Communication Design
Recommended list of 100 essential books:
Methodolgy, Issues, History, Firms, Designers, Media, Layout, Production
How? Design Process:
Design Methods
by John Christopher Jones
'seminal work on design methodology - to find a method that suits a particular design situation'
Amazon.com
Design Research : Methods and Perspectives
by Brenda Laurel
Publisher: The MIT Press, 2003
'this book help designers to investigate people, form, and process in ways that can make their work more potent and more delightful. Introduces designers to the many research tools'
Amazon.com
Visual Research : An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design
by Ian Noble, Russell Bestley
Publisher: AVA Publishing, 2005
'quantitative and qualitative research methods in visual communication. Fully illustrated with eye-opening real-life case studies, it focuses on the relatively unexplored process of design analysis.'
Amazon.com
Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials
by Gillian Rose
Publisher: SAGE Publications, 2001
'Overview of different reaserch methods for understanding the visual'
Amazon.com
Process Visual: Development of a Corporate Identity
by Wolfgang Schmittel
Publisher: Hastings House Pub, 1978
Text in English, German and French, 225 pages
Publisher: ABC-Edition
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Visual Literacy: A Conceptual Approach to Graphic Problem Solving
by Judith Wilde, Richard Wilde
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000
'understanding design through student assignments with problems, ideas and solutions'
Amazon.com
Design Basics
by David Lauer Publisher: Wadsworth
Publishing; 5th edition, 1999
'popular introduction to graphic design, its elements and principles'
Amazon.com
Principles of Form and Design
by Wucius Wong
Publisher: Wiley, 1993
'an important essential references in the principles and practical fundamentals of design'
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Design Principles and Problems
by Paul Zelanski, Mary Pat Fisher
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 2 edition, 1995 'helpful in learning the language and basics of Graphic Design'
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Design for Communication: Conceptual Graphic Design Basics
by Elizabeth Resnick
Publisher: Wiley, 2003
'coverage of basic design principles illustrated by student examples'
Amazon.com
Notes on Graphic Design and Visual Communication
by Gregg Berryman
Publisher: Crisp Publications; Rev. ed. edition, 1990
'essential design information intended to provide a solid, basic "visual vocabulary" for the understanding of graphic design'
Amazon.com
Signs and Symbols: Their Design and Meaning (Paperback) by Adrian Frutiger, Andrew Bluhm (Translator)
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications; Reprint edition, 1998
'classic book - about history and evolution of symbols - its meaning and variations''
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The Big Book of Design Ideas
by David E. Carter (Editor)
Publisher: HBI, 2000
'new reference source containing numerous inspiring examples of fine graphic design for projects of all kinds. The book contains an assemblage of visual concepts from all over the world.'
Amazon.com
Design, Form, and Chaos
by Paul Rand
Publisher: Yale University Press, 1993
'thoughts on values, attitudes, process, management and production of graphic design works'
Amazon.com
The Education of a Graphic Designer
by Steven Heller
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1998
' eassys, thoughts and intervies with top designers and educators'
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The Idea of Design
Edited by Victor Margolin and Richard Buchanan, IDSA
Publisher: The MIT Press, 1996
essays addressing the nature and practice of contemporary product and graphic design from journal 'Design Issues''
Amazon.com
The Art of Looking Sideways
by Alan Fletcher
Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2001
'extraordinary and inexhaustible "guide to visual awareness," a virtually indescribable concoction of anecdotes, quotes, images, and bizarre facts that offers a wonderfully twisted vision of the chaos of modern life. '
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Discovering Design : Explorations in Design Studies
by Richard Buchanan, Victor Margolin
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press, 1995
'essays on design as a subject of social, cultural, and philosophic investigation'
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What is a Designer: Things, Places, Messages
by Norman Potter
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Pr, 2002
'looks at the possibilities and limits of design'
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Universal Principles of Design
by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler
Publisher: Rockport Publishers, 2003
'many design concepts, methods and practices brought together from a variety of disciplines - a great reference book for designers'
Amazon.com
Creating Value by Design: Thoughts and Facts
by Stefano Marzano
Publisher: Antique Collectors' Club, 1999
'essays on design process and methodology with examples of its applications'
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Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation
by W. J. T. Mitchell Publisher: University Of Chicago Press, 1995
'offers a rich account of the interplay between the visible and the readable across culture, from literature to visual art to the mass media'
Amazon.com
Visual Intelligence: Perception, Image, and Manipulation in Visual Communication
by Anne Marie Seward Barry
Publisher: State University of New York Press, 1997
'about how we derive meaning from images, the perceptual process, how it has evolved, and the role it plays in our thinking'
Amazon.com
Language of Vision
By Gyorgy Kepes
Publisher: Dover Publications, 1995
'analysis of the effect of visual language on the structure of human consciousness, the elements of line and form are perceived, etc.'
