Books

Star Wars The Blueprints

I’m not a Star Wars fan myself, but I know a lot of you design geeks are so this could be the ideal gift for you. It’s very pricey for a book, starting from $500 but that is to be expected for a limited edition. It details all of the original blueprint drawings for the original movie plus more.

Idn magazine Logographic

A great little magazine that features the opinions of 17 leading designers on the art and practice of logo design. Comes with a bonus DVD.

Brand Identity Essentials

The fourth in a series of books that studies different disciplines of design, 100 Branding Essentials offers an in depth list of rules, tips and know-how during the branding process. A great read and well worth it for the price.

365 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers

This book would be perfect for a student or anyone who is looking to make a career of graphic design. Learn the habits of the pros with this hefty list of helpful tips.

Herb Lubalin: Art Director, Graphic Designer & Typographer

I cannot praise this man highly enough. Herb Lubalin is possibly my most favourite designer ever. I don’t have this book as it is no longer in production, but I have had the privilege of reading it in a library once. All I can say is, if you can get a used copy via Amazon or eBay, you won’t be disappointed.

Pictoplasma – The Character Encyclopedia

Also no longer in print but a beaut of a book. It’s very pricey now but you should be able to pick up a copy for under £200. Get one now and it could be worth even more than that at a later date. Or it might end up being a very expensive door stop.

Jon Burgerman – Pens are my friends

Jon Burgerman is a superb illustrator hailing from the United Kingdom. His artwork and this book is packed full of colour and creativity to help get those creative juices overflowing nicely.

Threadless – Ten years of t-shirts

It will probably make you feel old knowing that Threadless is over 10 years old. This book features some of their greatest submissions during that period.

Doyald Young – Logotypes & Letterforms

Sadly, one of the greatest typography masters, Doyald Young passed away this year. I strongly recommend his books, which are absolutely stunning and very insightful into the craft of drawing letters.

Typomag

Anyone who is passionate about typography should really get their hands (& eyes) on this beautiful book. Packed full of examples, this is typographical retina candy at its best.

Smashing Logo Design

A shameful plug I know, but this would be the ideal gift for anyone who has the slightest bit of interest in logo design.

Accessories

Pencil Sharpener Desk Tidy

It’s a giant pencil sharpener shaped pencil holder desk tidy thing. Need I say any more?

Pantone iPhone & iPad Case

Not a fan of Apple’s uncolourful products? Spice them up with some Pantone covers. Many colours available.

Drumstick Pencils

Anyone would love this gift, designer or not. Would be perfect for those video conference calls where you want to get yourself noticed or just annoy the hell out of your co-workers.

Lightbox

This may seem like a strange entry to some, and it’s understandable to assume that tracing is for copycats and plagiarists! Well, the design process can often involve a laborious revision process and so to save time it is often handy to have equipment that helps to easily refine your sketches. Say goodbye to windows and tape and pick up one of these little fellas.

Iron Ampersand

If you know someone who wants to add some weight to their typography collection then why not pick up (or try to!) this great object by the House Industries type foundry. Be wary of postage though, it weighs in at a hefty 8kg! Plus it ain’t cheap.

Dodo Case

Is it a book or an iPad? If you have a loved one who wants to take extra special care of their iPad then this is the case for them. The Dodo Case is dead good (pun intended).

Icon Watch by & Design

A very unique and understated watch design by ‘& design’ based in Japan. It would perfect for knowing when it is time to design, especially if you love retro memorabilia.

Logo – The Board Game

Christmas isn’t complete without a friendly argument over a board game. If you’re a designer, why not get one step ahead and purchase one completely dedicated to logos and brands! You’ll be surprised how much non-designers will love this game too.

DVDs

Helvetica

Love it or hate it, Helvetica is everywhere. You know a typeface has made a massive impact upon the world when a documentary has been made about it! Surprisingly, it is very very entertaining.

Objectifigied

If you’ve ever been curious about how every day objects are designed this is the perfect DVD for you.

Genius of Design

A lovely series that documents the history of design from the Industrial Revolution right up the present day.

Exit Through The Gift Shop

Any graffiti fan would love to own this documentary about the illusive graf artist, Banksy. The question is, is it real or not? Watch and make up your own mind.

Pirates of Silicon Valley

With the recent passing of Steve Jobs still fresh in the mind, why not give that Apple fan a great insight into the man himself. This lesser known title that delves into the relationship he had with his notorious competitor, Bill Gates.

