(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best decorative art & design books

Good questions. Let me take them one by one.

I'll first say that the portfolio is the only truly important thing. When I first came out to NYC to work, I interviewed at 17 different companies/startups/studios. Not a single one even looked at or asked about the school I went to. We just talked at length about my projects. That being said, I think design school is important. Design is complicated. There's a lot to learn. I know people who swear by just going it your own way and not going to school. Those people don't see what they don't do well. They struggle with the fine details. They think their work is fine, but they haven't figured out why it could be better.

Design school taught me a lot. It taught me how to think differently. How to get thick skin and take critique. How to work with grids. How to manage type. All of these skills don't come from hard and fast rules. They come from ethereal concepts that you have to learn. They're much easily learned through someone who can mentor you. You can figure it out on your own, but it will take longer. The cap on your ability to grow in the industry will fall short. I've even interviewed people who had some nice work, but when I discussed with them their process or their theory, they didn't know what they were talking about. They learned how to copy good work, but not how to generate their own creative output.

If you want practice here's what I would do.

1. Sketch. Even if you aren't good at it. I'm still not. Lot's of designers aren't. Sketching is about a quick method of generating ideas.
   
   
2. Read and write. Design is about communication, not visuals. Visuals are important, but if they don't say anything, no one cares. Great designers often tend to be great writers/readers. Don't just read about design. Read about architecture. Read about theater. Read Science Fiction. Just read.
   
   
3. Take pictures. Learn to frame a shot. learn how to compose something beautiful.
   
   
4. Fill your well. Your greatest resource in design will be culture. Learn about things. Experience a full life. If your creative inspiration comes from a design website, you're doing it partially wrong (those things have their value, but they are a simple tool, not a means to good solutions). Dig deep into different things and become broadly experienced.
   
   
5. Play with the software. If you're sketching, try the software too. Learn Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. This leads to my next thing.
   
   
6. Find good work and copy it. Literally. Don't copy to give to a client. Just copy in the privacy of your own studio space. You learn to play the guitar by first playing songs by bands you love. Do the same with design. Copy their work and try to learn their techniques.
   
   Regarding whether I practice, I do. Side projects are a big part of what we do. Client work is always constrained by their needs. Side projects are a good way to push your creativity. Working with constraints is good and important, but balance it with side projects. Design an app. Make a children's book. Do whatever it is that seems interesting to you.
   
   I still struggle with whether my work is good or not. You'll never get over expecting more than you can deliver. If you like the challenge of that and can live with yourself, you'll be a good designer. A good part of knowing what's good is learning to see. Study masters. Find out what makes good work tick. This is a hard question for sure. This is part of why I tell people to go do design school.
   
   Design books I recommend... this is hard. A few to get started...
   
   Steal Like an Artist is good for a newly creative
   
   The Creative Habit is amazing for people who think creativity is magic... it demystifies that notion and explains how Creativity is about practice and routine. Very smart book.
   
   DeBono's Thinking Course is heavy reading but very good in learning how to think creatively. It's a must, in my opinion.
   
   Grid Systems is bland but essential. Learn it. By one of the great masters.
   
   Art & Visual Perception is also mega heavy, but will teach you how to understand how good creative work is composed and why it works. Very interesting if you can take it.
   
   A Smile in the Mind is a great book that shows how wit and messaging in design makes for powerful and memorable work. It's a good primer on how designers work concept into their visuals. It's about discovery and the bliss that comes from that (that's why our honey bottles were so successful... discovery is everything).
   
   Also check out www.designersandbooks.com. It's a long running list of great books that are recommended by designers much more skilled than I am. These are the greats.
   
   Hope this all helps.

This book is really really great as an intro to design. It's very visual and lays out the fundamental design rules for you. Only once you understand the rules should you try to break them.

Color scheme designer is a little nicer than mudcube below. Figure out color schemes you like, "learn them", and add them to your arsenal.

Kuler is a community for people to upload and find color swatches, if you're not interested in making your own.

Google Web Fonts is great. There are better font sites out there, but google web fonts is free and really easy. Find a font you like and figure out "how to use it". It'll eventually become part of your arsenal, your toolset. I personally love Oswald, Josefin Slab, Bitter, and several others. I'll typically use a google web font for headers and such, but use a standard like Helvetica for body text.

Subtle Patterns for when you need to add texture to an otherwise boring background. I use this all the time.

Twitter Bootstrap to help you with grid layout and responsive design. It has its frustrations (it's a little annoying to add padding to elements, or to get rid of margins between columns, etc etc) but typically I start a design with Bootstrap and modify it as I need.

Get comfortable with things like CSS3 box shadows (very useful for adding subtle depth to designs) and CSS3 transitions (for subtle hover effects and the like)--the little things add a lot to the user experience.

At the end of the day, try to understand as best you can the different fundamental pieces: form (ie, grid), flow (ie, UI/UX), color, and typography. Choosing the right font and the right colors go a long way.

Finally, always start a design with a philosophy in mind. Is this design supposed to be "simple, elegant, and light"? "Dirty, grungy and rough?" "Usable, clear, concise?". Come up with a philosophy for your design and make sure every decision you make conforms to that philosophy. If your design philosophy is "simple" then the fonts you pick should be simple, your color scheme should be monochromatic, icons should be vector-arty, etc.

Good design feels "tight" because the designer did nothing by accident. Everything about the design, even things you might not consciously pick up on, were explicit decisions made by the designer. That coherence in the designer's mind translates to you and how you react to the design.

