"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

Marcus Tullius Cicero

We’ve put together a list of some of the best books for graphic design, marketing, inspiration and motivation. The books are for both career-based graphic designers and freelance graphic designers. Education about design is important but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to enroll in a University or College. But you DO need a strong foundation of the principals of design. Some of these books will open your eyes to new insight, allow you to better approach design and help develop a solution-based thinking vantage point. Some with help you gain insight into the fundamentals and principals of design (grid systems, golden ratio, typography, branding/logo design).

We believe to be a well-rounded designer having an understanding of not only design, but marketing and how businesses think and function is a substantial benefit to Freelancers and other designers. We’ve found these books to be extremely helpful within the zeitgeist of knowledge out there on marketing and design. If you pick up anything and want to discuss, drop me a message!

Logo Design and Branding Books

  1. Logo Modernism
  2. Logo: The Reference Guide to Symbols and Logotypes
  3. Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team
  4. Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities
  5. Logotype: Corporate Identity Book, Branding Reference for Designers and Design Student
  6. Symbol
  7. TM: The Untold Stories Behind 29 Classic Logos
  8. Identity Designed: The Definitive Guide to Visual Branding

Layouts and Grid Systems Books

  1. Grid systems in graphic design: A visual communication manual for graphic designers, typographers and three dimensional designers
  2. Grid Systems: Principles of Organizing Type
  3. Making and Breaking The Grid
  4. Layout Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Using Grids

Typography Books

  1. Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students
  2. Typographic Systems of Design: Frameworks for Type Beyond the Grid
  3. The Elements of Typographic Style
  4. The Typography Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters
  5. The Anatomy of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Typefaces
  6. The Visual History of Type: A visual survey of 320 typefaces

Color and Color Theory Books

  1. Color Theory: An essential guide to color-from basic principles to practical applications
  2. Color Harmony Compendium: A Complete Color Reference for Designers of All Types
  3. Interaction of Color
  4. The Secret Lives of Color
  5. Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color

Design Fundamentals Books

  1. Universal Principles of Design: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design
  2. Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions
  3. The Power of Limits: Proportional Harmonies in Nature, Art, and Architecture
  4. 100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design

Design Strategy Books

  1. How to Use Graphic Design to Sell Things, Explain Things, Make Things Look Better, Make People Laugh, Make People Cry, and (Every Once in a While) Change the World
  2. A Designer’s Research Manual: Succeed in design by knowing your clients and understanding what they really need
  3. Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming
  4. Design Is Storytelling
  5. A Designer’s Research Manual: Succeed in design by knowing your clients and understanding what they really need
  6. Creative Strategy and the Business of Design
  7. The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing: Price creative work with confidence. Win more bids. Make more money.
  8. The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design
  9. Brand Flip, The: Why customers now run companies and how to profit from it
  10. Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands
  11. The Advertising Concept Book: Think Now, Design Later

Motivational, Marketing and Business Books

  1. This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See
  2. How a Business Works: What Every Businessperson, Citizen, Consumer, and Employee Needs to Know About Business
  3. Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
  4. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
  5. The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
  6. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
  7. The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How.
  8. Market Like You Mean It: Engage Customers, Create Brand Believers, and Gain Fans for Everything You Sell
  9. Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking
  10. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
  11. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
  12. Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step
  13. Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day
  14. Contagious: Why Things Catch On
  15. Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior
  16. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
  17. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
  18. Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered
  19. Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don’t teach you in design school, but should

What's your favorite design or business book?

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