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What books to get?

ballparkgraphics

New Member
I am going to pick up some new books online. I am wanting some on logo design, typography, and maybe on retro styling. What are some suggestions or your favorites?
 

Rick

Certified Enneadecagon Designer
I like books...

Logo Design:

LogoLounge Series Volumes 1-5
LogoLounge Master Library Volume 1 (Volume 2 coming out soon)
Logo Design for Small Business
Logo Design for Small Business 2
Design Matters: Logos 01: An Essential Primer for Today's Competitive Market (v. 1)
Logo Design Workbook: A Hands-On Guide to Creating Logos
Letterhead and Logo Design 9
Letterhead and Logo Design 10
Letterhead and Logo Design 11
Logo Lab
The Secret Life of Logos: Behind the Design of 80 Great Logos

Type:

Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students
1,000 Type Treatments: From Script to Serif, Letterforms Used to Perfection

Retro:

New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age
Hatch Show Print: The History of a Great American Poster Shop
Posters for the People: The Art of the WPA
Logo, Font & Lettering Bible
Euro Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars
House Industries 10th Anniversary Book <---- Highly recommended, hard to find now
Then is Now: Sampling from the Past for Today's Graphics
Retro Graphics: A Visual Sourcebook to 100 Years of Graphic Design
Retro Style Graphics
Graphically Speaking: A Visual Lexicon... <---- Highly recommended
Tinspiration: The Art and Inspiration of the Fossil Tin


Design and designey books I dig:

The pixar movie books.
Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real
Modern Dog: 20 Years of Poster Art
Gig Posters Volume 1: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century
Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion
The 1000 Series collection... elements, type, retail, packaging, Music graphics, Greetings, bags tags and labels, restaurants are good.
OBEY: Supply & Demand - The Art of Shepard Fairey
Chromaphile
Vernaculis
Symptomatica
Got Your Nose
Izzy's Very Important Job
Big City
Kings Of The Road
 
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SignosaurusRex

Active Member
Very Nice list Rick :thumb: I'd love to have some of those in my library!

Here are some more suggestions...

1. Logo Design and Logo Design 2 ( 2 books ) by Dan Antonelli
2. Mastering Layout by Mike Stevens
3. Rookledge's Type Finder by Christopher Perfect & Gordon Rookledge
4. Atkinson's Sign Painting by Frank Atkinson
5. The Sign Painting Course by E.C. Matthews
6. Strong's book of Designs by Charles J. Strong & Lawrence S. Strong
7. Martin's Complete Ideas...for Signmen, Artists & Displaymen by H.C. Martin & Dick Blick Co.
8. Take it from Here by Edward J. Duvall
9. Practical Sign Painting by Robert E. Owen

There are many more. Some mentioned are originally directed toward traditional 'Hand Lettered' Sign Painters but are still in this age very educational and worth investing in if you are serious about earning a living in the sign industry.
 

The Equipment Guy

New Member
+1 on Mastering Layout by Mike Stevens. But you have to read it twice...its good, but a little dry and you will find your eyes glaze over the first read and then you find you "get it" the second time.

Craig
 

ballparkgraphics

New Member
Great list Rick! Thanks for all the suggestions. I just got Logo Design and Logo Design 2, and Mastering Layout because I've heard so many good things about them. Now to narrow down the options....
 

ballparkgraphics

New Member
Rex, great list, I agree about he value of 'hand lettered sign' -oriented books. There is so much to learn from the great artists in any design-related field.
 
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