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Obviously “The design of everyday things” and “The design of future things”

I don’t have any pictures with my, but I would definitely include the Bries Solei (aka Milwaukee Art Museum)

Anything by the late Alan Fletcher, especially “The Art Of Looking Sideways”.

Have you seen Samuel Mockbee’s Rural Studio? Big fan of that. Also, Pattern Language is a good classic. Basic architectural and design instructional books are fun for their simplicity and layouts. I think the best thing you can do is go to a local bookstore and peruse the sections that align with the categories you mentioned. The best treasures are always on those shelves.

Microsoft FrontPage 2002 for Dummies (With CD-ROM) – http://amzn.to/bF8uOc

Grid Systems in Graphic Design Joseph Muller Brockman

A classic.

All Gestalten books would be a nice start: http://www.gestalten.com/books/

Mies van der Rohe: Mies in America http://www.amazon.com/Mies-America-Phyllis-Lambert/dp/0920785697/ref=pd_cp_b_0

Great section about Chigago’s IIT .

Empty LA (the book)

‘A Pattern Language.’ by Christopher Alexander; while not the best book in terms of pictures, an amazing book for anyone interested in design, from ‘Macro’ (urban-planning) down to ‘Micro’ (furniture design). The book aims to look at design from an interdisciplinary approach (mathematics, psychology, etc.), which makes for an exciting read for anyone that can geek out on the physical environment(s) we pass through on a daily basis. Enjoy!

“Design As Art” by Bruno Munari “Bird” by Andrew Zuckerman “Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences” by Lawrence Weschler “The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film” by Michael Ondaatje “Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity” by David Lynch

I really liked a documentary on Julius Shulman I saw a few weeks ago called Visual Acoustics. In the film they showed Shulman helping to put a book together and I think this is it: http://www.amazon.com/Julius-Shulman-Rediscovered-Pierluigi-Serraino/dp/3836503263/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280252310&sr=8-1

Tufte’s work always has a place on my shelf.

Some back issues of Newwork Magazine, Bringhurst’s “Elements of Typographic Style” and an old copy of Speedball’s hand-lettering textbook.

Bill Bernbach’s Book

Fallingwater (the Kaufman book)

The Essential House Book (Terence Conran)

The Small Stakes “Music Posters” By Jason Munn – http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,8686/title,The-Small-Stakes/

Fountain Pens of the World, Andreas Lambrou

A few books on my bookshelf that I go look to for inspiration include:

Artful Sentances by Virgina Tufte
Written by Edward Tufte’s wife, it’s a wonderfully written book that I use to remind me about the rhythm and power of sentences. There are so many examples in it, that they alone will inspire you.

Grid Systems by Josef Muller-Brockmann
To my knowledge, it’s one of the earliest sources for the theory of Grid Systems (1961). I know there’s been a lot of additional work and thought put into them since it was written, but I always find it useful to go back to the source and the original thinking.

The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
I’ve gone back to this book time and again for guidance about making deliberate choices in the fonts and layouts of my designs. It reminds me to take more control over the presentation of my designs and break from some of the defaults in word processors and design software.

Cartographic Relief Presentation by Eduard Imhoff
One of the seminal works on mapping. I’ve been reading it, not for mapping but rather to explore different ways of thinking when solving specific design problems.

El Bulli 2003/2004 by Ferran Adria
This is a picture book / kind of cook book that showcases the work of Ferran Addria, an experimental chef in Spain. The recipes are on the cd, but looking through the pictures you get a sense of the just how far he’s been able to push the envelope of cooking, tastes and expectations. I’d definitely pair this with the DVD Decoding Ferran Adria by Anthony Bourdain because it provides important context to understanding that Addria’s not just about doing crazy things with food.

Bought this poster recently.

http://www.coolhunting.com/design/joey-roth-limit.php

Frei Otto. Complete Works. (About the guy who designed the “roof” of the Olympic Stadium in Munich)

http://www.amazon.com/Otto-Complete-Works-Winfried-Nerdinger/dp/3764372311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280253205&sr=8-1

Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Wrapped Reichstag

http://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Reichstag-Berlin-1971-95-Jumbo/dp/3822892688/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280253463&sr=1-7

Both not the usual stuff but highly inspirational.

Shutting Up Shop: The decline of the traditional small shop (Amazon referral link, by the way… every little bit counts!)