I'm an engineer that taught myself design, and the above is basically what it boils down to for me. I was able to do it because I spent years working with designers and implementing their work. Eventually it all just "clicked"; I guess my brain was quietly synthesizing all that information in the background. I'm now a pretty good designer, and if you want to PM me I'll show you some of the stuff I've done (I don't want to share it publicly because it's not all live yet).

Best of luck.

Edit: Don't Make Me Think, the book mentioned by shaft0 below is also very good. You should definitely learn about usability as well as graphic design--but since nobody had given you a thorough response about the graphic design portion yet I figured I'd tackle that part.

I seem to get asked this a lot, but here is my list, posted here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/graphic_design/comments/1uq58s/good_graphic_design_books_for_a_beginner/ceklj3y



> These are all books that I absolutly love, and bought for either personal use or to accompany different courses while I was getting my BFA in GD. I have seen some of them both are brick and mortar book stores, and college book stores. If you get a chance to see them in person before buying, leaf through them to get a feel.
>
> Megg's History of Graphic Design, absolutely essential to understanding where graphic design comes from historically. IMO the best GD history book on the market, at least the most encompassing. One of my favorites, was very helpful writing different papers and researching historical styles.
>
> Graphic Design School. Another great book, focuses more on design process and stuff like that. This one more walks you though being a designer. Gives tutorials on different things too, which is useful.
>
> Graphic Design Referenced is a really great book that is a bit of a hybrid. This book describes a lot of design terms, styles, and general knowledge while referring to historical and modern examples.
>
> Those three for me are really essential books for new graphic designers, I learned more from those three than I can express. Below are a few more books I really like, but might be a bit more advanced than someone just getting started might want.
>
> Another book I have used a lot, and almost included with those three is above. Thinking with Type. Really great intro into typography.
>
> More advanced even.
>
> How to be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul
>
> A Graphic Design Student's Guide to Freelance
>
> Hope this helps!
>

Keep in mind this is just a starting point. There are tons upon tons of inspiration books out there for graphic design stuff, not to mention educational books on all sorts of specialties. I love graphic design books, the hard physical copy of them. When I'm stuck on a project I like to flip through them, read a bit, and then revisit my work again.

Here are the books currently in my amazon wishlist, so I can't vouch for them, but I do plan on eventually owning them.

Wish List:

• Graphic Design Solutions
  
• Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills
  
• 100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design
  
• Graphic Design Thinking
  
• Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don't teach you in design school, but should
  
• Making and Breaking the Grid

First, congratulations!

I'm a Design Studies grad student, so the ethics of objects is something that I might be able to help with. It sounds to me like you've got a flurry of concerns, and could use a compass to point you in the right direction.

Here's a miniature framework:

1. What is the main goal for the object itself? What does it need to be/perform?
   
2. What are the prohibitions? What cannot be done in the pursuit of such an object?
   
   Your answer might differ, but for me, the answer to #1 is something along the lines of, "Evoke the emotions you feel for each other." There is no blueprint for designing sentimental-on-the-shelf objects, but there is literature on how to design objects that encourage owners to make them sentimental. Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things by Don Norman is respected and accessible. Engagement rings certainly aren't everyday objects, but I think it'll help reveal what qualities of the object will facilitate the intended emotional purpose of the object. My gut feeling is that for you and your significant other, a diamond would be a counterproductive choice because the diamond itself would evoke values that you know your partner finds abhorrent. A simpler example might be that if you know your partner is allergic to mint, then buying them mint ice cream can easily be hurtful because the object (mint ice cream) evokes negative emotions (not listening, or not caring).
   
   As for #2, it sounds like you already know some things that you find ethically intolerable. The solution must not be environmentally unfriendly, support unfair labor practices, or otherwise be unsustainable. I'm also sure that there are non-ethical considerations as well (budget, your partner hates the color red, etc).
   
   Once you've pinned down some clear goals and showstoppers, you can begin imagining and comparing possible solutions. What if you sourced the material components during a trip? What if you and your partner went to a workshop and made the rings for each other by hand? What if the rings didn't have a centerpiece gem at all? You can come up with a whole bunch of idea that will achieve the goals while avoiding the showstoppers, but first you have to identify the goals and showstoppers. You already skipped ahead to the generative phase, so after you get them written down, I think you'll be fine.
   
   And since this is /r/ethics, I'd absolutely encourage you to pick up a book like Normative Ethics by Shelly Kagan. Ethics is one of those fields where everybody thinks they're an expert because they're confident in their collection of opinions, but it really is helpful to get away from "Is it ethical?" and toward "Is it ethical according to utliatarianism/deontologicalism/virtue ethics/egoism/whatever?" Different ethical theories will give you different answers to any question, so asking "Is it ethical?" without defining an ethical theory is sort of a trick question in a forum devoted to the academic field of ethics. In the context of your original question, I think knowing which specific ethical theory you subscribe to will hell you pinpoint what are and aren't requirements for your solution.
   
   Good luck!

>You seem to be entirely ignoring that he didn't just like the golden ratio or think about it a lot, he blatantly incorporated it into his designs. This is the only bit that matters... he very clearly and obviously used it in many of his designs, which are considered to be of great beauty.

I know that he used the golden ratio. I never tried to deny that. But I completely disagree when you say that it matters. And especially if you think that it's the most important thing.

I ignored it because it has nothing to do with merit in my mind. Use of something by a famous person doesn't give it merit.

As an example, da Vinci experimented with materials. He wanted to use a different kind of paint that was oil-based instead of using fresco, painting on wet plaster. He wanted a medium that would let him layer on paint when it was dry. He flatly refused to paint frescoes. His experiments were extremely unsuccessful.

