Best Design books

Hands down, this is the best book on translating all of the business terms and marketing jargon into actionable design strategy. This is important for anyone on teams, freelancers, agency owners. This gives you the ability to pare down intense marketing and business objectives and apply it to creative strategy.

Take what you know about designing products and services and pair that with what you need to learn about basing that work off of real-world data. This book is for helping you understand the patterns of great value propositions and the impact of your efforts as a designer.
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This e-book is a must-read for anyone who has to price design. You have no idea what you should charge? Use this book as a springboard to introduce yourself to the world of value-based pricing. For the book, it's one of the most cost effective ways to increase your price in a way that's fair to both parties.
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We're some of the most indecisive departments as designers when it comes to making decisions on important things. This book goes through summaries of popular strategies to choose directions.

A really holistic view of design thinking along with the design process and methods. It's a look into the reasons why every department should apply design thinking.
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Really interesting book on business terms and philosophy. This isn't necessarily design, but these are things you'll be designing for. It's best to get knowledge of these business terms, and this book can help you.
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InVision has done a lot these past few years to understand the guiding thoughts behind design leadership and management within a company. This book helped me dive into better ways to run a design team and is a good resource for learning how to support and approach a team with design leadership.
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DesignOps was the focus of the third season of the DesignBetter Podcast by InVision. This book contains contributions from various leaders in the field, providing insights on operationalizing workflows, hiring, and team alignment.
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Kat Holmes explores how to shift design practices to focus on inclusivity as a core principle. The book emphasizes the importance of considering the needs of all users, ensuring design decisions don't exclude or alienate anyone.
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Mike Monteiro critiques the role designers play in shaping the world and calls for accountability in product design. The book is a critical reflection on design ethics and offers practical advice on creating more responsible products.
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This book highlights the underrepresentation and accomplishments of women in design. It celebrates the contributions of female designers and brings attention to the issues surrounding gender equity in the design industry.
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A collection of stories from marginalized communities in creative fields, particularly within game development. The book provides eye-opening accounts of their struggles and triumphs, encouraging empathy and inclusivity within the creative industry.
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This book offers insights from Amy and Jennifer Hood, who share life lessons learned from running their design agency. It includes tips on budgeting, client handling, raising rates, and setting up your business.
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This book provides practical advice on running a small design studio, including how to grow your client list, bill clients, manage teams, and plan for the future.
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A helpful resource for solo designers managing large-scale projects, offering advice on how to achieve successful collaboration and conflict resolution.
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Mike Monteiro provides practical advice for building better client relationships and effectively navigating client work.
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Blair Enns shares strategies on how to approach your business as a professional and position yourself as an expert in your field.
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This classic book focuses on building meaningful relationships in business by being genuinely interested in others.

A guide on how to promote your creative work, especially for those who struggle with self-promotion.
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John C. Maxwell outlines key principles for effective leadership and building influence in business and personal life.

A practical guide on the business side of design, emphasizing the importance of treating design as a profession.
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Tony Hsieh shares insights on building a company culture focused on happiness, customer service, and purpose.

A collection of inspirational quotes and advice for navigating the creative industry and building a successful career.
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This book explores how small, consistent habits can compound over time to create significant change in both personal and professional life.

A guide for graphic designers on balancing creativity and professionalism while maintaining personal integrity.

The friends from Google Ventures put together an excellent book on design sprints and how to get from idea to MVP/prototype within 5 days. This is expanded upon if you follow AJ&Smart's design sprint process.
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This book is by Andrew Couldwell, a freelance designer focused on scaling design within a product company. It's an excellent resource for understanding what goes into a design system and is highly recommended.
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About Face is a comprehensive guide on interaction design, covering fundamental principles and recent developments in the field.

A must-read for mastering grid-based design. Learn the rules of the grid so you can break them creatively.

This book provides valuable insights into understanding human behavior and how it impacts interface design.

An in-depth guide on designing icons and their historical significance in both culture and user interfaces.
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A classic guide on grid-based design, with practical exercises for mastering different types of grids.

