Books we can’t stop referencing
Here’s a roundup of the books we’re reaching for, referencing, and recommending most consistently.
1. The Designers Dictionary of Color
This book is equally helpful if you’re starting from a blank slate or if you know you want to work with a specific color and need to understand the background and psychology behind the color and palette building that best supports it. It’s a well rounded reference that is helpful in understanding the why behind the color.
2. The Designers Dictionary of Type
Similarly to the Dictionary of color, this book is it dives into the typefaces themselves as well as the context around them, diving into the cultural significance, common use cases, and even specimen breakdowns with characteristics for identification. Think: Serif vs san-serif but also breaking down terminal aspects. These kind of high-low, accessible-with-depth kind of approaches are the best.
3. UX for Beginners
“This is the absolute top reference book that I recommend to anyone and everyone. I think it’s incredible as a glimpse into ux thinking for business owner who’s DIY-ing his website, the perfect starting point for designers early in their ux journey, and an ideal reference point for seasoned designers who need reminders every once in a while. I recommend this book so freely and frequently because it offers bite-sized, thoroughly entertaining lessons that can serve as foundational knowledge or quick little refreshers.” - Lelaina, our founder and lead designer
4. Don’t Make Me Think Revisited
Diving a bit deeper, this book specifically focuses on usability with a lot of full color image examples and super relatable language. It’s accessible and inclusive without being boring, overall a genuinely fun and easy read with super valuable information you won’t forget. Be sure to get the revisited, the original came out in the 2000s… before mobile even existed (,:
5. Design: The Definitive Visual Guide
Around here, we’re major proponents of getting website design inspiration from things other than websites. By expanding sources of inspiration, the outcome is more dynamic and interesting experiences. This book is a great resource because it showcases design thinking in various applications, like fashion, furniture, crafts, and countless other domains. This kind of cross-discipline approach reframes the thinking from buttons and headers to how you want your experience to feel.
