Tuesday 31 May 2016

Remarkable Japanese Website Designs

Remarkable Japanese Website Designs

Being the first one who greets the Sun with the newly born day, Japan is one of those who push boundaries and test the limits, occupying the first position in various leading spheres, especially those which concern electronics. It is not a secret that the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ can boast of numerous ground-breaking achievements, pioneering concepts, and innovative thinking. Just take a look at their enormous contribution to robotics and science. It seems that the whole country is obsessed with technology, and the web sphere is no exception. The blistering pace is set, and web designers and developers try to keep up with it

Combining the high-end techniques, sophisticated libraries such as WebGL and modern design traits, Japan-based agencies please the crowd with remarkable projects with an outstanding experience. Some of them are just basic websites that serve regular purposes but have an exclusive ‘wrap’; others fascinate with its original idea, offbeat features, and professional realization. Today we have gathered ten startling examples of Japanese website design that convey the diversity and richness inherent to this ancient but one of the most developed nations in the World...

The post Remarkable Japanese Website Designs appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/japanese-website-design/

Fullscreen Slideshow Cover in Adobe Muse

Muse For You - Fullscreen Slideshow Cover Widget - Featured

Add a Fullscreen Slideshow Cover to your Adobe Muse website. No coding skills required.

Let’s face it – images play a huge part of how we communicate on the web. Images can tell a story, showcase a product, or convey an emotion. High quality images can even show how much effort someone went through to communicate their idea. I have to admit I myself am a visual learner. If the images on a website do not captivate me within the first few seconds I go onto the next website.

This is why I decided to create the “Fullscreen Slideshow Cover Widget.” This widget puts all the focus on the images by making the slideshow cover the entire browser. The user is able to navigate through all the images before seeing any content on the website. This is a great way to really make an impact on what you are trying to communicate with images.

The Fullscreen Slideshow Cover is 100% width and height so the slideshow stays in the browser until the user scrolls. The slideshow is fully responsive and the images change size on different devices and when the user resizes the browser.

Muse For You - Fullscreen Slideshow Cover Widget - Adobe Muse CC

Example of the Fullscreen Slideshow Cover Widget

 

With the Fullscreen Slideshow Cover Widget you can:

  • Add a fullscreen slideshow cover that covers the entire browser before the user scrolls
  • Choose from 74 animations for the slideshow in and out animation
  • Add links to the images
  • Add an image or logo over the images
  • Add a color overlay over the images
  • Add a title and description over the images
  • Set the duration of each slide in the slideshow
  • Enable slideshow controls
  • Enable slideshow dot navigation
  • Autoplay slideshow

With all of these features you can easily customize the slideshow for your website. You can add a color overlay to match the styling of your website and describe each image with a title and description. All features are added to give you as much flexibility as possible. You can watch the video above titled “Fullscreen Slideshow Cover Widget” to see the widget in action and how to use it. To access the widget visit http://museforyoushop.com.

Read More at Fullscreen Slideshow Cover in Adobe Muse



from Web Design Ledger http://webdesignledger.com/fullscreen-slideshow-cover-adobe-muse/

How to Help Your Client Decide if a Native App is Necessary

How to Help Your Client Decide if a Native App is Necessary

More and more people across the world are using their mobile devices to access digital content. According to eMarketer, mobile phone use will grow from 61.1% to 69.4% worldwide. The same article also claims that nearly one-fourth of the global population use a smartphone monthly, but by 2017, this number will increase to 50%.

American cell phone use has already surpassed the global numbers. The Pew Internet Research discovered that as of 2014, 90% of American adults own a cell phone, and 58% of those cell phone owners have a smartphone. Interestly enough, though, America only ranked number 13 in the 2013 list of countries with highest smartphone penetration. The top 5 in the list were United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Norway, respectively:

The post How to Help Your Client Decide if a Native App is Necessary appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/how-to-help-your-client-decide-if-a-native-app-is-necessary/

Splatter Effects: Design Inspiration and Tutorial

Splatter Effects: Design Inspiration and Tutorial

Splatter effects can be used effectively in all types of graphic design. There are a number of Photoshop brush sets and vector sets available for adding splatter effects to your work, or you could create your own custom splatters.

In this post we'll showcase 35 examples of designs that make use of splatter effects. They should certainly provide some inspiration for ways to use splatters in your own work.

splatter effects

By Erik Schumacher

The post Splatter Effects: Design Inspiration and Tutorial appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/splatter-effects/

40 Beautiful and Effective Responsive Navigation Menus

40 Beautiful and Effective Responsive Navigation Menus

Ease of navigation is one of the biggest keys to the usability of a website. If visitors can easily find what they are looking for they will be more likely to stay on the website rather than leaving and going to some other site. Effective navigation can help to increase pageviews, improve the user experience, and even increase revenue and profit.

As more and more users are accessing sites via mobile devices, responsive web design has continued to increase in popularity. One of the challenges of designing and developing responsive websites is to create a user-friendly navigation menu that works equally well for visitors on all types of devices.

