of approaches that have big impact and take less time and fewer resources than the standard lineup of UX deliverables. Whether you want to cross over into user experience or you're a seasoned practitioner trying to drag your organization forward, this book gives you tools and insight for doing more with less.
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design is an accessible and compact book which demonstrates how ideas influenced and defined graphic design, with stunning visual examples. It is both a great source of inspiration and a provocative record of some of the best examples of graphic design from the last hundred years.
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
Typographic organization has always been a complex system in that there are so many elements at play, such as hierarchy, order of reading, legibility, and contrast. In Typographic Systems, Kim Elam, author of our bestselling books, Geometry of Design and Grid Systems, explores eight major structural systems beyond the traditional ordering systems of the grid – including random, radial, modular…
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
The Design of Everyday Things is a best-selling book by cognitive scientist and usability engineer Donald Norman about how design serves as the communication between object and user, and how to optimize that conduit of communication in order to make the experience of using the object pleasurable.
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Decolonizing Design first asks how modernist design has encompassed and advanced the harmful project of colonization—then shows how design might address these harms by recentering its theory and practice in global Indigenous cultures and histories.
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These books are not required for you to learn Design, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.
This unprecedented TASCHEN publication, authored by Jens Müller, brings together approximately 6,000 trademarks, focused on the period 1940–1980, to examine how modernist attitudes and imperatives gave birth to corporate identity. Ranging from media outfits to retail giants, airlines to art galleries, the sweeping survey is organized into three design-orientated chapters: Geometric, Effect, an…
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
A grid system is a rigid framework that is supposed to help graphic designers in the meaningful, logical and consistent organization of information on a page. It is an established tool that is used by print and web designers to create well-structured, balanced designs. Rudimentary versions of grid systems existed since the medieval times, but a group of Swiss graphic designers, mostly inspired…
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Thinking with Type is divided into three sections: letter, text, and grid. Each section begins with an easy-to-grasp essay that reviews historical, technological, and theoretical concepts, and is then followed by a set of practical exercises that bring the material covered to life.
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
Designing Type is a comprehensive guide to type design is hailed as a 'must-have' for typographers, graphic designers and students. Now fully refreshed and updated with the introduction of more contemporary typefaces and diagrams!
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst (Book Summary) This book contains more than I've ever wanted to know about typography. It describes not only how to use fonts, but also how to create them, explaining the math and science involved in font design.
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
A coloring book that blends elegance and charm with a touch of spookiness. Featuring cute and easy designs, this collection of illustrations offers a unique mix of cozy and weird with mystical yet adorable creatures.
Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise
This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.
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