He never bothered to test his paints out before using them in large scale works of art. He abandoned works because they began to deteriorate while he was still painting them. Worse than that, he continued to use his experimental materials even after repeated failures. Look at how badly his The Last Supper has deteriorated. It probably looked even worse than that when he was still alive. That is after multiple restorations (but before the most recent restoration). It's a complete mess of cracks and missing pieces.

His Mona Lisa suffers as well from his experiments. He used wax in his paint and experimental varnish. It began to crack, fade, yellow, and darken almost immediately. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, look at the difference in damage and color between his Mona Lisa, and the one supposedly done by a student sitting next to him: Mona Lisa vs Museo del Prado Mona Lisa. I'm not trying to say they should have looked exactly the same, because the original has been exposed to more of the elements. But the damage is far more extensive than if he had just used normal materials.

So should we admire da Vinci's experimental mind? His wanting to try something new to bring the art he had in his head into reality? Of course. Without experimenting, we'd have have no progress.

But should we admire his methods, or his refusal to use proper tools? Should we say that his paints and varnishes had merit? No! He made a mistake. Many mistakes. He was stubborn and foolish, and his great works of art suffered.

Le Corbusier using the golden ratio is not nearly as bad as that. His buildings haven't toppled because of the golden ratio. But just because a famous artist does something does NOT give it merit. Just because they do something doesn't make it significant. It could be that they're just doing things because they're set in their ways and stubborn as a donkey.

I'm not even trying to say that Le Corbusier's designs are bad. But if what you said were true. If picking a number and "blatantly incorporating it into your design" were all that mattered, then an artist could pick ANY number and do that. If so then everything has merit. So what's the point of saying that? Everything is the same then.

>Oh come on, that's written by some editor trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Nearly all blurbs on the back of a book are stupid, and don't always give a reasonable insight into what the actual text is like.

The editor will also tailor the blurb towards the target audience. It's pretty clear that one is aimed at the nutjob crowd. So my pointing it out has more to do with why you would even link it to me in the first place. You complained before that I used that guy's blog as a source when talking about it, but then you suggest that I'm going to find scholarly notes in that book? Read through the "look inside". It's a practical guide on how to wave your hands and create art with the golden ratio.

>As far as proof, I don't know what you expect. In fact I'm sure you know that there isn't any "proof" because, what exactly am I trying to prove here?

You said that the Modernists cared where Modulor came from, and you said they cared about the golden ratio. Where are you getting that from? Where's your proof?

I want proof that any artist ever said that they used the golden ratio for a reason. Anything to show that the golden ratio has more merit than any random number.

You called that blogger a nutjob so I think you agree with me that some people take it too far. So when we get somebody like Le Corbusier it should be worth reading. Instead he talks about it in relation to music and then states in his words that his "scale" is based on "harmony" and using an arbitrary height as the basis for human beauty, and by extension the beauty in his architecture.

We have all these fake blog examples and then we get to a real example from a respected artist and his explanation is so incredibly stupid. Doesn't that bother you?

He could have picked a random number (well actually he did) and it would have been just as good, as long as he planned out his system with as much care. That's why I'm saying it's not the golden ratio that matters at all, it's what he did with his system that matters. Why the golden ratio? Why not pi, or tau, or e, or 5.2987, or 40?

If you take any graphic design class they will probably teach you about using a grid system. But there are so many different grid systems, it becomes completely silly. Proponents point to this example or that to show what makes it look beautiful. But it really doesn't matter which grid you use. What matters is that after you create a draft, you look at your work and fix things that look wrong to you, and that you make things consistent. Anyone who spends their time looking at art or design will be able to tell instantly if a page layout looks good or not. You don't need a ratio telling you where to place your gutters. Just as a photographer or art director doesn't use the rule of thirds to tell if a photo looks right or if it should be cropped.

Jan Tschichold came up with one such grid system in which he favored "natural" and "intentional" numbers like the golden ratio. He said that if a designer accidentally used one of those special numbers, that it was "unintentional" and therefor bad design. Even if the intentional design was exactly the same as the unintentional one. I find that line of reasoning idiotic.

>That the golden section is a geometric ratio which people tend to find innately pleasing? This is plainly unprovable. How could I possibly begin to prove such a thing?

How can you say that something is innately pleasing as a fact if you don't have anything at all to back it up? Did you read that on a blog or something? You say it as if it's common knowledge.

This is talked about in the book I link further down.

>I'm pretty sure you know that absence of evidence isn't the same thing as evidence.

The book tries to be a summary of all that is important in art history. You're right that absence of mentioning the golden doesn't prove that it has no merit at all. But the implications are that it's not important. It's in it's 14th (?) edition now, they've had plenty of chances to fill any holes in their coverage. And that's a hell of a lot more telling than your book link, so I wouldn't throw stones about this one if I were you.

>I was asking you for a scholarly work which argues against it, not one which ignores it.

You said my arguments were not "solid", but I never saw you ask for anything scholarly, even when I asked you for that exact thing. Considering you didn't even read the book you linked to me, I didn't even think about linking you any books. But I have some:

Mario Livio wrote a book about the history of the golden ratio. It's the only one I know of that talks at any length about the history of reasoning. He talks a lot about the history of math. He talks about where the golden ratio was and wasn't used. He makes several attempts to debunk various theories about artists who did or didn't use the golden ratio. Not all his arguments are perfect, but he's basically talking about pattern recognition and forms of apophenia. Then he talks about scientific and psychological studies about the golden ratio, their findings, flaws, and merits. And then he takes a strange turn and talks about God, evolution, mathematics, and philosophy. Here is a short article by the author: http://plus.maths.org/content/golden-ratio-and-aesthetics

If you want to learn about grid systems in graphic design and proofs of why Jan Tschichold is an idiot, read The Form of the Book by Jan Tschichold.