While a few years ago navigational menus were a primary visual element in almost every web design, many responsive websites are now opting for a navigation menu that is much less dominant visually. These sites typically use a familiar icon of 3 horizontal stripes to indicate that a menu will be opened on click. Of course, this is only one approach and other websites use totally different approaches.

In this post we'll showcase 40 different navigation menus of responsive websites. This will showcase many different styles and approaches, and should provide some inspiration that can be put to good use in your own design and development work.  The best way to experience these navigation menus is to click through and see how it works in the browser.

Grain & Mortar

Grain & Mortar

The post 40 Beautiful and Effective Responsive Navigation Menus appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/inspirationalnavigation-menus/

14 Amazing Resources That Reveal the Secrets of DIY Photography

Learn Skills for DIY Photography

Photography is one of those skills that comes in handy for any creative career. If you know how to take and edit a great photograph, then you can save yourself some time and make a little extra money. Of course, some jobs will simply require the work of an experienced professional, but very often as a graphic or web designer, your client may not be able to afford the high costs. And you can offer photography as an extra service to add on to the invoice. First, though, you will need to find some learning resources for DIY photography before advertising this service, and photography tutorials - both videos and articles - are an excellent place to start...

The post 14 Amazing Resources That Reveal the Secrets of DIY Photography appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/diy-photography/

30 Premium Responsive Shopify Themes

4-janestyle

We always keep you updated on new free and premium eCommerce templates that hit the market every now and again. Recently, we posted about the top 20 free responsive eCommerce templates, a compilation which consisted of products developed for the top eCommerce platforms (PrestaShop, Shopify, OpenCart, Magento, etc). Today, we would like to focus your attention on 30 of the top premium Shopify themes, which are really worth investing in to make your web store more prominent and powerful.

Shopify is a powerful eCommerce solution that is being used more and more by pro and beginner online merchants alike. Below we offer for your consideration 30 premium Shopify themes that hit the market just recently, but have already managed to generate high demand among users.

1. Brilliance

1-brilliance shopify theme

Demo | More info

This clean Shopify theme by TemplateMonster will become a rock-solid starting point for fashion and beauty related web stores. Its non-standard layout structure immediately captivates the attention of online shoppers. Thanks to white space, the theme looks spacious and easy to scan. Clear content hierarchy provides for more intuitive page browsing. Quick View and Elevate Product Zoom features have been integrated as well.

2. Time Craft

2-time-craft shopify theme

Demo | More info

Web stores selling accessories, gadgets and tools can use this Shopify theme to their benefit. Optimized to run flawlessly across a variety of devices, it is intended to provide the users with a seamless shopping experience across all browsers as well. In addition to the effective product presentation and stunning animation effects, the theme is also pre-loaded with a fully featured blog, which will help you keep your customers updated on the latest industry news. On top of that, the theme includes a newsletter pop-up form, which appears when a user reaches your site for the first time.

3. Ambiance

3-Ambiance shopify theme

Demo | More info

The Shopify theme is intended for online stores selling furniture and design items. Built with valid, semantic code, it features a minimalist design, which brings the users’ focus of attention to the products. The users can access any page of your site with a click, thanks to a sticky MegaMenu. Fully customizable, it can be enhanced with images, banners, videos, links, and other content. The theme is rich in quality photos, which provide a breathtaking presentation of the store’s items. Online shoppers will feel the ease of scanning your pages thanks to the grid-based content positioning.

4. JaneStyle

4-janestyle shopify theme

Demo | More info

Here is one of the most stylish Shopify themes on the list. Fashion and beauty sites will look smart and trendy when built with the help of this theme. Responsive and crossbrowser compatible, it is also fully customizable. A theme color switcher tool is added to make the process of picking the best color palette for your site quick and effortless. Navigation on the page has been made easy and intuitive. Product badges, live search and fixed-to-top MegaMenu have been added to make the process of reaching the desired items quicker and effortless.

5. Handbag Boutique

5-handbag-boutique shopify theme

Demo | More info

The clean style of this Shopify theme for fashion shops looks no less appealing. Built with the primary purpose of helping you to generate more sales online, it brings the products to the forefront. Cool hover animation and parallax scrolling effect make it even more captivating.  Different content blocks are visually separated from one another, providing for better readability. The store’s items have been organized into a grid-based list. On top of that, many of them have been supplied with product badges, which are intended to help the users with the decision-making.

6. Gifts Online Store

6-gifts-online-store shopify theme

Demo | More info

This photo-rich theme is specifically created for gifts, toys, flowers and family web stores. The home page is spacious enough to share product banners and featured items. A sticky MegaMenu is intended to help the users with navigating the site. A live search functionality has also been added for that purpose. A theme color switcher will make it child’s play to manage the site’s color palette, while a feature rich dashboard will help you adjust the theme to meet your brand identity perfectly.