I hope your wallet/credit card doesn’t hurt too much after reading this post. Fin

Really Good Logos Explained is a logo inspiration book with a difference. The four authors each give their opinion on why every featured logo is successful but also offer constructive criticism as to how they can be improved.

The layout of Really Good Logos explained is what gives it an advantage over similar books. Each page displays a maximum of four logos, which allows the viewer to see greater detail in the designs due to the large showcased images.

However, at times the commentary from the authors is a little too negative and pompous. I’m not sure whether or not the examples in the ‘Not-so-good logos’ section are real or not, but if they are I feel this oversteps the mark of public design criticism.

@smashingmag – the twitter account for the popular Smashing Magazine site.

@psdtuts – useful tutorials for all things Photoshop.

@VECTORTUTS – The web’s #1 vector tutorials site.

@Behance – on a mission to organise the creative world.

@abduzeedo – from the popular design inspiration website.

@boogiesbc – from owner of Design Your Way.

@ComputerArts – the official Computer Arts magazine twitter account.

@advancedpshop – official tweets from the Advanced Photoshop mag.

@1stwebdesigner – a web designer dedicated to the world of design.

@digital_arts – tweets from the Digital Arts magazine.

@Colorburned – Design enthusiast, author, blogger, student, and teacher.

@Creattica – Creattica Daily – News from the Creative Republic

@sitepointdotcom – online resource for web designers, developers and dealmakers.

@NewSugar – A young creative magazine showcasing designers, illustrators and artists.

@LogoMoose – Logo design inspiration gallery.

There are a million or more design related accounts on twitter, but these stand out for me. You can follow Down With Design on twitter via: @downwithdesign

1. Compendium for Literates: A System of Writing by Karl Gerstner (1974)

Price: $130 – Buy this book

The book’s purpose is to explore the alphabet inside and out. If you’re a type-freak then you will love and cherish the visual reference it serves for the connection between language & it’s meaning. This book provides great inspiration in particular for when working on logo wordmarks. Whilst very small in size it gives a whole lot more than you’d expect.

2. Avant Garde Magazine (1968 – 1971)

Price: Out of print but starts at around $10 on eBay – Buy this book

In a design sense, this magazine has to be the godfather. Famous for its typographic work by Herb Lubalin, Avant Garde was a magazine that ran from from January 1968 to July 1971. The masthead is a particular feature that claimed notable recognition, which went on to form the basis for the typeface ITC Avant Garde. Only 16 issues were published but it had a great effect on the creative industry. Whilst no longer in print you can probably find a cheap copy on eBay but most large libraries will house a few issues. Well worth a read, just to the see the fantastic type work.

3. Moderne Werbe- und Gebrauchs-Grafik by Hans Neuberg (1960)

Price: Out of print

Featuring over 300 illustrations, this book is typical of Swiss design beauty. Moderne Werbe- und Gebrauchs-Grafik presents a wealth of type based inspiration. If you find this in a library somewhere, find a quiet place and enjoy. They don’t come much rarer than this.

4. Icographic Journal (1971 – 1978)

Price: Out of print

Icographic was founded by John Halas in 1971. It reviewed Visual Communication and was designed & edited by Patrick Wallis Burke and released quarterly. If you’re a fan of Semiotics, you won’t be disappointed. Icographic devled deep into broader subjects of graphic design every quarter it was released & is definately a magazine that helps improve your design thinking methods. Again, most good libraries will have this available, though normally not for rental.

5. Herb Lubalin: Art Director, Graphic Designer and Typographer by Gertrude Snyder (1985)

Price: $250 – Buy this book

If there is one design book I would definately recommend then this is it. Showcasing the work of the hugely talented American graphic designer, Herb Lubalin, we are able to see the true typograpic master at his best. The famous families, mother & child plus marriage logos are included along with an abundance of inspirational brilliance. This book is worth it’s price, if you come across it, buy it, as it’s value will only rise as the years go by. This book should be on every design institution’s reading list.

6. Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Muller-Brockmann (2001)

Price: $45 – Buy this book

Being able to construct & break the grid are skills which every designer should posses and here Josef Muller-Brockmann teaches you how. Said to be one of the earliest & most important publications about gridwork design, the text is still useful & relevant after more than 40 years since the first print run. With examples on how to work correctly at a conceptual level and exact instructions for using all of the systems (8 to 32 fields), this guidebook provides a crystal-clear framework for problem-solving. Again, another Swiss design must have.

Have I missed out any other rare design gems?