Top Graphic Design books recommended by experts

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 Graphic Design books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Graphic Design

Understanding the concepts of Graphic 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.

How To Draw Adorable And Easy: 500 Drawings Of Animals, Cars, Food, Gifts And Cute Stuff For Kids (Gift Ideas For Kids)

The Ultimate Drawing Book for Kids of All Ages!
With this drawing book you get:
Learn to draw everything -500 easy-to-follow illustrations
Simple & easy step-by-step clear instructions for each drawing
Drawings of different difficulty to help your little ones get better at drawing
Bonus activity all images can be colored, adding an extra layer of engagement
This book is an aw…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Designing News: Changing the World of Editorial Design and Information Graphics

Francesco Franchi's perceptive book about the design of media and information graphics. In it, Franchi also envisions the future of news reporting by publishing companies and on the internet. Francesco Franchi is one of the most exceptional talents working in information graphics today.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Graphic Design For Everyone: Understand the Building Blocks So You Can Do It Yourself

Graphic Design for Everyone shows you how to define your brand and your message, then takes you through the basic principles of design. Find out how to create a brand plan, discover how a typeface sets the mood, and learn how to use colour theory for maximum impact.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Interaction of color

Interaction of Color is a handbook and teaching resource for artists and designers that shares Albers' theory of color. Originally printed in 1963, the text outlines a set of principles and teaching methods for understanding and perceiving color in different ways.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team

From research and analysis through brand strategy, design development through application design, and identity standards through launch and governance, Designing Brand Identity, Fourth Edition offers brand managers, marketers, and designers a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand identity. Enriched by new case studies showcasing successful world-cla…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Bob's Burgers 2025 Wall Calendar

Centering on patriarch Bob (Archer’s H. Jon Benjamin) who runs his business with his wife, porcelain baby collector and dinner-theatre enthusiast Linda (voiced by John Roberts), the series also features teenage daughter Tina (Dan Mintz), who is obsessed with boys and horses; son Gene (Eugen Mirman), who is only afraid of snakes; and youngest daughter Louise (30 Rock’s Kristen Schaal), who neve…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional Graphic Design Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Graphic Design, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

How to Draw Anything for kids: 300 Cute Step-by-Step Drawing Stuff: Amazing Food, Animals, Kawaii, Gifts and Other (How to draw books for kids)

Unlock your child's artistic potential with How to Draw Anything for Kids: 300 Cute Step-by-Step Drawing Stuff, Amazing Animals, Food, Gifts and Other, the perfect guide for nurturing the imaginative young artist in your home! This book offers an exciting collection tailored to capture and develop the artistic talents of children and beginners, ideal for ages 5-12 and beyond.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Graphic Design School: A Foundation Course for Graphic Designers Working in Print, Moving Image and Digital Media

Graphic Design School is organized into two main sections, ‘principles’ and ‘practice’. The first section deals with the fundamentals of design, such as composition, hierarchy, layout, typography, grid structure, colour and so on. The second section puts these basics into practice, and gives information about studio techniques and production issues relevant to a number of different graphic des…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Oh Sh*t... What Now?

Of all the men you’d consider to be insecure, Craig Oldham is not one of them. Having graduated just under a decade ago, he boasts not only an impressive CV, but a joyfully formed reputation for being the most forthright, potty-mouthed speakers around, with the well-informed opinions to back it up. Politically and socially engaged—in 2013 he produced In Loving Memory of Work, a hard-hitting ac…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul

How to Be a Graphic Designer offers clear, concise guidance along with focused, no-nonsense strategies for setting up, running, and promoting a studio; finding work; and collaborating with clients.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Grid Systems in Graphic Design

In visual design, a grid system helps you align screen elements based on sequenced columns and rows. Like making a map, you apply the column-based structure of a grid system to guide your design, structuring your text, images and functions consistently throughout it so they can appear instantly recognizable elsewhere.

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.

Augment your Graphic Design books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

Only 4 Spots Left

Miklos is a seasoned Lead UX/Product Designer with over 18 years of experience. He is also an accomplished speaker, writer, and mentor, boasting over 10,000 followers across Medium, LinkedIn, and Twitter. With a seven-year track record in mentoring, Miklos has successfully guided over 50 mentees through MentorCruise, DesignLab, and Springboard …

$260 / month
  Chat
4 x Calls
Tasks

Only 1 Spot Left

Hello, I'm Chris Ellinas and I love solving business problems, through design thinking! 😊 I believe in good people. Good work is secondary. I had the opportunity to work with engaging clients and brands around the world. My main client right now are Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, designing logos …

$270 / month
  Chat
4 x Calls
Tasks


Hi! I am a technology (EdTech) founder with a background as an award-winning UI/UX and visual designer with experience working at Fortune 500 companies and top creative agencies. Following a decade-long corporate career, I took on an entrepreneurial path and founded Path Unbound, a UI/UX design school dedicated to training …

$200 / month
  Chat
2 x Calls
Tasks


👋 I am Prateek. I am a Senior Engineer at Buffer and a published author of several books on mobile design & software development. In my tenure of over seven years, I have worked on several verticals, which include building native mobile apps for iOS and Android in Swift, Kotlin …

$120 / month
  Chat
1 x Call
Tasks


Hey, i'm Matt an experienced senior UX and Product Designer based in the UK. I've worked on projects for B2C and B2B and have in-depth experience working on complex products for the finance industry. I've been mentoring and teaching for over 5 years, and have written and delivered courses on …

$50 / month
  Chat
1 x Call

Only 5 Spots Left

Seasoned multidisciplinary creative and digital strategist with 10+ years of experience at the intersection of design, strategy, and innovation. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, scale brand-led digital experiences, and drive growth-focused initiatives across D2C and B2B sectors. Expertise spans branding, content strategy, product innovation, digital transformation, and market positioning …

$70 / month
  Chat
5 x Calls
Tasks

Browse all Graphic Design mentors

Still not convinced?
Don’t just take our word for it

We’ve already delivered 1-on-1 mentorship to thousands of students, professionals, managers and executives. Even better, they’ve left an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for our mentors.

Find a Graphic Design mentor
  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

  • "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."