7. JS – Apparel

7-js-apparel shopify theme

Demo | More info

Those looking for a ready-made Shopify themes that can make their web stores different from their competitor’s, might consider this professionally crafted apparel store website theme. Its layout looks different from the rest of the themes on the list. The main navigation panel remains fixed to the left sidebar, providing the users with quick access to all pages of your site. Clean and minimalist design lets the users focus their attention on your products. Well-documented, the theme also includes a variety of custom page themes and modules, which are intended to help you with a quick start to your online project.

8. Electronics Retailer

8-electronics-retailer shopify theme

Demo | More info

Looking for Shopify themes with left sidebars? And what about Electronics Retailer? Web stores selling electronic devices and gadgets  can benefit greatly from this theme. Its well-structured layout is enhanced with intuitive navigation options, which allow the users to reach the desired products effortlessly. Clear content categorization, product badges, Quick View option, impressive sliders and galleries – all these and a host of other smart features are integrated to help you create an impressive presentation of your store’s offerings on the web.

9. Woodwork

9-woodwork shopify theme

Demo | More info

This fully responsive Shopify theme will become a rock-solid starting point for a variety of business websites, especially industrial and agriculture. It comes with multi-currency support, providing your web audience with a plethora of payment methods. A newsletter pop-up, that appears when a user lands on your page, welcomes users to keep track of your updates while simply leaving their email address in the corresponding field. In terms of navigation, the theme is simple and intuitive thanks to the customizable sticky MegaMenu.

10. True T-shirts

10-true-tshirts shopify theme

Demo | More info

Apparel stores will look elegant and stylish when built with the help of this theme. Its minimalist design is spiced up with parallax scrolling images. Product banners and featured items are enhanced with the functional hover effect.  Thanks to the carousel product gallery, you will be able to organize loads of content in a quick-to-scan manner on the front page. In addition, the featured products and MegaMenu are supplied with product badges, which are intended to help with faster decision-making.

11. Shoe Store

11-shoe-store shopify theme

Demo | More info

Do you like clean Shopify theme? Then take a look at Shoe Store. The theme will be a perfect fit for those users who are planning to focus their eCommerce sites on promoting several products in the best way possible. The front page of the theme is structured in an eye-catching manner. The shoes images are put front and centre. A video tour in the header serves as a great attention-grabber. Letting the users see your offers in action, it also entertains and fascinates them when browsing your site.

12. Literature Lovers

12-literature-lovers shopify theme

Demo | More info

The spacious design of this clean theme will work well for presenting your products in a grid-based list as well as highlighting the most recent blog updates in an easy-to-follow manner. The theme’s MegaMenu is sticky. Fully customizable, it provides you with the freedom to add images, banners and other kinds of content that will captivate the users’ attention and guide them through your site’s data.

13. Computer Store

13-computer-store shopify theme

Demo | More info

Looking so powerful and masculine, the theme will suit electronics stores the best. The design was built with attention to detail. Users won’t be distracted by any heavy theme elements. Instead,  a carousel slider, category banners and featured products have all been organized in an easy to digest manner. By the way, featured products have been added to a carousel slider as well. In that way, you have the freedom to add as many items as you wish on the main page, without compromising the readability of your website.

14. Zhigan

14-zhigan shopify theme

Demo | More info

Do you prefer dark Shopify themes? Here is a nice option for you. The flat design of this theme features elements of vintage style, which make it look so luxurious and refined. When used out of the box, the theme could be a perfect fit for web stores selling men’s clothing, costly accessories and jewelry. Pre-loaded with niche-specific icons, the theme is very user-friendly. The top of the page, as well as right and left sidebars, has been enhanced with sticky navigation panels, providing shoppers with seamless access to all categories of your shop, shopping cart, live search, sitemap, etc. In addition to the well-designed structure of the main page, the theme also features a newsletter subscription form, which has been placed right above the footer.

15. Apparel

15-apparel shopify theme

Demo | More info

Apparel is a highly flexible and dynamic Shopify theme intended for fashion related web stores. Its clean layout is easy to navigate. The design was built with the focus on visuals. They are literally everywhere here – in the large hero area, banners, carousel slider of featured products, backgrounds, etc. For the users’ convenience, MegaMenu remains fixed to the top of the page, whilst the shopping cart, a user’s profile, live search and currencies are added to a sticky sidebar. The theme has been designed to adjust seamlessly to any device. SEO-friendly, it is intended to perform well in search engines.

16. Tools Store

16-tools-store shopify theme

Demo | More info

The theme puts a lot of focus on the products that are being promoted on the page. Bold, quality visuals are used for the purpose of a more effective presentation of each item. The users will be captivated with your hot offers on the home page. Cool hover effect and Quick View features allow online shoppers to take a closer look at your products without navigating to a separate page.

17. Stitcher

17-stitcher shopify theme

Demo | More info

The theme is best suited for sewing, hobby and craft shops. Optimized for all the major web browsers, the theme is also intended to run smoothly across desktop and handheld devices. With the purpose of providing the users with a better online experience, the theme has been integrated with such great elements as a sticky MegaMenu, an optional hamburger menu with currencies and checkout options, product badges, built-in Google map, newsletter subscription form, etc. The theme’s layout allows the users to find and navigate through the content from any device possible.