Prove me wrong, but you'll never link me anything worth reading because there's a problem for both of us. There are very few scholarly papers or books written about the golden ratio, whether for or against it. You said you don't think it's a fringe theory, but that's exactly how it's seen in the art history / art theory world. That doesn't prove that it has no merit, that's just my understanding of the situation. So there's little reason for any contemporary art historian to talk about it. There's not much incentive for anyone to argue against it, and it would take a very convincing paper or book to break through all the bullshit on blogs to get any art historian to change their mind in favor of it.

I feel like you've been hammered here because of the amateurish nature of your work. Honestly though, I'm pretty sure that's why you came here, knowing that it wasn't up to par, and wanting to know how to change that. Here are some things that I would focus on if I were you:

Typography: By this, I don't mean using different typefaces, but rather the study of how to structure information in a legible manner. I work as a wireframer right now, and everything that I do is Arial. Because of that, I have a maniacal focus on size, leading, value, and block shapes to create a hierarchical system on a grid. A lot of it comes from practice, but I can also recommend some books, Thinking with Type, Designing with Type, Making and Breaking the Grid, and The Mac is Not a Typewriter. Typography is one of the most requested skills by design directors because it is hard and can be very bland, but it is absolutely vital for successful work.

Balance and Rhythm: When you are designing pieces, one of the important things to consider is the structure of negative and positive space. This structure influences the way that the piece is read, and the way that people move through the information. You seem to rely on center aligning things a lot, which is dangerous because it creates no action or movement. This topic isn't as advanced as typography so it's harder to give specific resources, but you can find information on this in any basic design text. I enjoyed Alex White's fundamentals book.

Style and Illustration: The type is amateurish, but what makes the work feel dated is the illustration style. When digital illustration was younger and the tools were rougher, the sort of illustration that I see in your portfolio was very common. The most recent trend has been "Flat", but honestly, anything that can complement or hide the digital nature of its creation can work. If you really would like illustration to be a continued part of your work, I would find some tutorials to really strengthen your Illustrator and Photoshop skills, perhaps stuff from Skillshare or Lynda, or even just internet tutorials.

In General: So to be blunt, you do have a long way to go, I'm not going to sugar coat that. That being said, you do have 2 things extremely in your favor right now.

1. You produce a lot of work. You're getting practice.
   
   
2. You know something is wrong. You're looking for a way to improve.
   
   Ira Glass has a really incredible short piece about creative work that describes the place where you are caught right now. Your taste is not aligning with your skills. You have taken the first step in the right direction, so now you need to go study more and keep seeking critique (Not criticism). Whether that is on design_critiques, or from a colleague or friend doesn't matter. Find a place where someone who is better than you can tell you what isn't working and challenge your status quo.
   
   Good luck, and keep at it!

This probably isn't the most helpful answer, but any resources I might have used to learn the fundamentals myself are probably pretty outdated now. Honestly I'd just try to find highly rated books on Amazon that are reasonably priced. I haven't read this one for psych research methods, but looking through the table of contents, it covers a lot of what I'd expect (ethics, validity and reliability, study design and common methods) and according to the reviews it's clear, concise, and has good stats info in the appendix. I had a similar "handbook" style textbook in undergrad that I liked. For practicing stats, I'm personally more of a learn-by-doing kind of person, and there are some free courses out there like this one from Khan Academy that covers the basics fairly well.

But if you can, take courses in college as electives! Chances are you'll have a few to fill (or maybe audit some if you can't get credit), so go outside of HCDE's offerings to get some complementary skills in research or design. I usually find classrooms to be more engaging than trying to get through a textbook at home on my own, and especially for psych research methods, you'll probably have a project that gives you hands-on experience doing research with human subjects (most likely your peers). There are lots of free online courses out there as well if you aren't able to take them for credit.

You guys are making me miss school.

Getting specifically into UX self-study, in addition to a UX-specific research methods book (this is a newer version of one I read in school) I'd also go through the UX classics like Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things and Emotional Design, Krug's Don't Make Me Think, and Casey's Set Phasers on Stun (this last one being more of a fun read than a practical one).

I'll try to give you a fair answer.
In order to answer your question, I must specify that there isn't a single point of view about what graphic design is. There's people who do work that's based on computer softwares for the 90%, such as photomanipulations or 3d work and still call themselves graphic designers because in the end what they did will be slapped on a poster.
There's people who consider graphic design as something based on pure creativity and artistic ability. Open an issue of Computer Arts or just look at their website, and you'll know what I'm talking about. Alas, those people keep calling themselves graphic designers, but they're not.

Graphic Design is a problem-solving discipline, not a mean of artistic expression. A graphic designer creates identity programs, packaging, books, things that require skills in organizing information and conveying a message in the simplest way possibile. So, to answer your questions:

How artistic do you need to be?
As far as I am concerned, zero. I can't even draw a flower. You are a designer, you design solutions. You don't make art.

How exactly do you get in to graphic design?
Books. Read books, tons of books. It's the best education you can get, even better than what you get in design school, although a formal education is necessary for other aspects of the job.
For a portfolio, you usually show examples of printed work (corporate identity, packaging, posters, you name it) and some online work, such as websites layouts and mobile apps. The balance between print and online depends only on what you enjoy doing the most.

