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Design books can be the most consistently helpful companion.
Books can inspire ideas, as well as resolve production, software and other design issues. Read often, but most importantly peruse the pages of incredible design.
learn the basics
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The Elements of Typographic Style Often called the "bible", this book is a great reference book for appropriate use of type and typographic elements. It's value with alway be evident. |
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Making and Breaking the Grid The grid is your friend, you need to learn to do's and don'ts of messing with the grid, otherwise you will have an angry or nonexistent grid. |
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Graphic Style Learn from one of the greatest designers and illustrators and from the most prolific design critic. |
typography
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New Vintage Type A great collection of interesting ways type was used historically with modern-day examples. |
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Typology This is out of print, but you can find used versions. A great resource on how type is used. |
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Thinking With Type This book is an amazing guide for working with type. You'll be able to use it with such ease you won't stop thinking about it. |
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Letterforms: Bawdy, Bad and Beautiful Though this book is out of print, you can find it used. It is a great sampling of ways to create interesting type. |
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Hand Job: A Catalog of type An amazing collection of hand-done type and illustration. The title alone gets your attention. |
Interactive Design
There is a plethora of books on how to code websites, however there are less of inspiration on how to design them.
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The Web Designer's Idea Book : Volume 1 The Web Designer's Idea Book : Volume 2 |
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New Media Design Read this book when you become interested in interactive design. It covers several areas and will guide your interactive thought process. |
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Designing Interactions As an interactive designer, you are more aware of how your audience needs to navigate through your information. Learn more about it. |
Design Business
Though you are a student, you should get comfortable with the business end of being a designer. Here are some books to assist you:
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Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines This book goes over all the contracts pricing and need-to-know guidelines. |
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The Design Entrepreneur This is a great collection of student projects that have gone on to be published. A good resource if you're interested in getting your project past the classroom. |
imagery
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If you don't know about Dover books, you're going to be excited about the possibilities. Dover publishes resource books of just about anything from anatomical illustrations to Victorian borders and patterns. These books are the most valued resources of many design students. Dover Publications |
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These books are a great resource for vectorized patterns, silhouettes and symbols. There are several in the series. Bnn Pattern Book Series |
packaging
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Packaging design books can often go out of style quickly. However, purchasing template books and guidelines are definitely worth the money. Here are a few great ones. Agile Rabbit Editions: |
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The Packaging & Design Templates Sourcebook This is a good overall resource. There isn't anything too fancy or specific, but it gives you a good foundation. |
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design history
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Stylepedia This a great design encyclopedia that covers the most well-known and pertinent trends in design. |
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Meggs' History of Graphic Design You may not want to spend the money, but this book is the end all of information about the history of design. |
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The Anatomy of Design A collection of contemporary design examples compared with the visual influences of the past. |
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Illustration: A Visual History Written by an accomplished illustrator and design critic. This book is great, you don't need another reason to buy it. |
Warning: Inspiration overload is possible, proceed with caution.