18. Sport Store

18-sport-store shopify theme

Demo | More info

The Metro style of the theme is a perfect fit for sport, travel and active lifestyle eCommerce sites. Integrated with the major social media platforms, the theme automatically frees you from the necessity of installing third-party social media components manually. When reaching such a design, users will be able to find the desired items intuitively. The sticky MegaMenu features clear content categorization, which significantly facilitates navigation. Just in case a user cannot find the right product right away, the Live Search option can come in handy.

19. Lingerie

19-lingerie shopify theme

Demo | More info

The Shopify theme looks seductive, which makes it a perfect fit for lingerie stores. The front page features a black-and-white full-width image only, which introduces the audience to the tenor of your website. At the top of the page, there is a bold banner integrated with a countdown option, drawing the users’ eye to the offers that will expire soon. A newsletter pop-up is also added. You can adjust its look and feel, as well as the rest of the theme’s settings via dashboard.

20. Simple Construction

20-Simple-Construction shopify theme

Demo | More info

Built with valid, semantic code, this Shopify theme for construction companies features customized modules that will help you greatly enhance your site’s performance. Alternative module layouts,  custom page templates, Google web fonts, and multiple color options are also available, so you can manage the theme’s design and its functionality on your own. A package of layered PSD files is also included.

21. Baby Store

21-baby-store shopify theme

Demo | More info

The cheerful and optimistic design of this Shopify theme, with built in multiple colors, makes it the best choice for kids’ stores. With the theme’s main colored navigation panel and vivid CTAs, banners, bold photos and parallax backgrounds, every element of the theme is intended to create a positive atmosphere on the page. Ready to go live out of the box, the theme has been optimized for all types of devices and web browsers. SEO-friendly, it also includes a  detailed documentation folder, providing you with step-by-step instructions on its customization.

22. Caviar

22-caviar shopify theme

Demo | More info

The  theme was created to be managed effortlessly by users of all skill levels. The dashboard includes a host of customization options, which will help you tweak the template any way you wish. Both the design and functional filling can be adjusted to fit your brand perfectly. Pre-loaded with swiper slider, the theme also features a retina ready logo, which will look razor-sharp across all the latest-generation devices. A theme color switcher is also available, allowing you to manage the theme’s color scheme without reloading the page.

23. Coffee House

23-coffee-house shopify theme

Demo | More info

Here is one of the most beautiful Shopify themes on today’s list. The warm brownish layout of the theme is intended to bring a cozy, welcoming feel to cafe, bakery and other food and drink related web stores. Neat ghost elements perfectly complement the rest of the theme’s components. Card- and grid-based content positioning provide for better readability of the page. Combining texts with visuals, you can achieve a perfect content balance on the site, and keep the audience concentrated on the things that are of the greatest importance.

24. Spices

24-spices shopify theme

Demo | More info

This Shopify theme was designed with the latest eCommerce practices in mind. Easy-to-reach sticky menu, clear content hierarchy, lazy load effect, parallax scrolling images, featured products enhanced with functional hover effect, integrated newsletter subscription form and social media options – the template includes a host of options providing for a more enjoyable online experience.

25. Tea Shop

25-tea-shop shopify theme

Demo | More info

Built in natural colors, the theme perfectly fits online tea shops. Neat fonts and elegant icons make it look even more fresh and airy. The theme’s layout is spacious enough to help you set the right accents on the page. Thus, the users will be able to differentiate visually between the various types of content, navigate to the blog or shop sections, and simply look though the highlights about your company story.

26. Uniform Store

26-uniform-store shopify theme

Demo | More info

This niche specific Shopify theme has a powerful dashboard and a fully customizable layout, which can also be used for fashion, design, beauty and healthcare stores. In the header, a special offer banner featuring a countdown lures the users’ interest to your hottest deal. Online chat functionality invites the audience to contact you directly, and get professional assistance on any question. A Contact details section has also been provided for the purpose.

27. Wholesale Store

28-wholesale shopify theme

Demo | More info

The clean and concise design of this Shopify theme is intended to keep the users focused on your products. Beautiful animation effects spice up the layout, and add some interactivity to the theme. To make it more convenient for the audience to reach all of your site’s content in an instant, the categories menu has been organized in a left sidebar.

28. Auto Parts

27-auto-parts shopify theme

Demo | More info

Yellow is well-known as a great attention-getter. In this Shopify theme, it has been used to the fullest. Added to the logo, CTAs, headings and featured product images, it triggers the users’ curiosity and makes them click to discover more about your offerings. Though the template looks rather masculine and energetic due to its dark color palette, the clever use of white space conributes to a well-balanced color scheme.

29. Aquanati

29-aquanati shopify theme

Demo | More info

This responsive Shopify theme was tailored specifically for online shipping stores. Built with valid code and enhanced with advanced Bootstrap features, the theme ensures top-notch user experience across a variety of devices. Dynamic and highly flexible, the theme allows you to tweak literally any component of its design. A feature-rich dashboard and a set of custom-made templates should help you achieve that in no time.

