These are some of our favorite books on design, chosen for people who don't work as designers. Enjoy and learn!
From Lascaux to Brooklyn
Paul Rand
Paul Rand
Paul Rand had a profound influence on the profession of graphic design his pioneering work helped elevate “commercial art” to one of the fine arts. In this book, Rand awakens readers to the lessons of the cave paintings of Lascaux and show how the same principles apply in works of art throughout history.
Monograph of Rand's work by Steven Heller, Jessica Helfand (Contributor), George Lois (Contributor)
Karl Gerstner, one of Switzerland's preeminent graphic designers, recapitulates his 50 years of active work. The ups and downs of a designer's professional life are vividly illustrated with samples of work that were both realized and rejected by his clients.
People won't use your web site if they can't find their way around it. Companies are starting to recognize that website usability is a bottom-line issue. In Don't Make Me Think, usability expert Steve Krug distills his years of experience and observation into clear, practical common sense about website design and navigation.
The Mac is Not a Typewriter
Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Best-selling author Robin Williams's simple, logical principles for using computer type to produce beautiful, professional documents are as true now as they were when the original edition was published in 1989. Her principles are just as applicable to PCs.
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Edward R. Tufte
Edward R. Tufte
A timeless classic in how complex information should be presented graphically. The Strunk & White of visual design. Should be within arm's reach of everyone attempting to understand or depict numerical data graphically.
Envisioning Information
Edward R. Tufte
Edward R. Tufte
Tufte has described his three books as being about, respectively, "pictures of numbers, pictures of nouns, and pictures of verbs."