Am I totally off base as to what graphic designers do?
As I said, graphic designers design solutions to problems. A problem might be that a client comes to you and needs an identity program for their new business. You'll have to design a mark or a logotype that conveys the values of their business, as well as other components of the identity such as stationery, business cards, packaging or whatever they need.
For everything that you do, you need to be able to organize the information in the clearest way possible. You need to know about layout, color theory, typography etc.

I suggest that you start by finding out about the work of the best designers alive and not. The first book that I recommend to everyone is Graphic Design Referenced, because it's a brilliant synthesis of everything that you need to know about graphic design. Naturally, you'll need way more books to truly become involved, but this is the best start.

Although it can be a drag, a lot of it does come down to practicing ad nauseam. I do readings absolutely all the time, perhaps especially for friends and family, and sometimes it's unpleasant stuff, but more often than not it's letting them know that things will be okay. And if I can break bad news more gently, that's definitely a good thing!

that said... I do have a couple little tips.

• find a deck with memorable pictures that relate to the message.
  
• every time you do a reading, try to remember what the cards mean before you look.
  
  While some of the cards (Major arcana I'm looking at you) can be pretty arbitrary, the right illustrations help enormously.
  
  A great inexpensive deck (though very odd) is the Steampunk Tarot. The pictures are very helpful and attractive. It's SFW, which is helpful when you're practicing with god knows who. And they are made a little smaller and thinner so it's easier to mix them up and handle them casually.
  
  final note: as much as I love a good novelty tarot deck, they're next to impossible to practice with or even use normally.

WHAT?!

Is this for real?!

I haven't figured out yet how to tell who gave me these flattering awards. But when I do, I'm going to thank you shamelessly... extravagantly... to the point of embarrassment!

And thanks to everyone who gave me a uv! It's really gratifying to get a tangible response that tells you that you help flip on that mental lightswitch belonging to something that feels good to their brain. It is a pay-forward - someone else opened my eyes to the neuro side of art, design, and architecture. Now I dig it so much that it feels like a win to share it, and know that the share makes the recipient happy. I'll stop now before I gush.

Here are my best answers to the questions y'all asked.

u/dumpy_potato, asking for resources about this. YES! It's actually been kind of having a moment for a few years. You can find articles in all the places where neuroscientists, and neuropsychologists are likely to talk about designers; which are the same places where designer would never in a hundred years see them. Ain't science great like that?!

At the bottom of this comment, u/magneto_ms, I'm sharing some links to excellent books and articles on the fundamental principles of neuro-visual yada yada, and the way the brain instinctively responds to the sight of various lines, shapes, depictions of depty/height/mass, particular specific objects or things that resemble them, color combinations and contrasts, etc. (Spoiler alert: The instinctive brain really really responds to babies, faces, and genitalia including boobies. After that comes water, then food.)

Killer examples of designs that epitomize these principles - ones that make my eyes pop, and my brain feel good - is the work of Alexa Hamilton. For example, this cover on her book, The Language of Interior Design. Is that not an eye magnet?! Read her brilliant intro, about how good design makes they viewer's eye travel a particular path around the room. (I'm not a fan of her traditional, ornate style. But her composition is bomb.)

The Neuroscience of Design, Psychology Today

Design on the brain: Combining neuroscience and architecture

Evidence Based Design: When Neuroscience, Psychology, and Interior Design Meet

The Integration of Interior Design and Neuroscience: Towards a Methodology to Apply Neuroscience in Interior Spaces (pdf)

This one particularly rocks!
Picture This: How Pictures Work

Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design

I hope some of these deliver on what you're looking for. HMU anytime if I can offer more.

Timothy Samara books are good for beginners - Making and Breaking the Grid was the book that finally helped me understand grid systems, while Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual was my Freshman year design textbook. The Story of Graphic Design by Patrick Cramsie is also a great GD History book.

In terms of things that are less textbook and more actual books about graphic design, I enjoyed Just My Type a lot. Design Is A Job gives some great advice on the business side of being a designer - pitching to clients, dealing with contracts, etc. How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer has some really interesting interviews with some of the best designers in our field.

And I would be terribly remiss if I didn't mention two of my absolute favorite novels, which happen to be about graphic design. The Cheese Monkeys and its sequel The Learners are fantastic stories about a design student and his experiences both in school and in his first job. Plus, they're written by Chip Kidd, who is an absolutely amazing designer (imho).

But, in case that wasn't enough, I'll also leave you with this link to a previous thread on this subreddit about great GD books.

Good luck and happy reading!

"Modern" is a pretty broad category -- it would help to know more about what kind of art style you're looking for. For example, are you hoping for something that's more minimalist, or detailed? colorful, or monochrome? digitally drawn, or painted? focused on figures, or more inventive with imagery?

That said, here are some decks in a pretty wide variety of styles that come to mind when I think "modern art." I personally own the first six decks on this list and can vouch that I like them; the rest I don't own but I know other people like them.

• The Light Grey Tarot
  
  
• The Cosmos Tarot & Oracle
  
  
• The Body Language Tarot
  
  
• The Fountain Tarot
  
  
• The Dark Goddess Tarot
  
  
• One of my all-time favorite decks, a feminist classic Thea's Tarot is apparently getting a second printing soon! Maybe not in time for your friend's gift, but perhaps for the future.
  