30. Canyon

30-canyon shopify theme

Demo | More info

This is the last, but by no means the least, template on this list of Shopify themes. Best suited for extreme sportswear stores, it has a straightforward design. Compatible with all the major web browsers, the theme is also fully responsive. No matter how much and what kind of content you will share on the page, you may be certain that it will adjust to any device flawlessly. On top of that,  the theme is packed full with a host of customization options, which will make web development child’s play.

Conclusion

This was our hand-picked compilation of 30 of the top Shopify themes for 2016. We did our best to pick themes that can be used for a variety of purposes and business niches. Do you think that we have missed any cool designs? Feel free to speak up below.

Read More at 30 Premium Responsive Shopify Themes



from Web Design Ledger http://webdesignledger.com/30-premium-responsive-shopify-themes/

How I Started as a Web Designer and Built a 250 Person Company

How I Started as a Web Designer and Built a 250 Person Company

I run a company called Envato. There are two hundred and fifty people who work here, and every month our sites notch up thirty five million visits. It’s a pretty successful business and one I’m very proud of. When we started, I never dreamed we’d get to this level.

In fact, I used to imagine that successful companies were started by people in suits. People who reviewed spreadsheets of business opportunities, had been trained in what to do, and then, perhaps while smoking a cigar, selected one to dominate. But that’s not how we looked when we started Envato at all, and fortunately we didn’t let that stop us from giving it a go...

The post How I Started as a Web Designer and Built a 250 Person Company appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/envato-web-designer-built-250-person-company/

Keyboard Shortcuts for Illustrator

Keyboard Shortcuts for Illustrator

Next is Adobe's vector design suite Illustrator. This has its own Illustrator CC cheatsheet in the same pack with Photoshop and others. Using this keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator cheatsheet you can learn all the basics from tools to menus and quick access panels.

Another really cool cheat sheet can be found on Visual.ly which breaks down keyboard shortcuts into categories and Mac/Windows alternatives.

Both are incredibly helpful and should be a continual resource for building digital graphics in any version of Illustrator...

The post Keyboard Shortcuts for Illustrator appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/keyboard-shortcuts-illustrator/

Keyboard Shortcuts for Photoshop

Keyboard Shortcuts for Photoshop

There’s no denying that photoshop is the most-used design software. It offers tools for photo editing, compositing, UI design, digital painting, and a whole lot more.

I recently found this incredible cheatsheet dedicated to Adobe Photoshop CC. It’s the perfect resource for designers just getting into Adobe creative software who want to pick up a power user workflow.

Dummies.com also has a cheatsheet for CS6 with similar commands but a slightly different design. Either one of these keyboard shortcuts for Photoshop cheatsheets will prove useful for new designers trying to master Photoshop’s seemingly endless supply of tools...

The post Keyboard Shortcuts for Photoshop appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/keyboard-shortcuts-photoshop/

Best Responsive WordPress Themes

Best Responsive WordPress Themes

In this post we'll take a look at a lot of responsive WordPress themes, including free and premium themes. The majority of the themes showcased here are premium. Although there are some good free responsive themes available, the time and effort required to create one is rather significant, so most of the good ones must be purchased. There are more free responsive themes available aside from the ones we've mentioned here, but we tried to showcase some of our favorites regardless of whether they are free or premium...

The post Best Responsive WordPress Themes appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/responsive-themes/

Monday 30 May 2016

Building Better Grids: CSS Grid Systems to Know About

Grid Illustration

Grids are an essential tool for designers. A well-designed grid system can make all the difference to your design, giving you a solid structure on which to flaunt your creativity.

Historically, on the web, designing and building grids hasn’t always been easy. From the bad old days of using tables for layout to the more recent (but still cumbersome) methods of floats and clearfixes in CSS, web designers and developers have had to find innovative workarounds in the absence of a better solution for creating grids for the web.

I’m pleased to say all that is rapidly changing, and there is now a wealth of methods to choose from for constructing your grids. But how do you know which to choose? In this article I’ll dive into some of the existing options, and also give you a taste of how we can expect to be creating layouts in the future.

Fluid grids are one of the central tenets of responsive web design, so here I’ll be focusing on the tools and methods that enable us to create fluid and percentage-base layouts with...

The post Building Better Grids: CSS Grid Systems to Know About appeared first on Vandelay Design.



from Vandelay Design http://www.vandelaydesign.com/css-grid-systems/

The Best Books for Designers

Designed for Use

Written by the most creative and innovative minds of our time, these 75 books are must reads for all designers. Get a glimpse into the world of design that you’ve never seen before with these eye-opening notions that will inspire you. Those that have read these books rant and rave about them.

“The author is a very incisive thinker, relaying stunning insight after stunning insight” – The Next 100 Years by George Friedman

“I learned lots more about color and its interaction. I had forgotten the physics of color and the perception of color from my college days” – Interaction of Color by Josef Albers

“Shaughnessy writes so clearly and with such honesty that I found it hard to put the book down.” –How to Be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy

This collection of books for designers will not disappoint you. Skim through and find your next favorite source for inspiration. Keep your pencil sharp and your mind sharper!

