The best design books have the power to spark new thoughts, theories, ideas, and opinions. Collected below is a diverse collection of 19 such books, published in the past year. Here you’ll find everything from black-and-white photos of Brutalist buildings, to heady essays on graphic design’s role in society, to pretty doodles. Whatever your interests, you’ll find something here to fascinate and inspire you in 2017.
American Revolution Bicentennial Standards Manual
In 1974 Bruce Blackburn designed a red-white-and-blue, star-shaped wheel logo. The icon was for the upcoming United States Bicentennial, and the idea was that the symbol would appear across all manner of celebratory materials, from postage stamps to buildings. To ensure his logo looked its best in any situation, Blackburn published a set of visual guidelines. This year, Standards Manuals—the same folks who reprinted the MTA and NASA manuals—revived Blackburn’s original ($45).
Standards Manual
In 1974 Bruce Blackburn designed a red-white-and-blue, star-shaped wheel logo. The icon was for the upcoming United States Bicentennial, and the idea was that the symbol would appear across all manner of celebratory materials, from postage stamps to buildings. To ensure his logo looked its best in any situation, Blackburn published a set of visual guidelines. This year, Standards Manuals—the same folks who reprinted the MTA and NASA manuals—revived Blackburn’s original ($45).
This Brutal World
For years, the Brutalist style of architecture was despised. Now, it’s experiencing a comeback, thanks in no small part to Peter Chadwick. Two years ago the London art director started tweeting out photos of forgotten Brutalist buildings. Today, he’s the author of This Brutal World ($50), a handsome coffee table book from Phaidon that’s dedicated to the raw, concrete style of architecture. The tome highlights recent work, as well as older buildings that have since been demolished. In that sense, the book doubles as a form of preservation.
Phaidon
For years, the Brutalist style of architecture was despised. Now, it’s experiencing a comeback, thanks in no small part to Peter Chadwick. Two years ago the London art director started tweeting out photos of forgotten Brutalist buildings. Today, he’s the author of This Brutal World ($50), a handsome coffee table book from Phaidon that’s dedicated to the raw, concrete style of architecture. The tome highlights recent work, as well as older buildings that have since been demolished. In that sense, the book doubles as a form of preservation.
Les Diners de Gala
Salvador Dalí produced many masterpieces in his life, and one of them was a cookbook. Les Diners de Gala was semi-autobiographical, based on the lavish dinner parties of Dalí and his wife, Gala. This year Taschen reprinted the book ($60), which originally came out in 1973. You might not actually attempt any of the 136 recipes (do you really want “Thousand year old eggs”?), but you’ll certainly feast on the surreal paintings and collages that fill the book.
Taschen
Salvador Dalí produced many masterpieces in his life, and one of them was a cookbook. Les Diners de Gala was semi-autobiographical, based on the lavish dinner parties of Dalí and his wife, Gala. This year Taschen reprinted the book ($60), which originally came out in 1973. You might not actually attempt any of the 136 recipes (do you really want “Thousand year old eggs”?), but you’ll certainly feast on the surreal paintings and collages that fill the book.
Dear Data
For 52 weeks straight, Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec mailed each other illustrations. The two designers had a pact, to create one hand-drawn data visualization a week. The drawings might represent how many animals one designer saw in a given seven-day period, or every time one designer felt a surge of envy. The colorful, curious postcards now fill the pages of Dear Data ($35), the duo’s coffee table book and permanent record of their project.
Princeton Architectural Press
For 52 weeks straight, Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec mailed each other illustrations. The two designers had a pact, to create one hand-drawn data visualization a week. The drawings might represent how many animals one designer saw in a given seven-day period, or every time one designer felt a surge of envy. The colorful, curious postcards now fill the pages of Dear Data ($35), the duo’s coffee table book and permanent record of their project.
Designed by Apple in California
Designed by Apple in California ($200 or $300) is every inch the Apple product. It took eight years to develop, is bound in white linen, and printed on “specially milled, custom-dyed paper with gilded matte silver edges.” Longtime Apple photographer Andrew Zuckerman shot all 450 pages of products in the company’s signature style—high definition hero shots of technology, set on a white background. This is product porn at its least apologetic.