  
• The Book of Shadows Tarot, Volume 1: As Above and Volume 2: So Below
  
  
• The Wild Unknown Tarot
  
  
• The Wooden Tarot
  
  
• The Prisma Visions Tarot
  
  
• The Linestrider Tarot
  
  
• The Wanderer's Tarot: Solar Edition and Midnight Edition
  
  
• The Golden Thread Tarot
  
  
• The Illuminated Tarot (note that this is a playing-card style deck with 53 cards instead of 78)
  
  
• Dame Darcy's Mermaid Tarot
  
  
• The Prismatic Tarot
  
  
• The Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot (I'm including this even though Art Deco is decidedly not modern because it is very different from the traditional RWS style, so your friend might like it anyway)
  
  
• I don't know of any specifically videogame/media themed decks, but The Steampunk Tarot does come to mind as being up that alley, thematically.
  
  I have to stop here otherwise I'll just keep on going, lol, I love talking about different tarot decks. So I'll just leave you with a note that there are lots of items in the Little Red Tarot shop that might interest you.
  
  Hope this helps!

I would suggest starting with the basics.

1. Perspective: Look up two point perspective. Try doing it with a ruler a couple of times. Good. Now do it without a ruler. Many times. Use simple shapes like cubes (cubes are your friend), the move to more difficult ones like cones and spheres. Try to understand how light works on shapes.
   
   
2. Simple objects: Start with easier stuff like fruit and then move to things like glass and fabric. Feel free to look up masterworks of these subjects and try to copy them. Master copies can teach you a lot.
   
   
3. People: Break the human body down. Start with just one thing at a time, like eyes, or hands. Then move to more complicated things like heads and torsos. Then try putting it all together. (The human body is very hard. Never feel bad for struggling with it.)
   
   Those are the basics. After that draw whatever you want. You will still need practice but a strong understanding of perspective and light help a lot.
   
   This is probably not how most fine artists learn to draw, it's closer to how I learned to draw as an Industrial Designer. That being said both methods are valid but for different purposes.
   
   Artists for the most part want to create something very lifelike or emotional. This tends to involve a lot of looking at things and sketching slowly and carefully. Example
   
   Designers on the other hand tend to focus on drawing things quickly, efficiently and with just enough shading to convey an idea. This tends to be most useful when you can only see what you want to draw in your head (usually because it doesn't exist yet).
   
   Edit: Also this book is an amazing resource. You might find it at some libraries.

>lyric poetry 30% (mainly symbolism)
art history 25% (mainly Renaissance and symbolism)
Russian literature 15%
epic poetry 10%
philosophy 10% (mainly Greeks, Spinoza, Camus, etc.)
linguistics 5%
religions 5% (mainly Christianity)

I know you didn't express any interest in it in your post, but I'm going to give my case for Irish Gaelic.

It has a solid quantity of lyric poetry, epic poetry, symbolic art history, and historical Christian documents. I believe it would engage a full 75% of your interests.

How the Irish Saved Civilisation by Thomas Cahill is a book about the Christian monks of 5th-11th century Ireland. These monks are hailed as having maintained a beacon of literacy in Dark Age Europe with their religious and historical writings.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Irish-Saved-Civilization-Irelands/dp/0385418493

Gaelic is also super interesting linguistically. Mordern Irish is nearly mutually intelligable with Old Irish. Far from being archaic or traditional, Gaelic is a punk rocker on the linguistics scene. It doesn't fit into your language's rat race of 'patterns', and 'rules'. Gaelic is simultaneously a graffiti language and an instrument of poetry. Ireland's poetic tradition is long and in both English and Irish.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_poetry

Celtic art has quite a rich and ancient tradition. It's not the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel, but prehistoric through dark age Irish/Pictish art has many subtle secrets to appreciate. We didn't really understand the knotwork until the 20th century. The symbolic meaning of carvings in pre-historic Scotland are still shrouded in mystery today.

https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Art-Methods-Construction-Instruction/dp/0486229238/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2NIOFHDXK0R0P&keywords=george+bain+celtic+art&qid=1554692813&s=gateway&sprefix=george+bain&sr=8-1

Irish is in a revival, Ireland is beautiful, and most importantly, Irish is on Duolingo.

It kind of depends on what kind of calligraphy you'd like to try.

I'm still very much a learner myself, so take my recommendations with a grain of salt. But for traditional calligraphy, I like a pilot parallel and this book: The Calligrapher's Bible. It's not the best for basic technique, but for playing around and deciding what I liked it's been excellent.

I haven't found a good book for flex nib calligraphy, yet; I've mostly been working from printed sheets on the internet. The nib I'm using right now is a so-so speedball kit that takes a lot of pressure.

I strongly recommend this jetpens writeup which I've just found; there's a lot of great information here.

On an additional note, I've found that while I'm learning, a light table has been great for practice. It takes the pressure off of being able to eyeball and/or draw out all the needed guide lines; I can just trace while I get a feel for the basic mechanics of the pen. I wish I'd had one when I was learning traditional calligraphy, because it's really flattened the learning curve with brush and pointed pen.

Edit: out of curiosity, would anyone care to explain why I'm being downvoted here? It would be nice to engage in discussion on this, since the downvotes don't help either Sweatshirt or myself...

My big advice to you is to take a step back and work on studies from life. It's much better looking than my first digital landscape, so props to that. But there's a lot of work that needs to be done here so I'll try to point stuff out as succinctly as possible (I wish I could do a live crit. It would be so much easier) but here goes.

1. First thing I notice is the chunky mountains in the background. Why? Because your design is telling my eye to go straight there. All the high contrast elements are pointing straight at that mountain. Consider this painting by James Gurney; He's using color, contrast, and guiding lines to direct our eyes to the big city center. Look around and notice how he takes you on a little adventure as one thing points you to another. It's very important for you to direct peoples attention to things you want them to see.
   