 

The Vignelli Canon

the Vignelli Canon“Beautiful imagery. Vignelli was one of the superstars
of Graphic Design and a big inspiration to me.”

 

 

 

 

Less But Better

by Dieter Rams

Less But Better “It’s a bargain for a design book this specialized.
Fascinating look at Rams’ design process and history.”

 

 

 

 

Grid Systems in Graphic Design

by Josef Müller-Brockmann

Grid Systems Raster System“This is a must for all designers. It is a deep dive into
understanding the grid system and typography and how
to use them effectively to solve mass information layout.
If you’re looking to understand the principles of good
design, it is a perfect.”

 

 

Interaction of Color

by Josef Albers

Interaction of color“I learned lots more about color and its interaction. I had
forgotten the physics of color and the perception of color
from my college days. This book brought most of it back
and added to my insight into color interaction.”

 

 

 

 

Visual History of an Airplane

by Jens Müller

Visual History of an Airplane

“Worth adding to your library if you are interested in
corporate design generally and in Lufthansa/aerospace
design concerns at least marginally.”

 

 

 

 

The Graphic Artist and His Design Problems

by Josef Müller-Brockman

The Graphic Artist and His Design Problems

“I bought a copy recently and it’s like returning
to an old friend”

 

 

 

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

by Edward R. Tufte

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

“As a graphic designer and a minimalist, I love the
way this book looks and I love the graphics Tufte’s team has created.”
team has created.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Art of Looking Sideways

by Alan Fletcher

The art of looking sideways“Difficult to tell you what this book actually says,
except that it’s author is a genius.”

 

 

 

 

The Laws of Simplicity

by John Maeda

The Laws of Simplicity“I found the laws themselves to be thought provoking;
my mind immediately engaged the task of relating the
laws to my own work.”

 

 

 

The Elements of Color

by Johannes Itten

The Elements of Color“It is not only enriching as a color theory document,
but it helps expand the artist or designers possibility
of using, arranging and conceiving color.”

 

 

 

 

The Design of Everyday Things

by Don Norman

The Design of Everyday Things“Finally, I got a chance to read this amazing book.
Don Norman treats design very methodically and shows
that good design is not a black box but something even
more analytical people can understand and apply.”

 

 

 

 

TOKUJIN

by Tokujin Yoshioka

Tokujin

“The book editors deserve an award for putting together
a beautiful looking book. Never heard of this guy until I
flipped through the book & was blown away…”

 

 

Change by Design

by Tim Brown

Change By Design“Highly recommend this short text, not only to the
artist, or engineer but to all concerned citizens who
hope to make a contribution to solving the problems
of their own life and those of a global society.”

 

 

 

 

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

Thinking Fast and Slow

“Thinking Fast and Slow is a very valuable book by
one of the most creative minds in psychology”

 

 

 

 

The Monocle Guide to Better Living

by Andrew Tuck

The monocal guide to better living

“You won’t find this worldly view about business
and the business of people anywhere else.”

 

 

 

Living with Complexity

by Donald A. Norman

Living With Complexity“There’s so much to take away and ponder it’s
difficult to sum up. But one thing’s for sure, after
reading ‘Living With Complexity’ you’ll never look
at those salt and pepper shakers on a restaurant
table quite the same way again.”

 

 

 

 

The Paradox of Choice

by Barry Schwartz

The Paradox of Choice

“This is an eye-opening book — it brings the clarity
and insight into decision-making that The Tipping
Point did for trends.”

 

 

 

 

Paul Rand: Conversations with Students

by Michael Kroeger

Conversations with students

“A wonderful paperback essential for any Paul
Rand student. And by student, I mean one who
appreciates, admires, and learns from one of the
greatest designers of the 20th century.”

 

 

 

Creativity Inc.

by Ed Catmull

Creativity Inc

“With this book, Ed Catmull has given the world an
amazing gift. Much more than a book for managers,
it contains wisdom and stories that you will carry
into the rest of your life.”

 

 

 

The Geometry of Type

by Erik Spiekermann

The Geometry Type

“Great Book for reference, and learning the history
of Typefaces.”

 

 

 

 

Information is Beautiful

by David McCandless

INformation is beautiful

“There is a wonderful almost recursive aspect to
this work- the world we perceive is shaped by
`invisible’ streams of stuff that can be converted
to data and analyzed.”

 

 

 

 

Steve Jobs

by Walter Isaacson

Seve Jobs

“This is a gripping journey into the life of an amazing
individual. Despite its girth of nearly 600 pages, the
book zips along at a torrid pace.”

 

 

 

 

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

by Ronan Bouroullec

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

“I bought this for my husband and he loved it and
is frequently pulling it out for inspiration. The colors
and prints, page layouts, (everything!) – are all
gorgeous!”