Apple
Designed by Apple in California ($200 or $300) is every inch the Apple product. It took eight years to develop, is bound in white linen, and printed on “specially milled, custom-dyed paper with gilded matte silver edges.” Longtime Apple photographer Andrew Zuckerman shot all 450 pages of products in the company’s signature style—high definition hero shots of technology, set on a white background. This is product porn at its least apologetic.
Eating With the Eyes
Do you know how to see the world around you? As in really see it, visually and artistically? No matter your answer, Eating With The Eyes ($50) will challenge you to look more closely. Pentagram designer Harry Pearce filled his book with 200 photographs of scenes that are easily overlooked. Sidewalks, dirty walls, crumpled textiles—this is the banal stuff that surrounds us, all the time, but rarely comes across as poignant. Pearce has an eye for finding abstract beauty in it.
Unit Editions
Do you know how to see the world around you? As in really see it, visually and artistically? No matter your answer, Eating With The Eyes ($50) will challenge you to look more closely. Pentagram designer Harry Pearce filled his book with 200 photographs of scenes that are easily overlooked. Sidewalks, dirty walls, crumpled textiles—this is the banal stuff that surrounds us, all the time, but rarely comes across as poignant. Pearce has an eye for finding abstract beauty in it.
Failed It!
Failed It! ($13) is equal parts platitudes and botched photographs. The platitudes are nothing new—for decades, quotable politicians, scientists, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have touted the virtues of failure. The pictures in Failed It!, on the other hand, feel novel. Or maybe they won’t: many of them resemble amateur, flubbed 35 millimeter prints, like the outtakes from a roll of family vacation photos. Most people would regard these oddly exposed, finger-over-the-lens shots as trash. Artist Erik Kessels, who authored Failed It!, prizes them.
Phaidon
Failed It! ($13) is equal parts platitudes and botched photographs. The platitudes are nothing new—for decades, quotable politicians, scientists, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have touted the virtues of failure. The pictures in Failed It!, on the other hand, feel novel. Or maybe they won’t: many of them resemble amateur, flubbed 35 millimeter prints, like the outtakes from a roll of family vacation photos. Most people would regard these oddly exposed, finger-over-the-lens shots as trash. Artist Erik Kessels, who authored Failed It!, prizes them.
Graphic Designers Surveyed
Want to know how much the average graphic designer makes? Or which Pantone color most designers prefer? Graphic Designers Surveyed ($19) can fill you in on some, if not all, of those statistics. Publishers GraphicDesign& quizzed 2,000 designers from the US and the UK to compile some facts and figures about the industry.
GraphicDesign&
Want to know how much the average graphic designer makes? Or which Pantone color most designers prefer? Graphic Designers Surveyed ($19) can fill you in on some, if not all, of those statistics. Publishers GraphicDesign& quizzed 2,000 designers from the US and the UK to compile some facts and figures about the industry.
Look Inside
Look Inside ($60) is an ode to the cutaway graphic. This book is for the especially curious, as it invites readers to peer inside structures as small and specific as a tape cassette and as huge and multi-layered as Earth itself. The book includes inside views of historic buildings, pieces of machinery, and even a few entries that are purely fantastical. They’re beautiful reminders, all, that something always lies beneath the surface.
Gestalten
Look Inside ($60) is an ode to the cutaway graphic. This book is for the especially curious, as it invites readers to peer inside structures as small and specific as a tape cassette and as huge and multi-layered as Earth itself. The book includes inside views of historic buildings, pieces of machinery, and even a few entries that are purely fantastical. They’re beautiful reminders, all, that something always lies beneath the surface.
The Earth and I
Some years ago, the renowned scientist James Lovelock got the idea for a book. It would be “the scientific equivalent of the Bible,” he said, and would read like a how-to manual for humans to rebuild the world, in the event of a mass catastrophe. The Earth and I ($30), which Lovelock co-authored, is not that book—but there are traces of it present. The book is an information-rich account of how the earth came to be, how it behaves, and how we humans impact it. A prestigious list of scientists, including Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, contributed chapters. The art in the book is especially noteworthy: illustrator Jack Hudson created it, and though he favors a cheerful, mid-century style, his work for The Earth and I is scientifically rigorous. Understanding the workings of the planet has never looked better.