“Artful Sentences” is by Tufte’s mother, not his wife. Great, informative book.

Huge fan of Andy Goldsworthy’s sculpture and photography. I recommend “Time”, although they are all good/interesting.

Goldsworthy’s books at amazon

The Agile Rabbit Book of Historical And Curious Maps.

I read or heard somewhere that you were into Persian Architecture. May I suggest “The Sense of Unity”?

http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Unity-Tradition-Persian-Architecture/dp/1871031788

Dan Eldon’s “The Journey is the Destination”

Tiny Houses. Excellent book … very inspirational.

R. Crumb’s “Genesis” I’m not religious in any way, but that’s one well-drawn and well-designed book. And it’s all hand-drawn.

Almost too obvious, but Phaidon Design Classics certainly belongs on the shelf.

How about a magazine… I really look forward to each issue of DWELL and get inspired by the modern/sustainable architecture, as well as the overall design of the magazine… especially their great use of color!

Thanks Erik. I had made the assumption based on the photo on the back of the book. I have to say, both her and her son have proven themselves incredible designers, be it with visual or with the written word.

in the belly of Saint Paul

IDEO Method Cards

IDEO Method Cards

Anything detailing works by Peter Zumthor.

http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Zumthor-Works-Buildings-Projects/dp/1568981430

A Pattern Language

I get ideas and inspiration from Design Indaba. http://www.designindaba.com It is a quarterly magazine and not a book – but I have always liked the “design can change the world” theme. They have featured some really cool designs/innovations/inventions in the past.

The Complete Book of Shelby Automobiles

Anything by Lucius Beebe, a railroad photographer from the 1930’s and onward. For that matter, either of O. Winston Link’s two books of RR photography—Steam, Steel, & Stars or Last Steam Railroad in America.

Massive Change, by Bruce Mau with Jennifer Leonard and the Institute without Boundaries

1000 Signs

Shields: Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. From the Collections of the Barbier-Mueller Museum [Hardcover]

File under eclectic, I’ve always wanted to buy one of these encyclopedias on Russian criminal tattoos (http://amzn.to/9KAt7V). The tattoo art is amazing and I’m sure the stories must be too.

A subscription to the National Geographic magazine. Always got stunning photos.

Nick Brandt’s photographs from Africa are simply amazing, for example On This Earth (from Amazon).

Boats with an Open Mind – Phil Bolger

507 Mechanical Movements – Henry T. Brown

Freight Train Grafitti – Roger Gastman

Be fun. Check out:

New Species: Contemporary Character Design Made in Asia

1×1: Pixel-Based Illustration & Design

These are meant to be read, but still essential and OK to flip through:

Understanding Comics – about so much more than comics: http://www.amzn.com/006097625X/

Now You See It – real deal data visualization for business: http://amzn.com/0970601980

Asia Grace by Kevin Kelly

http://www.amazon.com/Asia-Grace-Kevin-Kelly/dp/3822816191/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280259368&sr=8-2

The Visual Miscellaneum: A Colorful Guide to the World’s Most Consequential Trivia

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061748366?ie=UTF8%20&tag=harpercollinspub&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061748366

Danish architect Jan Gehl’s new book “Cities for People” about how to design cities to accommodate and encourage pedestrian life in the streets.

Technically not about design of the objects typically covered on your blog but I love getting inspiration from nearby subjects like architecture.

The book is great for flipping through as well as close reading.

http://www.amazon.com/Cities-People-Jan-Gehl/dp/159726573X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280259828&sr=1-1

Also “Life between buildings” is good. http://www.amazon.com/Life-Between-Buildings-Using-Public/dp/8774073605/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2

Designing for People by Henry Dreyfuss

You should pick up Natural Affinities, a work that compares and contrasts the photography of Ansel Adams against the abstracts of Georgia O’Keeffe. The juxtaposition of two artists tackling similar subject matter from different perspectives is challenging and enlightening:

http://www.amazon.com/Georgia-OKeeffe-Ansel-Adams-Affinities/dp/031611832X

Absolutely ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’

Any book by the remarkable fine art photographer Lynn Davis.

Marks of Excellence – Per Mollerup http://amzn.to/aELHoJ

beautiful book on the art of logo design.

Light Fantastic: The Art and Design of Stage Lighting by Max Keller. Looks like they came out with a new edition recently, too. Great photos of staged theatre pieces with particularly stunning production values (sets, lighting, costumes).