2. Overall there is a lot of unbalance in this image. It's very dark and heavy on the left. Not a lot of defined lighting or interesting elements. It's a big dark mass taking up have your visual space with no visual payoff. Consider this work from Ruxing Gao; there are different elements on either side of the painting, however it feels balanced overall. This might be too complex an idea to explain via text. TL;DL Flip/mirror your work. You will see this unbalance.
   
3. There's also a clash of themes. It looks like ruins of some sort, but the elements on the right look Roman/Greek and the elements on the left look almost modern. You should pick one or if you mix themes you need to be able to tell the viewer why or how they mix. And that's hard to do.
   
4. I'm not connecting with any story here. I think I see a little guy fishing? No idea. Not everything you make has to tell a illustrated story like a comic book, but you do need to tell a visual story. What's this about? What are we looking at? Why do you want people to look at this thing? Is is pretty, or interesting, or creepy, or intriguing? Why would someone stop and look at this? "Because I made it" will never be enough. The image has to grab people and tell them something with visuals. For this I recommend Picture This; a book that will take away all the details and simply talk about constructing an image.
   
5. Take this image as a list of things to study. Just about everything here could be better. Start by studying mountain landscapes, work on some architecture, move on to ruins, plant life, but before you do any of that, you need to understand light and color. I recommend this book, it's cheep and well put together. You will learn a lot from this book.
   
   That's all I got for now. If you have any questions I'll try to reply as soon as I see it. Otherwise, hope this helps and pushes you to improve. I do see potential here, if you commit your time and work hard. Cheers

> Am I to infer that companies mostly care about it for PR reasons?

Legal, actually. If your work is an education, or heathcare, or any number of other things, the ADA can require you to be accessible. But, most consumer websites are pretty bad about accessibility. I consider usability and accessibility to be distinct, definitely similar, but usability is about patterns and accessibility is.. well, also about patterns, but has a lot more of a code component to it.

In theory, a website who's content is contained in well structured HTML should be fairly accessible by default, at least by technologies like screen readers. You run into trouble in style, things like colors in particular. Use colors to convey meaning in a way where the meaning is lost on a black and white color scheme? Inaccessible. Use text colors on backgrounds that don't have a high enough contrast ratio for things like buttons? Inaccessible. Those are the kinds of things someone who designs for some kinds of fields have to deal with, but the folks at Reddit don't really have to concern themselves with. If they do, it's out of PR, or ethics.

The 90/5/5 rule isn't a hard and fast one, but within the subject of accessibility it is just a reapplication. You might say accessibility targets the 90 percent of users in the middle of some imaginary impairment spectrum. The point of the 90/5/5 rule is really more philosophic than mathamatic: It is basically saying you will never design a system that works for literally everyone. Never.

On this second point, one thing I have to point out immediately is that usability studies are primarily industry-driven. Usability standards and research academically was big in the 1980s, but the academic side of HCI has moved on from "quaint" notions like usability. It is the industry, no academia, that drives that now. The sources I posted for instance, are industry sources, one of them, Nielson-Norman Group, gets paid ungodly sums of money to do usability audits of commercial websites.

The truth is people's preferences are not based on usability, they're based on affect. There's a great, groundbreaking book on this that if you're truly interested in you should read, called Emotional Design: Why we Love or Hate Everyday Things. The author, Don Norman, is the "Norman" in Nielson-Norman Group. Here's a big takeaway, if someone loves or hates software, or any tool, is often not based on how usable it is. People don't make those kinds of decisions on logic, they make them on emotion.

Good UX work should include the affective nature of design. It isn't pure science, it shouldn't treat people like robots, and it should acknowledge that people's preferences are non-scientific and should be accounted for in an emotional way. But, that's not usability. Usability is the more scientific side of UX, the part the measures how well something works. Probably the reason I've gotten so much flak for daring to stand up for any aspect of the reddit redesign is that I'm defending it's usability, which has nothing to do with its likeability. A distinction that is second nature to me, because I'm a professional in this field, but obviously is not to others.

My point is, and has been from the beginning, the new reddit design is not unusable. In fact, it likely is more usable than the original reddit design. People hating it is not based on its usability.

For lockpicking, /r/lockpicking has a good beginner's guide. I like SouthOrd lock picks, and you really just need a couple to get started. A hook, shallow hook, half-diamond, some kind of rake (city or bogato), and a tension wrench will let you pick most padlocks and house locks you see (never pick a lock you depend on, never pick without permission).

For calligraphy, I normally do traditional nibs, but I've been getting a lot of mileage out of my Pilot Parallel pens lately, and they'd be great for a beginner. The 2.4 and 3.8 mm nibs would be good for learning. Get a good quality paper like Rhodia so the ink doesn't feather and a straight edge, and you're good to go.

I looked around online for a while at calligraphy tutorials on-line for you, and I didn't see anything that compared to what I have in books so you'll probably want a book to get you started. Since this is /r/dnd, I'm going to recommend Medieval Calligraphy. It has a really broad range of medieval styles and really helpful advice for learning and doing nice finished pieces.

Uncategorized:

Thoughts On Design: Paul Rand


Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design

How to Be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul

100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design

Paul Rand

Paul Rand: Conversations with Students

Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design

Bauhaus

The Vignelli Canon

Vignelli From A to Z

Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible

It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book

Damn Good Advice (For People with Talent!)