 

 

 

 

Visual Grammar

by Christian Leborg

Visual Grammar

“This is a must-have for anyone studying design.
This book is as simple as a child’s, yet it successfully
relays concepts that I paid $7000 to learn over the
course of two semesters.”

 

 

 

 

Making Ideas Happen

by Scott Belsky

Making Ideas Happen

“Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard. This
book helps you with the hard part.”

 

 

 

 

100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design

by Steven Heller

100 ideas that changed graphic design

“I use it when I’m in the middle of a project and
hit a brick wall. I thumb through this book, find
ideas I like, and either draw inspiration from the
given examples or research it more.”

 

 

 

 

Start With Why

by Simon Sinek

Start with Why

“Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” is a must read for
any entrepreneur or leader struggling to create a
long-term vision and guiding principles for their
company or cause.”

 

 

 

 

Naoto Fukasawa

by Bill Moggridge

Naota Fukasawa

“Really good book. Perfect balance between text
and images. Like reading his insights on the designs.”

 

 

 

 

Knowledge Is Beautiful

by David McCandless

Knowledge is beauty

“Book does what it says … Amazing amount of
work behind these infographics, there is
something in every visual that makes you think
and the beauty doesn’t detract from the
importance (or fun!). A work of art and passion.”

 

 

 

 

Design for Hackers: Reverse-Engineering Beauty

by David Kadavy

Design for Hackers

“Kadavy does a fantastic job taking the
complete design beginner through the
important parts of design. From a hacker’s
point of view, this book is brilliant, and exactly
what I needed.”

 

 

 

 

Graphics Standard Manual New York City Transit Authority

by Massimo Vignelli

New York City Transit Authority

“You will love it, it is everything you would expect.”

 

 

 

 

Elements of Design

by Gail Greet Hannah

Elements of Design

“This book provides a really good way of introducing
basic visual compositional theories to students,
especially for beginning students.”

 

 

 

 

Geometry of Design

by Kimberly Elam

Geometry of Design

“Very interesting for anyone who would like to
know more about graphic arts and why some
patterns and object relationships are appealing
and some are not.”

 

 

 

 

How to Be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul

by Adrian Shaughnessy

How to be a graphic desinger without losing your soul

“Shaughnessy writes so clearly and with such
honesty that I found it hard to put the book down.”

 

 

 

 

Information Graphics

by Sandra Rendgen

information graphics

“This book’s a must have if you consider yourself
a graphic designer data freak”

 

 

 

 

Graphic Design Manual: Principles and Practice

by Armin Hofmann

Graphic Design Manual

“THIS BOOK IS THE BIBLE OF GRAPHIC
DESIGN…FOR ALL OF YOU GRAPHIC
DESIGNERS, YOU NEED TO KEEP THIS
BOOK AS A GUIDE.”

 

 

 

 

A Designer’s Art

by Paul Rand

A Desingers Art

“The single greatest book on Graphic Design ever
written. This is not a tutorial or a how-to, but a why.”

 

 

 

 

Form+Code in Design, Art, and Architecture

by Casey Reas

Form and Code

“Form + Code is a wonderful glimpse of how
computation can be applied as art.”

 

 

 

 

Visual Miscellaneum

by David McCandless

The Visual Miscellaneum

“Seeing the author on TED, I was intrigued and
bought the book. Then I bought it two more times
to give as a present. Fantastic design, captivating
data, and a pithy humor all thrown together.”

 

 

 

 

The Next 100 Years

by George Friedman

The Next 100 years

“The author is a very incisive thinker, relaying stunning
insight after stunning insight in demonstrating how we
arrived at where we are now, with Europe having been
supplanted by America as the world’s focal point.”

 

 

 

 

Things That Make Us Smart

by Donald A. Norman

Things That Make Us Smart

“This book is easy to read – and should open most
people’s eyes a bit more…”

 

 

 

 

Designed for Use

by Lukas Mathis

Designed for Use

“A great overview over nearly everything that a UI
or UX Designer needs! to know”

 

 

 

 

 

Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things

by Don Norman

Emotional Design

“For me, the book was a perfect read. I am always
hunting and gathering for the meaning of art and
design, to push my own work forward, and to gain
an advantage over my competitors in terms of design.”

 

 

 

 

 

Glut: Mastering Information Through the Ages

by Alex Wright

Glut

“This book is easily the best book I have read in the
course of my research. The style is quick and engaging.”

 

 

 

 

The Power of Positive Thinking

by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

The Power of Positive THinking

“It’s such a simple and effective concept, that positive
thinking creates a positive life, yet hard to do at times-
which is a good reason alone to read this book.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself

by Ellen Lupton

DIY

“This is a terrific book for ideas all across the board!
I bought this book after flipping through it at a
friends and was excited to see so many hip and
unique ideas.”

 

 

 

 

Color: A Course in Mastering the Art of Mixing Colors

by Betty Edwards

color

“If you have had problems understanding just
what makes up a harmonious color palette, then
this book will help you solve that problem.”

