Best Books For Graphic Design, College Guide

Sometimes even the best artists get hit with an artistic block. When this happens, they need to find motivation from an external source, and books are one of them. If you’re a graphic artist looking for design inspirations or searching for new techniques that you can use, then check out these selections of graphic design books.

Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler

It is one of the best-selling guides that teach you how to do branding and utilize social media cross-channel synergy, SEO, crowdsourcing, placemaking, wayfinding, and more. It gives you an in-depth knowledge of the fundamentals of branding, which can help you understand the process for brand development.

Branding: In Five and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson is a leading graphic designer who authored this book. He simplified the process of branding by dividing it into five steps-investigation, strategy and narrative, design, implementation, and engagement. It is an easy-to-understand visual guide that can help you create a successful brand identity.

Logo Modernism by Jens Muller

This book shows around 6000 trademarks between 1940 to 1980 and talks about how modernism refined graphic designs. It offers various logos that can help inspire you to do your design.

The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst

This book was first published in 1992 and showed the history and guide to Typography. It gives the reader a better understanding of the topic and discusses it in finer detail. This book is considered one of the best when it comes to providing an in-depth view of typography.

Why Fonts Matter by Sarah Hyndman

This book teaches you how to use font choice to influence your audience. There is a science behind font design and how it affects the choices the reader makes. Different fonts result in different reactions, and this is what this book is all about. And you thought using Times New Roman is good enough.

Just My Type by Simon Garfield

This book deals with the history of fonts as well as their power to influence the audience. Fonts can send subliminal messages that can either make or break the design. If you want to learn more about it, then this book is definitely a must-read.

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon

What good is a design if no one can see it? This book teaches you how to get an audience and be known. This book has inspired many freelancers who aspire to make a name for themselves in the industry. Some people are just too scared to share their work, afraid of the feedback, but reading this book would otherwise change your mind.

How To Do Great Work Without Being An Asshole by Paul Woods

In this funny and entertaining book, you will find the common problems in the creative industry. It is presented in infographics and diagrams, which makes reading fun. It provides straightforward advice on how to make a graphic design and is something worth reading.

How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy 

It gives philosophical advice on how you can gain employment and start as a freelancer and work your way up. It teaches you how to do a pitch and how you deal with clients to become successful in this career.

Graphic Design for… by  Andy Cooke 

This book compiles various branding campaigns of some of the best design studios globally, which gives you an insight into how to create modern commercial designs. If a modern design is your thing, then this book should definitely be on your list.

Work for Money, Design for Love by David Airey

It tackles the basics of starting your own design business. It discusses everything you need to know to become a designer, from having the proper mindset to becoming your boss.

There are tons of titles out there that you can get inspiration from. Do not get frustrated if you feel you are losing touch. Maybe it is just a sign that you have to step back and let your creative juice recharge. The more you force yourself to create something, the less ideas you get. So sit back and enjoy reading some of these books.