Top Books Every Graphic Designer Should Read 

Graphic designing is an exciting field where you learn and use your creative and innovative potential. The demand for creative designers is increasing day by day. In this post, you will learn about some of the best design books written by veterans of the design industry. I am sure the knowledge from top books on design will encourage you to improve your style. Further it will help in making your design look more beautiful and engaging.  

The provided list of books is useful for beginners too who want to improve their skills. At ADMEC, our experts encourage all our students pursuing training in digital media graphics or any creative field to follow the given below design books by veterans. 

These books have covered some important topics like color theory, grid systems, typography, etc. Let’s follow this blog to know about the top 15 books of some famous writers related to graphic designing. 

Top Books on Design for Every Graphic Designer 

All 15 books are further categorized into 2 categories:

• Design Theory & Fundamentals 
• Creativity & Inspirations 

Design Theory & Fundamentals Books Category

This section will cover books on design theory and design fundamentals. These books are the best books for design beginners from graphic design, UI/ UX design, video editing, multimedia, animation, textile design, architecture & interior design, etc. 

1. The Elements of Graphic Design – Alex W. White 

Insights from this book: In this book, you will acknowledge the essential parts of design that will make your design successful and attractive. 

Name of the author – Alex W. White, an American graphic designer, author, and educator.

The Elements of Graphic Design book by Alex W. White is a guide in which you will get to know about the fundamentals of graphic designing. This book will help you make your designs attractive, beautiful, and effective. This book is a gem for beginners and professionals who want to improve their skills in graphic design. Through this book, you will get to know that by using key elements like space, page structure, typography, and unity you can create amazing designs. 

Check sample PDF of Elements of Graphic Design book by Alex W. White:  

Get this book on Amazon: The Elements of Graphic Design: Second Edition 

2. Thinking with Type – Ellen Lupton 

What is in this book – This book is a guide to typography, it tells how typography matters in both print as well as digital media. 

About the author – Ellen Lupton is an American author, educator, curator, and graphic designer. 

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton is a book in which you will understand the use of text and typography. This book will guide you about the basic knowledge of fonts, alignment, and layout in an easy way. In this book, you will learn how different styles of letters affect the readability of your design. This book also covers some important topics like mixing of fonts, creating balance, and adjusting space by using text. 

Check sample PDF of Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton 

Buy this book on Amazon: Thinking with Type – Ellen Lupton

3. Geometry of design – Kimberly Elam 

Summary of this book – In this book you will read about the geometry fundamentals required for designing. This book is effective for architect designers as they must understand the mathematical and geometrical concepts. 

Author – Kimberly Elam is an American graphic designer, educator, and author.   

Geometry of Design by Kimberly Elam tells how geometric shapes and proportions are important in creating eye-catching designs. This book explains tools like grids, the golden ratio, and symmetry, which help designers organize their work so that it looks natural and balanced. According to her, designing is not just about decoration; it’s about the framework and setup of your design. In this book, the author has used real-world examples to make it easier to understand how these guidelines work in different fields. 

Check sample PDF of Geometry of design – Kimberly Elam

Check this book on Amazon: Geometry of Design – Kimberly Elam

4. The Layout Book – Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris 

What this book says- This book has detailed information about the grid, hierarchy, and visual structure. It shows how typography, imagery, and spacing work together to create effective communication. 

Know the author – Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris are both renowned authors, educators, and experts in graphic designing. 

The Layout Book by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris is a guide that tells you about how to set art elements in a design to make it useful, eye-catching, and clear. Through this book, you will learn the significance of layout in design, which shows how images, texts, and other elements are arranged on a page. The author has also mentioned that through grids, making a design becomes easy as it makes the design look more structured and easier to access. 

Check sample PDF of The Layout Book by Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris

Get this book on Amazon: The Layout Book – Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris

5. Grid Systems in Graphic Design – Josef Müller-Brockmann 

Highlights from this book: The book introduces the concept of the grid as a tool to organize content in sync and reliably and consistently ensure clarity and balance in design.

The Author – Josef Müller-Brockmann was a Swiss graphic designer and educator. 

Grid System in graphic design by Josefmüller-Brockmann is a book in which you will learn how to arrange text and images properly in a design. This book tells you about the different types of grids and their use in magazines, websites, posters, and other designs. This book is very helpful for designers and students who want to make neat and clean layouts. The author has also added some examples for the readers to understand how easily Grid can make your design look professional. 

