Books

The Art of Looking Sideways (Alan Fletcher) Phaidon. 533 pages of visual and mental delight. Once you start reading, you won’t stop. Not just for designers but anyone with eyes, a brain, and a sense of humour and wonder.

The Curves of Life (Theodore Andrea Cook) Dover. Originally published in 1914, this extraordinary book is still a fund of information and ideas.

The Elements of Design (Loan Oei and Cecile De Kegel) Thames & Hudson. A dry title for a little book with a wealth of beautiful photography and inspiration.

New Masters of Photoshop (Cina/Stanick/Young) friends of ED There are hundreds of Photoshop ‘how to’ books. This is more a 'how to think about it' book. Largely a filter-free zone.

 

The Complete Dictionary of Symbols (Ed. J Tresidder) Duncan Baird. Invaluable for logo and brand design. Explore the archetypal history of the symbols around us.

Real World Colour Management (Fraser/Murphy/Bunting) Peachpit Press. Go on, you've been putting it off for ages! It's time to find out what it all means.

Stop Stealing Sheep and find out how type works (Spiekerman/Ginger) Adobe Press. Easy to read introduction to typography. Comprehensive bibliography.