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.

Caps Lock: How Capitalism Took Hold of Graphic Design, and how to Escape it

CAPS LOCK uses clear language and visual examples to show how graphic design and capitalism are inextricably linked. The book features designed objects, and also examines how the study, work, and professional practice of designers supports the market economy.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Mid-Century Modern Graphic Design

Mid-century modern graphic design has a similar aesthetic to flat design, using geometric shapes, clean lines, bright hues and earthly palettes to create bold, reductive images.

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.

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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…

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Start Me Up! New Branding for Businesses

This work allows for the brands to distinguish themselves from the rest and attract their targed audience's attention. More than ever before, businesses are defining themselves through carefully coordinated communications. Start Me Up! is a comprehensive compendium of innovative corporate design for a new generation.

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Design Elements: Form and Space

Design principles never change. They serve as the foundation of the designer's thought process and are the essential tools that define a visual language. With hundreds of fundamental principles for creating successful design compositions, Design Elements: Form & Space establishes a basis for visual organization strategies and serves as a comprehensive manual for graphic designers. Understandin…

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.

Know Your Onions: Graphic Design

It is like having a graphic design mentor who will help you come up with ideas, develop your concepts, and implement them in a way that is engaging and humorous. It gives readers the experience and ability that normally comes from years of on-the-job training.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

100 Years of Swiss Graphic Design

100 Years of Swiss Graphic Design takes a fresh look at Swiss typography and photo-graphics, posters, corporate image design, book design, journalism and typefaces over the past hundred years.

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

Graphic Design Rules: 365 Essential Design Dos and Don'ts

Packed with practical advice, this spirited collection of design dos and don'ts takes readers through 365 rules like knowing when to use a modular grid-and when to throw the grid out the window.

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

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

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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 …

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Multi-disciplinary designer with a diverse background in leading Fortune 500 companies such as PepsiCo, Philips, and Lay's. With extensive experience across North America, Europe, and Asia, I have expertise in a wide range of design disciplines, including visual communication, digital marketing, UI/UX, graphic design, service design, branding, packaging, and web …

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A 5x award-winning designer with 7+ years of experience in UX design, product design and branding. I've mentored and placed students in design jobs in the US, Europe, Japan and India. I'm on a mission to unleash design maestros, fueling their creative superpowers, unlocking awesome full-time gigs, and igniting their …

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Brian W. F. Peaston MCSD™, BA (Hons.) Reputation: Design Programs, Studio Management, and Design Thinking. Today: Design Program Manager for Application Modernization, based at IBM Studios Hursley, UK. Bio: Creative user experience professional with broad and deep design industry experience. I enjoy developing and managing design teams to realise high-quality …

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