Update March 2026

This list was originally written in 2015, but I’ve updated it a few times over the years. Graphic design and product design as industies have changed significantly in the last decade, and that pace has only accelerated with the advent of generative AI and LLMs.

There’s also more design content out there than ever, a deluge of breathless LinkedIn posts and YouTube essays declaring various parts of the discipline dead. In this world, reading a book can feel deliciously old fashioned - learning the ancient spells and signs. When I look at this list I’m transported back to my school days where I toted many of these books to and from the art annex, studying them in workshops and labs.

So this list is rooted in that nostalgia, while trying to represent the skills that I think are valuable in today’s rapidly evolving world. Good luck and godspeed!

We’ve started a new exercise at work where we host a “Design Potluck” every Monday where anyone in the company is welcome to bring pieces of design to a group where we discuss what we think is successful or unsuccessful, and how it could relate to our company. Aside from keeping us current with design from the real world, it’s a great opportunity for my coworkers from non-design backgrounds to expand their design vocabulary.

After this week’s meeting I got a number of people expressing interest in practical design theory and history. I credit a large part of my working knowledge to the books I read in my formative years leading up to college and graduation. In addition to reading design books I had heard about on various blogs, I benefitted greatly from a formal art education that included classes about art theory and history from antiquity. First assembled for other members of DoSomething design and product teams, I put together a page of highly influential books that informed my design education. Loosely organized in order of most impactful per category, I’ve copied the list below. All Amazon links are Smile links benefitting the Heaven Can Wait Animal Sanctuary.

The Shortlist

Design Training

Design and Art Theory

Product and UX

Supplementary and Reference