“Mr Beck’s Underground Map: A History” and “Transit Maps of the World”.

“Computers and Typesetting” vols. 1-5 by Donald Knuth

Ansel Adams’ three part photography series “The Camera”, “The Negative”, “The Print”

“Design by Numbers” by John Maeda

“Thos Moser: Artistry in Wood” (Chronicle Press)

A few Dover Pictorial Archive titles.

“Reinventing the Wheel”, “Geometry of Design”, “Drawing from Life”, “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”, “Cartographies of Time”.

The Not So Big House books by Sarah Susanka…doing more with less

Anything on the history of Chicago’s South Side.

Music, architecure, food, personality!!

Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge

To wit…

Bronzeville: Black Chicago in Pictures, 1941-1943

Hi Jason,

I’ve been reading your stuff recently and you (or David) gave several musical examples in “Rework”, so I hope this turns you on – it’s two nice shots of Thomas Lang drumsets. Being an IT dev with strong hobbies in music (drums, guitars), I get real inspiration from such a beautiful piece of machinery which empowers you to express yourself artistically (:

http://is.gd/dMWxB http://is.gd/dMWV9

(Sorry, it’s got some text labels there) Martin

A History of Architecture by Sir Banister Fletcher. A one-volume encyclopedia of architecture filled with amazing illustrations.

+1 for ‘The Art Of Looking Sideways’ by the late Alan Fletcher.

Also ‘The Laws Of Simplicity’ by John Maeda

I am not a designer, but have returned to these books many times for their constant inspiration.

I love these: Rainforest Postcards http://www.amazon.com/Rainforest-Postcards-Thomas-Marent/dp/0756629276

1. Designing Design by Kenya Hara. 2. As Little Design As Possible: The Work of Dieter Rams 3. Generative Gestaltung (http://www.generative-gestaltung.de/) 4. Books written by Edward Tufte.

M/M Paris have some nice type posters.

I think you’d probably find “A Japanese Touch For Your Home” inspiring. :)

“Thinking with Type” is a great read: http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Type-Critical-Designers-Students/dp/1568984480/

Lebbeus Woods – an architect

Winsor McCay – a cartoonist

The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones

(http://www.amazon.com/Grammar-Ornament-Owen-Jones/dp/0789476460)

Dan Ariely: Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality

Not something for a physical library but a good resource nonetheless, is the Guardian Eyewitness iPad app. Beautiful photography along with a professional tip on how the photo was taken.

I really like “The Works: Anatomy of a City” by Kate Ascher.

Making and Breaking the Grid is another good grid book to have on your shelf.

Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture

http://www.amazon.com/Complexity-Contradiction-Architecture-Robert-Venturi/dp/0810960230

Harold & The Purple Crayon

Who Needs Doughnuts?

The Giving Tree

I will throw something different into the mix of suggestions.

“Model Railroading With John Allen” http://amzn.to/cjL2aA showcases arguably the greatest model railroad ever created and the man who created it. Even if you are not into trains, what John Allen created in the 50s and 60s is truly art.

What is amazing, is he did not have a great deal of space in his house, so he came up with creative ways to make his model railroad seem larger. He used mirrors to “extend” the layout and make it seem bigger and many areas were built from floor to ceiling.

I know it’s a strange suggestion, but it is an interesting book if you can find it. It would definitely be something different.

Designing Design – by Kenya Hara (simplicity + design)

Visible signs – by David Crow (visual language, meaning, etc)

Los Logos, Dos Logos, Tres Logos, and Los Logos 4.

4 largish books packed with contemporary logo design. Few words. Great for inspiration. Grab the first one at least.

The “logos” series: Los Logos, Dos Logos, Tres Logos. Wonderful source of visual information and corporate and individual identity.

http://bit.ly/B4rhy (links to the gestalten page for Tres Logos. side note, their site is horribly slow..)

Andy Goldsworthy monographs, for natural design in situ. “A Pattern Language”, Christopher Alexander et al, for systems thinking from the very big to the very little. “Your Private Sky”, for pretty much the prettiest book on Bucky Fuller you’ll find. Blue Note album covers from the Reid Miles era, for great graphics within limits. “How Buildings Learn”, Stewart Brand, for remembering that nothing’s permanent.

