Aarron Walter shares his favourite books on design
This is a guest post from Aarron Walter, author of Designing for Emotion.
You can follow him on Twitter right here.
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As the Director of User Experience at MailChimp, I wear a lot of hats. I manage teams of developers, designers, and researchers. Though each discipline has a clear domain of expertise, they’re all intertwined, each informing the other to create a great user experience.
Interdisciplinary thinking is important to me and my team, and our reading list bears this out. We have an eclectic mix of books in our design studio, and here are a few favorites that have influenced our thinking.
Universal Principles of Design
Good designers understand the foundational principles that inform their work. This book is one I have referenced for years for its sound advice and design principle examples.
Universal Methods of Design
As if the Universal Principles of Design book wasn’t amazing enough, there’s a companion guide that outlines proven design research design methods.
The Elements of Typographic Style
This is the typography bible. The ideas in this volume are evergreen.
The Inmates are Running the Asylum
There are a few books you can read every couple of years and discover missed gems each time. This is one of them. If you do any digital design or development, this is a must read.
Understanding Comics
This book isn’t about reading or drawing comics, it’s about seeing. Scott McCloud uses the medium of comics to express principles of abstract representation, iconography, story telling and more. It’s a fun, easy read that can help you see your work in a new light.
