What books should designers read?

Graphic design courses allow you to quickly master Photoshop.

In the world of modern design and visual art, there is an infinite variety of styles, directions, and concepts. For those who are interested in these areas and seek to understand their history and essence, it is important to have access to quality literature, which helps to dive deeper into this fascinating world. In this article, we offer you an overview of some key books that cover aspects of visual modeling, graphic design, color theory, the history of styles in art, and much more. These books by famous authors will help you expand your knowledge and skills in these areas, provide new ideas, and inspire creativity. Regardless of your background and interests, this selection can be a valuable source of knowledge and inspiration for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of contemporary design and art. Also, our school offers graphic design courses for children. The first lesson is free.

1. “Models of visual perception and image analysis algorithms” – authors Ilya Muchnyk and Mykola Zavalishyn

This book explores the issue of creating a formal language for describing images in machine vision tasks. The main criterion for this language is its proximity to human language. Which is used by people when working with images. In addition, the book presents constructive models of human visual perception built based on this hypothesis.

2. “Evolution of design. From theory to practice” – author Timothy Samara

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the work of graphic designers, revealing the concepts, strategies, and visual methods they use to solve various tasks. The book not only showcases the most interesting works but also examines the use of design principles to achieve communicative goals. It emphasizes the fundamental aspects and principles of design. It shows how professionals use these principles to create expressive and effective visual communication.

3. Design and Time by Lakshmi Bhaskaran

This book is devoted to the main styles and directions in the art of the 20th century. She tells about the history of the emergence of each style and names the leading designers associated with the development of these trends in art. The book presents the names of artists and architects who worked within a certain style. And shows their famous works that are kept in museums and private collections. The text is accompanied by excellent illustrations covering various aspects of industrial design, graphics, painting, and architecture. The book examines the confluence of two directions in contemporary design. Function to form and form to function and shows how design has become a form of communication in its own right that is important to study for maximum effectiveness.

4. The Art of Color by Johannes Itten

This book combines the results of the author’s research, lecture courses, and practical classes on color problems. It has gained considerable popularity. And is included in the curricula of many art schools in different countries of the world.

5. “The Art of Form. My Course at the Bauhaus and Other Schools” by Johannes Itten

This book presents the artist training system created by Johannes Itten for his course at the famous international Bauhaus school. The book is accompanied by a large number of works performed by the author’s students. It is intended for artists, architects, designers, and everyone interested in art and art education.

6. “Graphic Design Icons” – author John Clifford

This book presents a list of the most influential designers in history and tells about their work. She examines the issues that have defined the notion of graphic design, including the origins of the term “graphic designer”. The transformation of movie posters into art, and the role of the first women artists. The author, John Clifford, takes the reader through the history of visual art, answering many questions and covering the main stages of its development over the last hundred years, from the Art Nouveau era to the digital age.