Creativity & Inspiration Books Category

This section is an advanced design section covering the best books on creativity and inspiration. After going through the basics of design, you need to read about creativity and its principles. 

Check this book on Amazon: Grid Systems in Graphic Design – Josef Müller-Brockmann

6. Steal Like an Artist – Austin Kleon 

Highlights from this book – In this book, the author conveys that steal ideas but create an innovation by mixing your ideology too. According to him, a design is always created by copying someone else’s design. 

Author – Austin Kleon is from Ohio, USA a bestselling author, speaker, and artist.  

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon is a book in which you will learn how to make yourself think creatively. He simply wants to say that making designs from scratch isn’t easy. You can take an idea from your favorite artist but try to make it unique by mixing your creativity too. This book helps artists, designers, and professionals to think creatively and boost their confidence. He mentioned 10 simple rules to become more creative like picking ideas, taking from your favorite creator, and adding some twist of your imagination. 

Check sample PDF of Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Get this book on Amazon: Steal Like an Artist – Austin Kleon

7. Creative Confidence – Tom Kelley and David Kelley 

Highlights from the book – In this book, the author mentions that in our childhood, we were excited to do new experiments and innovations. The author wants us to recognize our potential, confidence, and creativity. 

Know the authors – Tom Kelley and David Kelley are both the founders of IDEO. Tom is a public speaker, and David is an author and a professor at Stanford University. 

Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelley tells you to believe in your creativity. This book tells that everyone is creative they just must believe in them. In this book the author has given useful tips for the readers who are afraid and have doubt that stops them from being creative. The author wants artists to think creatively, try new ideas, and take risks without having the fear of failure. The author conveys that creativity can only be learned and practiced by solving problems, doing experiments, and practicing teamwork. 

Check sample PDF of Creative Confidence – Tom Kelley and David Kelley

Buy this book on Amazon: Creative Confidence – Tom Kelley and David Kelley

8. Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug 

Summary from the book – In this book, you will get to know how to make your website look creative and have easy navigation for the users.

A little about the author – Steve Krug is from the United States and is a user experience (UX) consultant and an author. 

Don’t Make me Think by Steve Krug is a book in which he talked about website making. In this book he mentioned that a website should be easy to use and accessible for the users. The author gave easy-to-follow steps for website making so that visitors can easily find whatever they want to see. His main motive is to tell the importance of clear buttons, easy navigation, and simple layouts to make the website look smoother for the users. This book is like a guide for web designers who want to make smooth and user-friendly websites.   

Check sample PDF of Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug

Check this book on Amazon: Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug

9. The Design of Everyday Things – Don Norman 

Highlights from this great book – In this book, the user mentioned that the product or a design should be created with the user’s need and the imagination of the designer. 

Veteran is the Author – Don Norman was born in the United States famous for his work in (UX) user experience designs.  

The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman is a book that tells the reason why some products are easy to use, and some are not. According to him, if something looks difficult in the design, it’s the designer’s fault. In this book, he gave some advice on how to make the product better by focusing on how people use it. This book is like a gem for designers, artists, engineers, and anyone else who is interested in making their design easier and more enjoyable to use. 

Check the sample PDF of The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

Check this book on Amazon: The Design of Everyday Things – Don Norman

10. Change by Design – Tim Brown 

Summary of the book – According to the author, design is not just about creating a good-looking design; it’s about improving experiences and solving problems. 

Know the author – Tim Brown is from England and is a designer, author, and former CEO & Chair of IDEO.  

Change by Design, written by Tim Brown, is a book in which he conveys that creativity and design can solve problems in businesses, products, and daily life. According to him, design is not just about making things look nice; it’s about testing ideas and improving them. In this book, Tim has used real life examples to show how companies grew by using design thinking to make better products and services. This book is very useful for business leaders, designers, and anyone else who wants to solve problems by thinking creatively. 

Check sample PDF of Change by Design – Tim Brown

Buy this book on Amazon: Change by Design – Tim Brown

11. Just My Type – Simon Garfield 

Excerpts from the book – In this book you will get knowledge about different fonts. This will tell you what the world’s best and worst fonts are. 

Know its author – Simon Garfield was born in London famous for his non-fiction books covering all the topics related to typography, maps, letters, etc.  

