Netdiver Mag

Was asked about books I would recommend as introduction to graphic design. Here are two. Well documented. Easy read.

What is Graphic Design? by Quentin Newark

Explores all the issues that shape design today: economics, ethics, technology, theory, and developments in other arts. It looks at how graphic design has evolved over the centuries, from the development of book printing in medieval Germany to the present day, including magazines, corporate branding, television titles, films, and websites.

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What is Graphic Design For? by Alice Twemlow

A guide to the world of graphic design, examining what successful design is, how it works, and how graphic design communicates a message to its intended audience.

Peter Hamza from famed Inertia just let me know that one of the first independtly published book Visual Culture (Catalog) 2001 (out of print) which he edited, is now available for free on the web.

“To mark the 10 year anniversary of our community, we decided to share this hard to find book with everyone. Capturing the trends of the last decade, it contains nearly 200 pages of beautiful graphics from true pioneers such as François Chalet, Jens Karlsson, Büro Destruct, Todd Purgason, and many more.”

Ready for a trip down (design) memory lane?

Greeting you on top of buildings, outside shops with a fist raised to the sky and in restaurant windows staring unblinkingly, the Japanese mascot is almost unavoidable. Idle Idol: The Japanese Mascot collects these wonderful characters.

Book initiative and written and photographed by What What which is made up of twins John and Edward Harrison.

Behind the launch of a new publishing house: “When Mandy Brown, Jason Santa Maria and I formed A Book Apart, one topic burned uppermost in our minds, and there was only one author for the job.”

Tagline from the first and newly released title which can be preorder:

“The HTML5 spec is 900 pages and hard to read. HTML5 for Web Designers is 85 pages and fun to read. Easy choice.”

Who would you rather trust? No brainer.

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via: Jeffrey Zeldman

Scott Belsky and I were introduced by a mutual friend, and right off, I was taken by his passion and pragmatic approach to a project then in infancy: Behance (Network).

After a long conversation, I was thinking that he had launched the project I wish I had thought of – since such a void in the creative community was begging to be filled. Since then, everytime we exchanged – he pried my mind for honest positive or negative feedback in order to finetune and exercise critical assessment of where he was at, in making his ideas happen.

Now after 5 years in the making, he is just about to release a book that encompasses the core problem of all walk creatives: taking their ideas from inspiration to execution. My review copy is starting to look like a barriolage of highlighted-not-to-be-forgotten-tips-and-insights, it is just that relevant. Just the table of contents is enough to salivate in anticipation.

Please support someone who will make a true difference in how you approach both career and projects. Pre-order the book now.

Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky

Flaunt: Designing effective, compelling and memorable portfolios of creative work by Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit of UnderConsideration.

Simple, get the book (hard copy or .pdf) and study it to prepare either your very first portfolio or to weed out and refresh your current one. 41 case studies. 18 experienced designers feedback. Pertinent vendors, services, stores, materials and suppliers to help you find equivalent locally.

As Shaughnessy states: “You should never consider your portfolio finished and you should always be dissatisfied with it.. Your portfolio requires endless work.. This never changes no matter how successful you have become.”

The Smashing Book is a printed book about best practices in modern Web design. The book shares technical tips and best practices on coding, usability and optimization and explores how to create successful user interfaces and apply marketing principles to increase conversion rates. It also shows how to get the most out of typography, color and branding so that you end up with intuitive and effective Web designs.

Read the original release post to get more info.

It’s a jewel of a book and must have desk reference for anyone working in web design.