The Art of the Incredibles (or really any Pixar “Art of” book)

Alice in Pop-Up Wonderland

Pearl Jam vs Ames Bros: 13 Years of Tour Posters

The Baby Owner’s Manual

Gentleman of the Bacongo, a photo book of sapeurs in Africa – people who spend their entire life savings on one magnificent outfit.

http://www.amazon.com/Gentlemen-Bacongo-Daniele-Tamagni/dp/190456383X

How to wrap 5 eggs http://www.amazon.com/How-Wrap-Five-Eggs-Traditional/dp/1590306198/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280281725&sr=1-1

The Measure of Man and Woman

Wall and Piece, by Banksy

History of Architecture by Sir Banister Fletcher

NatGeo Image Collection Book,

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/image-collection/

As I believe studying depictions of nature, people and how things interact around the globe can give better insights than any design book.

Between Silence and Light: Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn

Check out the Wynn and Encore towers in Las Vegas.

Not only are buildings great to look at, but the interior design is amazing. In a world of themed copy catting the Wynn properties are a change for the better. Not to mention that the Encore is one of, if not, the first casino to see the light of day let alone the hotel pool. Lots of great design eye candy in these buildings.

Christopher Alexander: The Nature of Order (very pretty and extremely insightful, although volume 4 didn’t deliver the massive revelation that I had hoped for)

Where the Sidewalk Ends

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

A photo book by Josef Sudek

it may not be entirely appropriate for every office, but Michael Cogliantry has a book of photography called Furverts that’s inspired and great for a short break to boost creativity.

The Universe: 365 Days by Jerry T. Bonnell and Robert J. Nemiroff

Winogrand: Figments From The Real World

Of course, all the books by Tufte

Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, by Leonard Koren ISBN 1880656124

Do good design, by David Berman – (too bad the “strike” HTML is not allowed… because the real title is really “do good”)

All the books by John Mc Wade, or take a subscription to Before & After” and buy or print all their archives.

I’ve got a last suggestion, works by M. C. Escher, or books about these works. But maybe I shouldn’t suggest such a thing, I’m worried about the way it would inspire you for your future designs ;-)

Take a look to the cards from “Design with Intent” too, they can be downloaded free of charge as 300DPI PDFs

I have also been very inspired by the work of David Seah, The Printable CEO

by man:

barcelona chair
nike logo
red telephone box
eiffel tower
coca-cola bottle
beijing national stadium
sydney opera house
silicon graphics logo
hagia sophia
egyptian pyramids
michael jordan flying

by nature:

aurora borealis
eagle
dolphin
shark
tiger

Helmut Krone. The Book.

slide:ology http://amzn.to/b4VSkt

Please update us on your finalized design library.

I find this book inspiring: Vision in Motion by László Moholy-Nagy (IIT Institute of Design founder) Amazon: http://amzn.to/bZNGX6 Review on Daily Icon: http://bit.ly/7MF3Cn Daily Icon also has some pretty good Architecture & Design related books: http://bit.ly/aXQJuq

working links: Vision in Motion by László Moholy-Nagy – Amazon: http://amzn.to/bZNGX6 Review on Daily Icon: http://bit.ly/7MF3Cn Design Books: http://bit.ly/aXQJuq

Wall and Piece by British graffiti artist Banksy

Anything by Edward Tufte.

Visual Explanations Beautiful Evidence Envisioning Information The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

Tibor Kalman, Perverse Optimist

Helvetica: Homage to a Typeface

Chip Kidd: Book One

The Face Of Human Rights

False Flat: Why Dutch Design is so Good

Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles (vol. 1&2)

I second PDK . The Not So Big House is a great read and very inspiring for doing more with less.

If you’re looking for inspirational books, buy some picture book from Henri Cartier Bresson. Or, better yet, if you like to hang pictures on the walls, buy a few and put them around.

@ Isaac: Nice! A lot of children’s books are exceptional in tying together design, art, and message. They are also among the most opinionated literature: there is often a goal toward which the story drives. (After all, if you aren’t seen to be inspiring/educating the little tykes, their parents won’t buy your books!)

If I Ran the Circus by Seuss is my favorite of his. Its exuberance and love of life comes through every line, both text and drawing. Seuss’ best books move, move, MOVE !

Olivia (and its sequels) by Ian Falconer also seems like a must for 37signals. The palette used by Falconer is the same black, red, and white of Draft and Rework, while his porcine heroine shares certain know-it-all characteristics with some of the 37s crowd (gentle teasing; you know I love you guys).