Taschen
Some years ago, the renowned scientist James Lovelock got the idea for a book. It would be “the scientific equivalent of the Bible,” he said, and would read like a how-to manual for humans to rebuild the world, in the event of a mass catastrophe. The Earth and I ($30), which Lovelock co-authored, is not that book—but there are traces of it present. The book is an information-rich account of how the earth came to be, how it behaves, and how we humans impact it. A prestigious list of scientists, including Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, contributed chapters. The art in the book is especially noteworthy: illustrator Jack Hudson created it, and though he favors a cheerful, mid-century style, his work for The Earth and I is scientifically rigorous. Understanding the workings of the planet has never looked better.
The United States of America
If this year’s presidential election made you feel disconnected from some other part of the country, pick up The United States of America ($300). The compendium of 700 photographs, all from National Geographic’s archives, show slices of life from all 50 states. The book stretches across geography and time; some of the early images date back to the 1920s, and the newest ones were captured with state-of-the-art digital cameras. Think of it like an armchair tour through our collective history.
If this year’s presidential election made you feel disconnected from some other part of the country, pick up The United States of America ($300). The compendium of 700 photographs, all from National Geographic’s archives, show slices of life from all 50 states. The book stretches across geography and time; some of the early images date back to the 1920s, and the newest ones were captured with state-of-the-art digital cameras. Think of it like an armchair tour through our collective history.
Overview
Benjamin Grant combs through Google Earth everyday, in search of a satellite picture that shows off a dazzling, geometric square of earth. When he finds a particularly magnificent one, he posts it to his Instagram feed, Daily Overview. It’s impossible to tire of seeing our planet from this angle. Last year, the best snapshots from that feed made it into a lush new coffee table book, Overview: A New Perspective of Earth ($25).
Ten Speed Press
Benjamin Grant combs through Google Earth everyday, in search of a satellite picture that shows off a dazzling, geometric square of earth. When he finds a particularly magnificent one, he posts it to his Instagram feed, Daily Overview. It’s impossible to tire of seeing our planet from this angle. Last year, the best snapshots from that feed made it into a lush new coffee table book, Overview: A New Perspective of Earth ($25).
Photoviz
Nicholas Felton is a data-viz whiz. But this year, he trained his attention on the work of photographers whose images communicate information—through composite imagery, multiple exposures, slow shutter speeds, and other forms of photographic trickery. He calls his collection Photoviz ($55).
Gestalten
Nicholas Felton is a data-viz whiz. But this year, he trained his attention on the work of photographers whose images communicate information—through composite imagery, multiple exposures, slow shutter speeds, and other forms of photographic trickery. He calls his collection Photoviz ($55).
A Designer’s Art
Famed graphic designer Paul Rand also wrote and published books. One such book, A Designer’s Art ($50), was especially literary. Finished in 1985, the book looks at design intellectually. Rand’s essays in the book cited academics. Prints of his logo work for IBM, ABC, and Westinghouse, along with indie work for magazine and book covers, supported his arguments. The manifesto went out of print in 2000, but this year design critic Steven Heller revived it.
Princeton Architectural Press
Famed graphic designer Paul Rand also wrote and published books. One such book, A Designer’s Art ($50), was especially literary. Finished in 1985, the book looks at design intellectually. Rand’s essays in the book cited academics. Prints of his logo work for IBM, ABC, and Westinghouse, along with indie work for magazine and book covers, supported his arguments. The manifesto went out of print in 2000, but this year design critic Steven Heller revived it.
Richard Sapper Edited by Jonathan Olivares
Richard Sapper, the brilliant German industrial designer behind iconic designs like the cubic Brionvega radio, passed away on the last day of 2015. Luckily for his admirers, the forces and circumstances that shaped his work are not lost. Sapper had spent more than 40 hours in interviews with furniture designer Jonathan Olivares, who recorded them and put them in print. Those interviews fill the pages of Olivares’s book ($95), along with photographs of Sapper’s designs throughout the years.
