Great examples of companies that challenge the conventional way of working→ Recommended by Matteo Valfre, Senior Designer

Joost Minnaar and Pim de Morree are the founders of Corporate Rebels - a global movement to make work more fun. They quit their frustrating, corporate jobs and set out to travel the world to visit the world's most inspiring organizations. While checking off their renowned Bucket List they share everything they learn.

‍

The Geometry of Type explores 100 traditional and modern typefaces in detail, with a full spread devoted to each entry. Characters from each typeface are enlarged and annotated to reveal key features, anatomical details, and the finer, often-overlooked elements of type design, which shows how these attributes affect mood and readability. Sidebar information lists the designer and foundry, the year of release and the different weights and styles available, while feature boxes explain the origins and best uses for each typeface, such as whether it is suitable for running text or as a display font for headlines. To help the reader spot each typeface in the wider world, the full character set is shown, and the best letters for identification are highlighted. This beautiful and highly practical work of reference for font spotters, designers and users is a close-up celebration of typefaces and great type design.

‍

A great catalog of work and and an inspiration to design and solve problems→ Recommended by Rebecca Duncan, Freelance Graphic Designer

How to use graphic design to sell things, explain things, make things look better, make people laugh, make people cry, and (every once in a while) change the world, his first career monograph.

‍

I love Michael Beirut, read his book ‘Now you see it’ which is a collection of essays on design taken from ‘Design observer’ website he cofounded. It’s sooo inspiring and educational→ Recommended Paulina Jawor , Graphic Designer.

“Design is a way to engage with real content, real experience,” writes celebrated essayist Michael Bierut in this follow-up to his best-selling Seventy-Nine Short Essays on Design (2007). In more than fifty smart and accessible short pieces from the past decade, Bierut engages with a fascinating and diverse array of subjects. Essays range across design history, practice, and process; urban design and architecture; design hoaxes; pop culture; Hydrox cookies, Peggy Noonan, baseball, The Sopranos; and an inside look at his experience creating the “Forward” logo for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Other writings celebrate such legendary figures as Jerry della Femina, Alan Fletcher, Charley Harper, and his own mentor, Massimo Vignelli. Bierut’s longtime work in the trenches of graphic design informs everything he writes, lending depth, insight, and humor to this important and engrossing collection.

‍

→ Recommended Sara Caldas , Visual Designer based in Barcelona.

This book is a collection of seminal texts by Paul Rand, one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century. The author has always maintained a critical view of design and the work of designers, not hesitating to express his opinions in eloquent, accurate and harsh essays.

"It has lots of insightful tips on problematic issues when you are a creative entrepreneur including studio admin." → Recommended by Erica Choi, Graphic Designer based in London.

Run Studio Run is a book that details how to manage and grow a small creative studio.

"it opens up a whole new world for those who's just starting learning typographic rules, later on allows you to break those rules safely and have a solid understanding of that remote typographic universe." → Recommended by Diana Valot, Graphic Designer based in Montreal.

Since its initial publication in Berlin in 1928, Jan Tschichold's The New Typography has been recognised as the definitive treatise on book and graphic design in the machine age.

"Fantastic journal by a Creative Director describing his journey from an intern to director. Filled with great tips, techniques and a plethora of portfolio work to be inspired by!" → Recommended by Jake Fernandes, UX Designer based in Newcastle.

This is a journal of creative direction and graphic design; a collection of thoughts, musings and observations from my ups and downs in the creative industry. It’s about how the world outside influences the creativity inside; and how it inspires us, teaches us and makes us create better work.

‍

"Paul Rand... do I need to say more? So much wisdom in such a small book." → Recommended by Laura Bertinelli, Graphic designer based in London.

Writing at the height of his career, Rand articulated in his slender volume the pioneering vision that all design should seamlessly integrate form and function.

"Easy to read, with lots of great thought-starters and reflection on what makes good design (and a good designer) 'good'. It also helped me to think of design as something that goes beyond the day job, that can be seen and experienced on most everyday life experiences." → Recommended by Laura Bertinelli, Graphic designer based in London.

The Shape of Design is an odd little design book. Instead of talking about typography, grids, or logos, it focuses on storytelling, co-dependency, and craft. It tries to supplement the abundance of technical talk and how-to elsewhere by elevating why great work is done.

"It helped me reflect on the importance of creating work that is not just functional, but also pleasing to the eye and enjoyable. Beauty brings enjoyment, enjoyment brings engagement. Beauty gets reframed and becomes a function." → Recommended by Laura Bertinelli, Graphic designer based in London.

Acclaimed designers Sagmeister & Walsh explore the essence of beauty and the transformative power of beautiful design.