Do you know a designer and need help deciding what gifts to get for Christmas this year? Following is a list of some of the books I would love to see under the tree (my amazon list has 50 plus more…). Ranging from just the informative and interesting to the downright bloody gorgeous, and any graphic fiend should be lucky to own some or all of these inspiring tomes.

 

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40 Days Of DatingTimothy Goodman & Jessica Walsh

Take a guy with some emotional issues and an aversion to commitments that last longer than a couple of months, pair him with a girl with a romanticised notion of the perfect partnership who has been in and out of relationships from the moment she noticed boys. Now put them together like a child whacking Barbie with a Ken doll in a naive attempt to simulate what Dad and Mum ‘do’. The interesting part? They are both New York based graphic designers.

This started as a blog (which you can still view), and is a great look into the approach of dating by two people who are immersed in the creative culture of design. Every day is a date, and every day is a visual story.

 

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Cabins – Phillip Jodidio

I’ll be honest, you wont be buying this for the author. No offence to Mr Didio, but it’s the illustrations throughout this book that will amaze. French design studio Cruschiform are behind the lovingly crafted illustrations of forest and rural dwellings, and with the muted pastel colour palettes and attention to architectural detail, this is a perfect book to dip in and out for some coffee table inspiration.

 

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Min: The New Simplicity In Graphic Design – Stuart Tolley

Stuart Tolley, the creative directer of design studio Transmission, has curated a collection of 150 minimalist designers from around the world and explores the regeneration of ‘less is more’ in the creative field, separated into ‘Reduction’, ‘Geometry’ and  ‘Print Production’. For a book heralding the resurgence of cutting the fluff, it is jam-packed with interviews, essays and work examples from the best projects and designers of the last few years.

 

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Sequential Drawings – Richard McGuire

After the bestselling success of ‘Here’ (if you know it you know it), New Yorker’s Richard McGuire is back with his collated works of, well, sequential drawings. For the first time together we see all of the mini series to date that have appeared in the aforementioned New Yorker, in the ten plus years Mr McGuire has worked there.

 

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Type Matters – Jim Williams

‘Simple tips for everyday typography’…and it is just that. It may not be the all encompassing almanac of typographic knowledge, but it certainly explores the fundamentals of the craft with a good few examples and further exploration to boot. But really, from the perfect layouts to the faux leather bound cover, it’s the way this book is designed that should make it a staple of the designer’s bookcase.

 

So really, what I’m trying to say is that, I hope santa keeps up to date with his online reading. I’m expecting a book-heavy stocking this year.