Amazon.com
Information Architects
by Richard Saul Wurman, Watson-Guptill Pubns, 1997
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Iconology: Image, Text, Ideology
by W. J. T. Mitchell Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; Reprint, 1987
'explores the nature of images by comparing them with words, or, more precisely, by looking at them from the viewpoint of verbal language'
Amazon.com
Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the 19th Century by Jonathan Crary
Publisher: The MIT Press; Reprint edition, 1992
'new perspective on the visual culture of the nineteenth century, reassessing problems of both visual modernism and social modernity'
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Understanding Media
by Marshall McCluhan
Publisher: The MIT Press; Reprint edition, 1994
'classic expose on the state of the mass media -"the global village" and "the medium is the message"
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The Silent Language
by Edward Twitchell Hall
Publisher: Anchor; Reissue edition, 1973
'analyzes aspects of non-verbal communication and considers the concepts of space and time as tools for transmission of messages."
Amazon.com
The World As Design : Writings on Design
By Otl Aicher, Wolfgang Jean Stock
'Publisher: Wiley-VCH; Reissue edition, 1994
'opinions, arguments and thoughts on design as related to existence in a humane fashion'
Amazon.com
The Hidden Dimension
by Edward Twitchell Hall
Publisher: Anchor; Reissue edition, 1990
'An examination of various cultural concepts of space -intimate, personal, social and public domains"
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The Hand: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture
by Frank Wilson
Publisher: Vintage, 1999
'explains the significance of the hand in terms of its historical, spiritual and physical manifestations'
Amazon.com
Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation
By Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich
Publisher: Bollingen; Millennium edition, 2000
'a great classic - examines the history and psychology of pictorial representation in light of theories of visual perception information and learning'
Amazon.com
By Nature's Design -an Exploratorium Book
by William Neill (Photographer), Pat Murphy, Exploratorium (Organization)
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 1993
'about order and pattern in nature with wonderful and informative visuals'
Amazon.com
A History of Graphic Design
by Philip Meggs
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 3 edition, 1998
'an essentail book chronicalling the history of western graphic design'
Amazon.com
Graphic Design History
by Steven Heller (Editor), Georgette Ballance (Editor)
Publisher: Allworth Press, 2001
'a selection of forty short essays on key designers, publications, and history of graphic design'
Amazon.com
Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age (Paperback)
by Steven Heller, Louise Fili
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 1999
' history of type face, cultural and economic aspects and with examples of good design'
Amazon.com
History of Modern Design
by David Raizman
Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2004
'history of design from the eighteenth century to present day'
Amazon.com
The ABC's of Bauhaus, The Bauhaus and Design Theory
by Ellen Lupton, J. Abbott Miller (Editor)
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000
'The ABC's of Bauhaus traces the origins and impact of the Bauhaus in relation to design, graphic design, and typography'
Amazon.com
Bauhaus (World of Art)
by Frank Whitford
Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 1984 '
the story of bauhaus, its philosophy, people and its contributions'
Amazon.com
Bauhaus 1919-1933
by Magdalena Droste, Bauhaus Archiv
Publisher: Taschen, 2002
'its about the people, the works and the thoughts at bauhaus'
Amazon.com
The Ulm School of Design: A View Behind the Foreground
by Rene Spitz
Publisher: Edition Axel Menges, 2002
'provides the history of the Ulm School of Design, considered as a very influential educational institution'
Amazon.com
Ulm Design: The Morality of Objects
by Herbert Lindinger (Editor), David Britt (Translator)
Publisher: The MIT Press; 1st MIT Press ed edition, 1991
'about the school, curriculum, ideas and people by the professor of design at Ulm'
Amazon.com
Design of the 20th Century
by Charlotte J. Fiell, Peter M. Fiell
Publisher: Taschen America Llc 2001
'covers the influence of design in the 20th century'
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Designing the 21st Century
by Charlotte J. Fiell, Peter M. Fiell
Publisher: Taschen, 2001
'book on the future of product, furniture, lighting, ceramic, glassware, and textile design'
Amazon.com
Vision of the Future
by Stefano Marzano
Publisher: Uitgeverij V + K 1996
'future lifestyles, products and services in the domestic, public, personal and mobile domains'
Amazon.com
MetaDesign: Design from the Word Up
by Fay Sweet
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1999
'Founded by Erik Spiekermann, explains the philosphy and methodology applied with its varied clientele
Amazon.com
Design: the World of Minale Tattersfield
by Jeremy Myerson, Edward Booth-Clibborn
Publisher: Booth-Clibborn Editions, 1990
'about the sucessful brand building campany'
Amazon.com
Push Pin Graphic: A Quarter Century Of Innovative Design And Illustration
by Seymour Chwast, Martin Venezky (introduction)
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2004
'about the Push Pin Studios which made a phenomenal impact on visual culture from the 1950s to the 1980s, representing an important chapter in postwar graphic design.'