Phaidon
Richard Sapper, the brilliant German industrial designer behind iconic designs like the cubic Brionvega radio, passed away on the last day of 2015. Luckily for his admirers, the forces and circumstances that shaped his work are not lost. Sapper had spent more than 40 hours in interviews with furniture designer Jonathan Olivares, who recorded them and put them in print. Those interviews fill the pages of Olivares’s book ($95), along with photographs of Sapper’s designs throughout the years.
The World of Charles and Ray Eames
Charles and Ray Eames designed several iconic chairs, but their contributions to design—and, really, to society—go far deeper than furniture. During World War II, the husband-and-wife team pioneered advances in materials. They reimagined the office space entirely. They walked the walk, too, by building their home in the image of their modern ideas about design. The World of Charles and Ray Eames ($45) is a monograph filled with images and tales from all these projects, and more.
Rizzoli
Charles and Ray Eames designed several iconic chairs, but their contributions to design—and, really, to society—go far deeper than furniture. During World War II, the husband-and-wife team pioneered advances in materials. They reimagined the office space entirely. They walked the walk, too, by building their home in the image of their modern ideas about design. The World of Charles and Ray Eames ($45) is a monograph filled with images and tales from all these projects, and more.
Pretty Much Everything
You know Aaron Draplin’s work even if you don’t know the man. The Oregon designer has created identities for Nike and Patagonia, and launched the popular Field Notes notebooks. Draplin favors a pared down approach to design—you won’t find any pretentious essays about logo design from him. Instead, this year, Draplin pulled back the curtain on his process by releasing Pretty Much Everything ($27). The book contains, you know, pretty much everything that informs his work: artifacts, posters, travelogues, case studies, and more.
Abrams
You know Aaron Draplin’s work even if you don’t know the man. The Oregon designer has created identities for Nike and Patagonia, and launched the popular Field Notes notebooks. Draplin favors a pared down approach to design—you won’t find any pretentious essays about logo design from him. Instead, this year, Draplin pulled back the curtain on his process by releasing Pretty Much Everything ($27). The book contains, you know, pretty much everything that informs his work: artifacts, posters, travelogues, case studies, and more.
Sunday Sketching
For years, illustrator Christoph Niemann (whose work you’ll find in publications like New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, and WIRED) would spend his Sundays engaged in a drawing exercise. He’d sit down with a sheet of paper and a random object, then find ways to incorporate the item into a drawing. In this way, bottles of ink became cameras, highlighters became light sabers, and pennies became scoops of ice cream. You’ll find many of Niemann’s visual puns in his new monograph, Sunday Sketching ($34), interspersed with the illustrator’s compellingly honest musings on the creative process.
Abrams
For years, illustrator Christoph Niemann (whose work you’ll find in publications like New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, and WIRED) would spend his Sundays engaged in a drawing exercise. He’d sit down with a sheet of paper and a random object, then find ways to incorporate the item into a drawing. In this way, bottles of ink became cameras, highlighters became light sabers, and pennies became scoops of ice cream. You’ll find many of Niemann’s visual puns in his new monograph, Sunday Sketching ($34), interspersed with the illustrator’s compellingly honest musings on the creative process.
Graphic: 500 Designs That Matter
We’re cheating a bit by including Graphic: 500 Designs That Matter, which doesn’t hit shelves until March 2017. But we can’t resist: this stocky red book is a compendium of the 500 most important pieces of graphic design, ever. There will most assuredly be room for debate, but who could ever resist parsing such a superlative list?
Phaidon
We’re cheating a bit by including Graphic: 500 Designs That Matter, which doesn’t hit shelves until March 2017. But we can’t resist: this stocky red book is a compendium of the 500 most important pieces of graphic design, ever. There will most assuredly be room for debate, but who could ever resist parsing such a superlative list?
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19 Ingenious Design Books to Inspire You in 2017