If you are like me, you probably have quite a few books laying around. I love to read, BUT I usually go for the bubblegum books that require little thought—my personal vice is historical fiction. This year I have resolved to dust off the design books and set to reading. My list is by no means complete, and I am only talking about these 6 books because I already own them. Since I am a designer, this is a pretty narrow swath of books. I am definitely open to books on all creative subjects and welcome a good recommendation.  I found most of these books at my local bookstore or online.

Not only do I want to read these books, I would really like to find other people interested in reading/sharing their thoughts and ideas about these books. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, hit me up here and let’s discuss! We live in a world that is uber-connected, so why can’t we review a book over twitter or facebook? This might sound a little difficult but with the hashtag (#) on twitter and a discussion on facebook, it can be done.

So check out the titles I have, look at your own collection and let’s start discussing. The descriptions are from amazon.com.

Never Sleep: Graduating to Graphic Design

Andre Andreev and Dan Covert

There is a major disconnect between the life of a design student and the transition to being a design professional. To demystify the transition, we share the failures, successes, and surprises during our years in college and progression into the field: the creative process, monetary problems, internships, interviews, mistakes, and personal relationships. We include the work from our first design class to our most current client work, along with side stories and interviews from our mentors, teachers, and peers. This book will serve as the ultimate companion for design students, educators, and anyone breaking into a creative field.

Click here to find it on Amazon.

Stop Stealing Sheep & find out how type works

Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger

Stop Stealing Sheep, Second Edition is a unique, entertaining, and educational tour through the most basic unit of written communication: type. World-renowned type experts Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger explain in everyday laymen’s terms what type is and how you can use it to enhance the legibility, meaning, and aesthetic level of your work. They elegantly touch on all aspects of typography, including the history and mechanics of type, how to train your eye to recognize and choose typefaces, and how to use space and layout to improve overall communication.

Click here to find it on Amazon.

How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

Adrian Shaughnessy

Graphic designers constantly complain that there is no career manual to guide them through the profession. Now, design consultant and writer Adrian Shaughnessy draws on the wealth of his experience to provide just such a handbook. Aimed at the independent-minded, it addresses the concerns of young designers who want to earn a living by doing expressive and meaningful work but want to avoid becoming a hired drone working on soulless projects. It offers straight-talking advice on how to establish your design career and practical suggestions – that you won’t have been taught at college – for running a successful business. Within each chapter there is inspirational guidance from a range of international designers who cite their personal mistakes and experiences as well as a chapter of one-on-one interviews with 10 leading designers including Neville Brody and John Warwicker.

Click here to find  it on Amazon.

The Designer’s Guide to Business and Careers

Peg Faimon

Inside are the tools you need to get your design career off to a strong start—and maintain it for the long haul. In this book, Peg Faimon provides a comprehensive guide to basic business issues in today’s competitive marketplace. Whether you just graduated from college, are trying to build a freelance business, or are starting your own firm, this book will give you the confidence and knowledge to create a successful and fulfilling career.

Click here to find it on Amazon.

The Brand Gap

Marty Neumeir

Not since McLuhan’s THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE has a book compressed so many ideas into so few pages. Using the visual language of the boardroom, Neumeier presents the first unified theory of branding-a set of five disciplines to help companies bridge the gap between brand strategy and customer experience. Those with a grasp of branding will be inspired by the new perspectives they find here, and those who would like to understand it better will suddenly “get it.” This deceptively simple book offers everyone in the company access to “the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet.”

Click here to find it on Amazon.

Things I have learned in my life so far

Stefan Sagmeister

In 2000, Austrian born, New York-based graphic designer Sagmeister created this book’s eponymous list in his diary, including twenty statements such as: “Trying to Look Good Limits My Life,” “Assuming is Stifling” and “Worry Solves Nothing.” These “maxims,” which Sagmeister admits verge on the “banal” but which are also devoid of cynicism, were transformed into art projects: “Assuming is Stifling” graced the cover of a Japanese annual report; “Everybody Always Thinks They are Right” was represented by six 33-foot white inflatable monkeys, each one displaying a different word. This “design book for non-designers” is itself an experiment in form, comprised of 15 booklets in a box whose cover is a cut out of Sagmeister’s face; when inserted, each completes the portrait in a different way. One of the booklets includes essays on Sagmeister’s oeuvre, the most interesting by critic Heller, who states: “This is truly the nexus of art and design in the service of expression.” This book is bound to be of interest to followers of Sagmeister’s work, as well as to the general reader in search of an invigorating approach to graphic design and, one might argue, autobiography.

Click here to find it on Amazon.