I’m always in search of a new book. I almost always buy fiction in a digital format. I don’t keep these stories — with the exception being my treasured Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Silmarillion. They are just transient friends — passing in and out of my brain. Leaving small little impressions to be lifted in the future for inspiration for some not-yet-known purpose. But when it comes to non-fiction discussing the topic of creativity, art, design… I’m a hoarder. In a perfect world, I would own every scrap of words written about design from all my favorite designers and design theorists and they would be carefully kept in a library reminiscent of Belle’s library in Beauty and the Beast. I already have a healthy collection curated through my college and later years and stored in a less-thrilling IKEA bookcase — but in poking around the internet for inspiration I came across a few new books I thought I would share.
I know, I know… any designer worth her salt is very familiar with the writings of Steven Heller. But I hadn’t seen this one until my most recent 2am Amazon binge search spiral. I own quite a few sketchbooks from different artists such as Rodin, Picasso, and Miro, but I don’t have any designer sketchbooks.
This one contains samples from some of my favorites…Ivan Chermayeff, Carlos Segura, Milton Glaser, Maira Kalman, Bob Aulfudish, Matthew Carter, Javier Mariscal and Patrick Thomas, Erik Spiekermann, Viktor Nübel, Peter Bilak and Enkeling, Jean Baptiste Levée. Can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Then I found this amazing gem. Saul Bass illustrated a children’s book. I had no idea.
“Henri’s Walk to Paris is the story of a young boy who lives in Reboul, France, who dreams of going to Paris. One day, after reading a book about Paris, he decides to pack a lunch and head for the city.”
Going into the permanent collection. His style is so iconic. And you can clearly see the link between his film titles and his book illustrations.
Do a quick Amazon search for other graphic designer children’s books. You’ll love what you find.
I’ve been a fan of designer Debbie Millman for years. This great series of interviews between Millman and many noted designers explore the theories of branding on a cellular level. What is a branding anyway? What makes a memorable brand? How do you figure out what a brand should be?
Can’t wait to finish this one. It’s really got my head spinning and thinking of my own theories on branding and design in general. What makes a great design? Is it completely subjective? More on that in another post.
What’s on your design book club list?