Amazon.com
Pentagram : The Compendium
by Editors of Phaidon Press
Publisher: Phaidon Press; Reprint edition, 1998
'A collection of the work and thought of the Pentagram partners - explains the unique qualities of organization and creativity that have allowed the firm to prosper since its beginnings more than 20 years ago.'
Amazon.com
Paul Rand : A Designer`s Art
by Paul Rand
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2000
'Paul Rand was one of the world's leading graphic designers.Features some of his best works
Amazon.com
ABC of Design
by Josef Muller-Brockmann
Publisher: Chronicle Books (May 1, 1996)
'provides introduction to some of the world's most important designers'
Amazon.com
Milton Glaser: Graphic Design
by Milton Glaser
Publisher: Overlook Press, 1990
'about his work - on integrating image and text with meanings'
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Saul Bass
by Pat Kirkham, Martin Scorcese
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2004
'about his work - on integrating image and text with meanings'
Amazon.com
April Greiman: Floating Ideas into Time and Space (Cutting Edge)
by April Greiman, Liz Farrelly
Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1998
'examines the ideas and creative process behind Greiman's influential work'
Amazon.com
On/Off: New Electronic Products
by Mel Byars
Publisher: Universe Books 2001
How to Design a Successful Petrol Station
by Minale Marcello
Publisher: Booth-Clibborn, 2000
'detailed information regading design of major petrol stations from around the world'
Amazon.com
The Evolution of Useful Things
by Henry Petroski
by Mel Byars
Publisher: Universe Books 2001
How to Design a Successful Petrol Station
by Minale Marcello
Publisher: Booth-Clibborn, 2000
'detailed information regading design of major petrol stations from around the world'
Amazon.com
The Evolution of Useful Things
by Henry Petroski
Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works, Second Edition
by Erik Spiekermann, E.M Ginger
Publisher: Adobe Press; 2 edition, 2002
'its all about type - how to increase legibility, meaning and aesthetics'
Amazon.com
Typographic Design
by Rob Carter, Ben Day, Philip Meggs
Publisher: Wiley; 3rd edition, 2002
'about the fundamental concepts of typographical design'
Amazon.com
Type and Image: The Language of Graphic Design
by Philip Meggs
Publisher: Wiley; Rep edition, 1992
'about how graphic designers solve problems, organize space and impart meaning'
Amazon.com
Thinking With Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs)
by Ellen Lupton
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004
'shows about typographic skills in three sections on letter, text, and grid'
Amazon.com
The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type
by Alexander W. White
Publisher: Allworth Press; 1st edition, 2002
'reveals the secrets of successful graphic design from the unique perspective of the page's 'white space"
Amazon.com
Grid Systems in Graphic Design (Hardcover)
by Josef Muller-Brockmann
Publisher: Arthur Niggli; Bilingual edition, 1996
'using grid systems in graphic design - provides a crystal-clear framework for graphic problem-solving
Amazon.com
Primer of Visual Literacy
by Donis A. Dondis
Publisher: The MIT Press, 1973
'about the basic elements and techniques of visual messages'
Amazon.com