Love this one:

“The Art of Clairtone” – 1960s Canadian stereo manufacturer – http://www.amazon.com/Art-Clairtone-Making-Design-1958-1971/dp/0771065078

Great video about them here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfTJ4uKbzUo

Please let us know what you ended up choosing.

Plain Modern: The Architecture of Brian MacKay-Lyons.

I think you guys would dig his take on pragmatic modern architecture.

http://www.amazon.com/Plain-Modern-Architecture-MacKay-Lyons-Voices/dp/1568984774

Might i recommend not visual design, but the design of words? Dobby Gibson’s “Skirmish” is a book of poetry by a poet who finds new ways to string together seemingly unrelated words, phrases and sentences and creates something that explodes with creativity.

Some great suggestions here already – I’ll just second anything from Edward Tufte as well as Christopher Alexander. Also, the off-the-wall suggestion of the book on John Allen’s model railroad is a great “lateral thinking” suggestion.

Here’s a couple of other thoughts:

someone already suggested a book on Fallingwater, which is great, I’d add one of the broader photo books with pictures of a wider range of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs. The S.C. Johnson headquarters, the great house designs, etc.

There are a couple of very good picture books on the Greene and Greene “Ultimate Bungalows” such as the Gamble House. Very beautiful and wonderful integration of great design and great implementation.

I also refer to several picture books covering the various aspects of the Arts and Crafts movement, including pottery, furniture design, bungalow home designs, wallpaper, typography, etc. I don’t have a specific favorite as there are a number of good ones. Cover both the Brits and Americans.

Books of paintings from Edward Hopper, Van Gogh, Helen Frankenthaler, Matisse, O’Keefe. Also the industrial photos and paintings of Charles Sheeler (and paintings of Charles DeMuth).

@Dave : your comment about the design of words reminds me of a magnificent book by George Ifrah, “The Universal History of Numbers”. I’ve read it when its original (French) version was published, I was only a teenager at the time, and it has never ceased to come back to my mind since then. Of course, even if the book is filled with illustrations, there is nothing spectacular, you have to look for the details to apprehend the true genius that has led mankind to envision all these notation systems. A real gem, not easy to read, but very rewarding.

Vincent Borrelli is a great resource for you. He’s a photographer who’s art hangs in museums; he was my CFO for years; he now runs a successful business/website selling rare and contemporary photography books. Vincent and and his books have that “spark.” Browse his site and if you want something in particular give him a call. http://www.vincentborrelli.com.

The Tao of Pooh and Te of Piglet.

C.G. Jung’s Red Book. It has some really interesting and unusual artwork in it.

Of all my design library books, Radical Landscapes is constantly next to my desk. Changes the way I think about physical space every time I pick it up.

(& I definitely agree with Ricky Irvine re: 1000 Signs.)

FOOD FOR THE EYES : The Art of Babar by Nicholas Fox Weber, Inside/Outside by Malcolm Grear, “Wings” Backstage with Cirque du Soleil by Veronique Vial

FOOD FOR THE MIND : Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus, Architects of Peace by Michael Collopy, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

FOOD : Arabesque by Claudia Roden, Cooking at the Kasbah by Kitty Morse

When I was a kid, my godmother gave me the original How Stuff Works book for my birthday. I remember it being full of fascinating information on any number of topics.

If you can find the original book, it’d be worth adding. It would definitely give inspiration when thinking about designing foundational elements.

Kramer’s ‘Coffee table book about coffee tables’

“The Not-So-Big House” by Susanka. Ignore the words.

I love the work by Ryan McGinness. My favorite book is “installation view”

I feel I must mention a fantastic photographer and artist, called Rebekka Gudleifsdottir.

Here’s some of her work

and here’s her blog, incidentally, her most recent blog post is a breakdown of one of her projects, very much in line with a 37Signals design post, and an inspiration in itself.

p.s. Gotta love the part about the scouts happening to be there to lend a hand when her car got stuck in the snow:)

Typography by Friedl, Ott, Stein. It’s encyclopedic.

“Creatures” by Andrew Zuckerman and “The End” by Rodney Smith

http://www.humantree.com/ Nuff said!

Children are wonderfully inspirational. Dave DeVries asked, “What would a child’s drawing look like if it were painted realistically?” If you haven’t seen it before, go grab the book at The Monster Engine. It will certainly give you a ‘spark’ flipping through the pages.