A fascinating exploration of how science fiction influences interaction design and technological interfaces.
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This book covers the psychological principles behind creating habit-forming products.
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Empathy is essential for designing products that serve the people they are meant for. This book emphasizes the importance of empathy in the design process.
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For solo designers or small teams, this book offers guidance on how to handle large-scale projects and achieve great results as a one-person UX team.
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This book explores how design can influence behavior, whether for good or bad, and the power designers have to shape user habits.
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This book dives into the psychological effects of choice, exploring how too many options can lead to decision paralysis and dissatisfaction.
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A practical guide for understanding what your users need from your product, helping you bridge the gap between design intentions and user expectations.
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This book provides insights into the psychology behind optimal user experiences, focusing on what gets people into a state of productive flow.

A guide to developing UX leadership skills, standing up for your design decisions, and advocating for users in any role.

Don Norman's classic book on how everyday objects are designed and used, offering deep insights into human-centered design.

This book encourages designers to focus on what's truly essential, practicing restraint and prioritizing quality over quantity.
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A foundational guide to web usability, offering practical advice on making websites easy to navigate and user-friendly.
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A deep dive into prominent brand identity and logo designs, featuring case studies from leading designers.
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A logo-dictionary, categorizing popular logos by type and providing insights into their creators.

A massive collection of geometric and pattern-based logos. Over 400 pages of logo design inspiration.

Tips for working with logo design clients, featuring case studies and sketches from prominent designers.
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A deep dive into the life and work of Aaron Draplin, a small-time designer who became iconic.
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A book on branding names and their messages. Be careful when buying, as some sellers overprice it.

One of the best books on visual brand identity design. It has gone through several revisions and is a practical guide for branding teams.
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A great book on bridging visual design with business strategy when working on branding and logo design.
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A look at the power of branding and how it influences consumer choices.

A great read for brand identity designers on how to bridge the gap between business strategy and design.
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Simon Sinek's popular book on the importance of starting with 'why' to inspire action and innovation.
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A book on how high-performance brands stand out by zagging when others zig, focusing on differentiation and brand strategy. This book has a lot of practical advice for brand designers due to its focus on differentiation.
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Marty has written this book to help designers understand the shift in branding and how customers now run companies. It's a great read for brand designers looking to understand the changing landscape of branding.
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A practical guide for developers on how to market their products effectively.
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A great book on how ideas stick in people's minds and what makes them memorable. Essential for communication and messaging in branding.
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A book on unconventional marketing tactics to help designers stand out and sell more.
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A deep dive into visual language and practical applications for finding your voice as an illustrator.

A book that explores the intersection of art, design, and the human experience, with references from various design fields.

A journey through the life of Ben Tallon, an illustrator who shares his insights on individuality and creativity in the industry.

A book that covers the business side of illustration, including authorship and promotion, offering a fresh perspective on illustration as both art and business.

This is the best print design book, covering printing methods, working with printing companies, and how design decisions impact the printing process. An essential reference for designers working with print.
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A comprehensive look at the process of designing type, with insights on composition and typography systems.
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This book covers the process of creating professional lettering, offering tips on pricing, color, and transitioning to a career in lettering.
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A step-by-step guide to constructing and mixing different lettering styles such as script, serif, and sans-serif.
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A must-have guide for any designer working with typography, covering terminology, history, and grid design.

A great introductory book to typography, demonstrating how type can be used effectively.

A detailed exploration of typography, covering rhythm, proportion, and character alternatives in fonts and typefaces.

A fascinating look at the history of fonts, exploring classic typefaces and their enduring influence.
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A deep dive into the form of letters, typography, and its uses in design.

A practical workbook that shows how to take hand sketches and move them into vector programs for beautiful hand lettering.

A thorough exploration of letterspacing, wordspacing, and other typographic details that contribute to design quality.

A showcase of Louise Fili's lavish hand lettering and its application in modern-day design.

A guide to understanding animation in UI design, written by InVision. Covers key principles of animation in product design.
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A comprehensive guide to animation, covering the principles of animation and techniques for animating characters.