 

 

 

 

I’m Feeling Lucky: Confessions of Google Employee # 59

by Douglas Edwards

Im Feelin Lucky

“This book is great! Doug is a fantastic writer and
a compelling story teller.”

 

 

 

 

 

Grid Systems: Principles of Organizing Type

by Kimberly Elam

Grid Systems

“The simplicity of presentation and clean design
continue to set Ms. Elam’s educational strategy
above the rest of the publications regarding the
use of compositional layout tools”

 

 

 

 

Becoming Steve Jobs

by Brent Schlender

Becoming Steve Jobs

“This is the best book I’ve read about Steve Jobs.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visual and Statistical Thinking

by Edward R. Tufte

visual and Statistical thinking

“I found myself slowing down my usual reading
speed to half and doubling my concentration to
follow him, which is a compliment to the depth of
his writing.”

 

 

 

 

Paul Rand

by Steven Heller

Rand Paul

“This is a pretty thorough book on a graphic
design icon. Lots of full-color samples of Rand’s
work to coincide with the text, which is nice.”

 

 

 

 

Philographics: Big Ideas in Simple Shapes

by Genis Carreras

Philographics

“Remarkable visual eloquence in his Philographics project.”

 

 

 

 

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

by Nir Eyal

Hooked
“Hooked presents an empowering perspective
that allows us to start looking at building technology
as building habits.”

 

 

 

 

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

by Peter Thiel

Zero

This book delivers completely new and refreshing
ideas on how to create value in the world.”

 

 

 

 

Business Adventures

by John Brooks

bussiness adventures

“This book casts a wide net over the USAmerican
business and investing scene, always with the width
and insight.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams

by Klaus Klemp

Less and More

“Very detailed account of modern German
design and Dieter Rams. The definitive book
on Dieter Rams.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sketching User Experiences

by Bill Buxton

Sketching User Experiences

“This is a book that I will read many times. I think
this book will be helpful for many years to come.”

 

 

 

 

 

Remote: Office Not Required

by Jason Fried

Remote

“What you’ll find in Remote is profound advice from
guys who’ve succeeded in the virtual workforce arena.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Startup Communities

by Brad Feld

Startup Communities

“I think this is very helpful and practical book for
entrepreneurs, government officials, university
leaders, and other entrepreneurial-related fields.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Startup Life

by Brad Feld

Startup Life

“If I could go back in time and hand this book to my
younger self, it might have saved us much angst.”

 

 

 

 

Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age

by Paul Graham

Hackers and Painters

“Paul Graham has delivered final proof that he is a
marvelous essayist with his volume of fairly diverse
writings”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff

by Mark Hughes

Buzzmarketing

“If money is tight and everything to lose, time spent
studying this well-written book could place you and
your product in the forefront of your target buyer’s
mind.”

 

 

 

 

 

Connected

by Nicholas A. Christakis

Connected

“An entertaining guide to the mechanics and
the importance of human networking.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

by Shunryu Suzuki

Zen Mind

“This is a collection of talks by one of the first Zen
teachers in the U.S. If you’re already practicing Zen,
I highly recommend this book”

 

 

 

 

 

 

TM: The Untold Stories Behind 29 Classic Logos

by Mark Sinclair

tm

“If you are interested in logo design, whether or not
you are a designer, chances are that you would want
to get this new book.”

 

 

 

 

Thinking with Type

by Ellen Lupton

Thinking with type

“This book is an excellent resource for anyone who
is serious about a graphic layout. It is not a type book;
it does not review fonts individually. Rather, it
considers type as a visual element.”

 

 

 

 

Logo Modernism

by Jens Müller

Logo Modernism

“The quality of the work contained in this book is
simply humbling, this is a great piece for everyone
interested in design, from students to seasoned
professionals.”

 

 

 

 

Designing Brand Identity

by Alina Wheeler

Designing brand identity

“As a designer, I’ve had difficulty for years finding a
book that really spoke to me about Identity and
Branding. This book is the perfect solution to the
problem.”

 

 

 

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

by Ashlee Vance

Elon Musk

“Exhaustively reported . . . this work will likely serve
as the definitive account of a man whom so far
we’ve seen mostly through caricature.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Best American Infographics 2014

by Gareth Cook

The Best Amerian infographs

“You’ll come away with more than your share of…
mind-bending moments – and a wide-ranging view
of what infographics can do.”

 

 

 

 

Patterns of the Universe

by Alex Bellos

Patterns of the univers

“Dazzling and calming at the same time.
I’d highly recommend for yourself or as
a gift. So cleverly, artistically, and
creatively done”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction

by Philip E. Tetlock

super

“Superforecasting is the most important scientific study I’ve ever read on prediction
study I’ve ever read on prediction.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Rules!

by Laszlo Bock

Work

“I really like this book because it helps explain why
I felt connected to some companies versus others
regardless of the company size, team dynamic,
or manager style.”
Did you see anything you like? Is there a book we left out? Let us know, and happy readings!

Read More at The Best Books for Designers



from Web Design Ledger http://webdesignledger.com/best-books-designers/