 | Meggs' History of Graphic Design by Philip B. Meggs
Buy new: $55.44 / Used from: $34.97 A foundation piece for your collection. The most comprehensive history of graphic design availble right now. Philip Megg's was also the Department Chair and a Professor of Design History at VCU.
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 | How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $4.99 This book is very text heavy, but features a lot of insight on how to work in the field of design without sacrificing your ethics for the sake of your job.
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 | Designers Are Wankers by Neville Brody
Buy new: $18.25 / Used from: $16.86 This book covers the transition from school life to the real world of design and discusses a lot of things that aren't covered in your classes. The author also interviews a lot of respected professionals about preparing yourself for the unexpected aspects of the job.
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 | 30 Essential Typefaces for A Lifetime by Joshua Berger
Buy new: $26.40 / Used from: $20.50 The title says it all. Although I personally think 30 is too many. This book covers the basics and the classics. A great resource for the best typefaces available and a lesson in avoiding the 99% of crap that gets produced daily by the multitude of type foundries.
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 | Typographic Specimens: The Great Typefaces by Philip B. Meggs
Buy new: $32.97 / Used from: $9.99 A more selective collection of great typefaces from each of the main catagories of type. Another fundamental type book written and designed by VCU professors.
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 | The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $15.95 This is the Bible of Typography. Bringhurst is a brilliant author and communicator covering the history of written communication and the letterform. He also profiles a large collection of typefaces throughout the history of type within the major categories of type.
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 | Typographic Design: Form and Communication by Rob Carter
Buy new: $39.00 / Used from: $29.99 Written by one of the great Typography professors at VCU, Rob Carter's book covers a great deal of the foundational aspects of typography. A good addition to your collection.
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 | Paul Rand: A Designer`s Art by Paul Rand
Buy used from: $135.00 A design great whose work impacted design forever. A brilliant piece of inspiration, reminding you that less is more.
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 | The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design by Marty Neumeier
Buy used from: $7.94 A very nice read introducing business concepts to designers and design concepts to business.
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 | A Smile in the Mind by Beryl McAlhone
Buy new: $26.37 / Used from: $19.82 This book showcases clever and witty design solutions. Good design does not just stand out to be noticed, it resonates with the audience and stays with them. These design solutions will make you do a double take.
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 | Graphic Design as a Second Language: Bob Gill (Hands on Graphics) by Bob Gill
Buy new: $20.08 / Used from: $12.22 Bob Gill is a brilliant and clever designer. This book is a joy to read, and his work is soo simple, yet so clever and powerful it makes you smile and wish that you had come up with it. He is very straightforward and succint in his descriptions of design as problem solving.
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 | False Flat: Why Dutch Design is so Good by Aaron Betsky
Buy used from: $38.94 This tome is full of amazing Dutch Design. There is a reason why they have succesfully lived below sea level for soo long and prefer to use the bicycle as their main form of transportation. Dutch = Good.
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 | Sagmeister: Made You Look by Peter Hall
Today's living design legend. Sagmeister has continued to push the design boundaries and never ceases to amaze with his brilliant concepts and ability to push production methods. He makes the impossible possible. This book will make you glad that you are a designer, and inspire you to never stop short of legendaary work.
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 | karlssonwilker inc.'s tellmewhy: The First 24 Months of a New York Design Company by Clare Jacobson
Buy new: $21.86 / Used from: $9.99 Jan Wilker and Hjalti Karlsson both studied with Stefan Sagmeister before leaving to start their own firm in New York City. This book follow their story of their first two years as a design firm. The good the bad and the ugly. It is an honest look at the amount of drive it takes to be succesful in this industry.
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 | TM, Trademarks Designed by Chermayeff & Geismar by Chermayeff Geismer Inc
Buy new: $28.58 / Used from: $7.83 A great collection of some of the best logos and trademarks, designed by one of the best branding firms in the world.
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 | Tibor Kalman, Perverse Optimist
Buy used from: $59.96 Tibor is admired and respected by every designer I have ever met. His work was revolutionary, cutting edge, and his company M&Co never stopped asking questions and continued to redefine what design is and what roles it plays in society and culture. A must have on every designers book shelf.
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 | Grid Systems in Graphic Design/Raster Systeme Fur Die Visuele Gestaltung by Josef Muller-Brockmann
Buy new: $64.76 / Used from: $62.99 The grid is a designers best and worst friend. It is fundamental to learning page layout, but can constrain your design if you let it. Learn the grid well, but also learn to break the grid. You must first learn the rules before you can break them.
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 | Wolfgang Weingart: My Way to Typography by Wolfgang Weingart
Buy new: $84.00 / Used from: $68.15 A legendary typographer shares his thoughts, techniques and personal work.
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 | Problem Solved: A Primer for Design and Communication by Michael Johnson
Buy new: $36.53 / Used from: $8.19 A comprehensive look into design as problem solving, with examples throughout the history of design.
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 | Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell
Buy new: $26.40 / Used from: $23.94 This covers all areas of design, from interface, industrial, graphic, and product design. It discusses universal principles that can be used to help with whatever design problem you are trying to solve. This is a very valuable, but text heavy addition to your collection.
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 | 100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers: Insider Secrets from Top Designers on Working Smart and Staying Creative by Josh Berger
Buy new: $16.50 / Used from: $13.99 A great resource of tips from succesful designers in the field. How they cope with clients, deadlines, problem solving, working environment, and many more fun and inspirational quips.
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 | Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden
Buy used from: $10.52 This is an easy, but inspirational read about thinking wrong. If everyone is doing something a certain way, and your job is to differentiate and overcome the clutter of the norm, why would you follow the competition? This book gives a lot of simple but powerful examples of how thinking wrong is right.
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