Just My Type by Simon Garfield is a book in which he explained all about fonts, like where they came from, where to use the right font, etc. This book talks about the feelings behind why some fonts are loved and why some fonts are disliked. The author talks about different fonts through stories, which shows from where they came and what their importance in designing is. This book is best for people who are curious to know about fonts, typography, etc. 

Check sample PDF of Just My Type – Simon Garfield    

Get this book on Amazon: Just My Type – Simon Garfield

12. Type Matters – Jim Williams 

Insights from the book – In this book you will get knowledge about tips for daily use, for every user of typography, from student and professional to anyone who does any layout design on a computer. 

Name of the author – Jim Williams was born in Galion, Ohio, USA famous for his work in circuit designing and contributions to linear technology. 

Type Matters by Jim Williams is a book in which he mentioned how to use fonts and texts properly in the design. The author has provided simple rules like how to make text clear and readable in books, websites, etc. In this book you will get to know about fonts, alignment, spacing, and layout, showing that small details can also make a big difference in the design. This book is great for students, designers, and anyone else who wants to improve their typography skills. 

Buy this book on Amazon: Type Matters – Jim Williams  

13. The Art of Looking Sideway – Alan Fletcher 

Summary of the book – In this book you know about the book is a set of thoughts, quotations, pictures, and ideas to make people perceive the world differently. 

About the author – Austin Kleon is an American author and artist. 

The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher is a book in which the author conveys that readers should find inspiration in everyday life. This book is not a typical book. It has a lot of images, quotes, observations, and ideas that inspire people to think creatively. According to him, people should see things differently and discover new ideas on each page. This book is a guide for people or designers who want to see the world in a new way. 

Buy this book on Amazon: The Art of Looking Sideway – Alan Fletcher

14. Sagmeister: Made You Look

Conclusion of the book – the author showcases the work and his unique approach to design, blending art and life in a fun and a belief in brighter tomorrows. 

A little about its author – Stefan Sagmeister was born in Bregenz’ Austria, and he currently lives and works in New York City. His work and philosophy on design are very popular.

“Sagmeister: Made You Look” by Stefan Sagmeister is a book in which he showed his work about creating new and bold designs. This book shows his bold creativity by mixing art, typography, and humor to create attractive and eye-catching designs. The author has mentioned some of his insights related to how he thinks and works as a designer. This book is best for designers who love to be creative and make unusual design ideas. 

Check this book on Amazon: Sagmeister: Made You Look by Stefan Sagmeister 

15. The Graphic Design Portfolio Guide – Harold Linton

Insights from the book – Linton’s Portfolio Design was first published in 1996. This book is a detailed guide for creating good design portfolios.

Name of the Author– Harold Linton is a professor, director, and author. In 2001, he received the highest endowed award for professional excellence at Bradley University.

The Graphic Design Portfolio Guide by Harold Linton is a book in which he gave general knowledge about how to make a portfolio as a graphic designer. In this book, he mentioned what to include, projects, and how to present your design more professionally. He has provided step-by-step advice on how to choose the right work, neatly arranged, and making it look good. This book is best for graphic designers or any other designer who wants to create a good-looking portfolio.

All the books provided above are related to Graphic Designers, UX Designers, Architect Designers, and all other fields that come in Graphic Designing.

But this book on Amazon: The Graphic Design Portfolio Guide – Harold Linton

Final Thoughts on the Best Books for Graphic Designers

These books on design will improve your skills and help you learn new things. You will get inspiration to think creatively and give you ways to make your artwork look eye-catching. These books are not only for beginners; even professionals can also read them to get some fresh inspiration. Through these books you can become better at designing because these books have important designing rules. A designer from any industry, like graphic, UX, fashion, or architecture, should explore new things to become more creative and innovative.

Interested in Learning to Design from Scratch? 

You need experts’ training to learn designing from a zero level along with reading books. At ADMEC Multimedia, we have professional programs in different fields including graphic designing. Check them below. 

Creative Programs Categories at ADMEC 

Each category comes with various diploma and certificate courses. Visit the given links to explore them all. 

• UI UX design diploma & certificates 
• Graphic designing programs 
• Textile design courses 
• Web design training courses 
• Architecture and interior design programs 

For more details, meet our counselor or leave your message, and our team will get back to you shortly. 

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