Josef Muller-Brockmann: Pioneer of Swiss Graphic Design

Popular Lies About Graphic Design

100 Ideas that Changed Art

100 Diagrams That Changed the World

Basics Design 08: Design Thinking

Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920-1965

Lella and Massimo Vignelli (Design is One)

The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice

History of the Poster

How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer

The Design of Dissent: Socially and Politically Driven Graphics

George Lois: On His Creation of the Big Idea

Milton Glaser: Graphic Design

Sagmeister: Made You Look

Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss?

Things I have learned in my life so far

Covering the '60s: George Lois, the Esquire Era

Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

[Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration]
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812993012/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=VEJ64Y4T0U6J&coliid=I1WMMNNLTRBQ9G)

Graphic Design Thinking (Design Briefs)

I Used to Be a Design Student: 50 Graphic Designers Then and Now

The Form of the Book: Essays on the Morality of Good Design

Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills

Information Graphics: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference

Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams, Networks, Maps

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

Envisioning Information

The elements of dynamic symmetry

The elements of content strategy

Corporate Diversity: Swiss graphic design and advertising

Book Design: a comprehensive guide

Meggs' History of Graphic Design

What's worked for me really well was learning about the different roles that a UX oriented person can do. There are a lot of various hats you can wear under the UX umbrella like Interaction Designer, Information Architecture, User Research, and a few more from there.

I'd suggest doing your research, learning as much as you can whether that be reading the latest posts on blogs, reading books or even jumping on twitter and contacting some really great ux'ers out there right now.

I'm a designer that's slowly making the transition too, and this is what worked out really well for me, not saying it's going to be your answer but hopefully some of it helps!

I use www.uxmag.com to just read some articles and keep up to date on what people think within the field.

The best learning that I've had so far though would be from books that I've had suggested to me from various UX designers within the industry right now:

Emotional Design


Project Guide To UX Design

If you want to keep chatting about it feel free to PM me and I'll help out as much as I can! :)

Excellent, let me nerd out for a second about suits. Also, that documentary is a GREAT starting point. Personally, it makes me want to become a tailor, and it makes me sad that tailoring is becoming a dying breed of old people who have no younger people to take up their mantle.

---

So, before you get into the process of suit making and all of that, and the art that is tailoring. I encourage you to read up on what makes a suit, a suit. But, I'll cut it down real simply for you and leave some links so that you can read up on in depth if it suits you (hodor).

Let's start with the most basic question. What is the foundation of the suit? Strangely, the foundation of the suit, is the shoulder. The drape of your suit and the cut of your suit starts from the shoulder and moves downward. So like we always say, if it doesn't fit on the shoulder, put it back on the rack. There are tons of different types of cuts for shoulders, and how it's padding, and how the sleeve is attached to the shoulder that is all unique to each cut, although it is becoming more homogenized (Personally, I'm an italian cut kinda guy, Neapolitan in specific). How do you like your shoulders? Straight across? Narrower? No padding at all? Extreme sloping? These are the questions you should consider when bespoking your suit, or purchasing your suit in general. How do you like your shoulder to sing?

Next, lets move onto the beauty that is the lapel roll, the flower of the suit, the thing that blooms, the detail that gives your suit depth. A detail that simply resonates with the rest of your suit, don't be flat (jos. a bank), the lapel roll is a piece of art of itself, and a good dry cleaner will not press the life out of the lapel. Of course, you could just do it yourself.

So now that we have touched the outside of the suit. Let's dig a little deeper, how about the inside of the suit? Perhaps as important as the shoulder, is your canvassing. Why is it important? Because canvas is what gives your suit a shape, it's the thing that slowly molds to your body, a quality suit will slowly mold to your body and drape better and better with each wear. A suit with the proper insides need's no hanger to give it shape (put it on a hanger). It almost wears itself (ignore the fact that they are trying to sell something).

Here is some more reading on canvassing

In closing, how about some master tailors talking about their art?

Rudolph Popradi

Martin Greenfield

Multiple tailors from naples discuss their life of tailoring

And now, some books.

A menswear book, a little more for the older gents and those more intersted in history. But very much a classic book that is highly praised for being all encompassing.

How about a book that teaches you to make your own garments?


And a machiavallian approach to the suit. Maybe not as highly praised, but more reading can't hurt that much.

Let's ask some people about their thoughts on the suit and it's changes through the years.

1, 2, 3, 4.

And let's touch on the tuxedo for a bit, probably a little pretentious (especially that esquire guy), but for some reason I like watching people dress up while giving their thoughts..

And finally, a series of videos on a class about suit construction (mainly for women).

Probably doesn't entirely answer your questions, but hey, suits are awesome. If I had enough money to wear a suit everyday for every situation (james bond) I would. If you have the opportunity to apprentice under a tailor, I highly suggest it, maybe you won't become a master tailor, and you most likely will not get paid, but it would be an awesome experience to be under a master craftsman.

I'm delighted to see this kind of topic here, as flow is one of my main design goals when designing anything. I might go so far as say it is part of my core game design philosophy.

That said, there are several subjects that other users have covered very well here, that I think you should look into, but...

>I realized that RPGs very rarely, if ever, come into a state of flow.

I think the thing to look out for here, is that RPGs are a complex activity, highly idiosyncratic and, because of that, flow can happen within different aspects of it.

A flow in narrative immersion is what I aim for but, as players tend to focus on different parts of the activity, it is perfectly possible to create a game focused on achieving flow through, i.e. combat strategy and knowledge of the system on a reflective level¹.

To achieve flow, therefore, you need, I believe, certain things to be in agreement:

1. The players need to relate to RPGs roughly in the same manner. While it is possible to, with time, adapt the playstyle of the group to something that satisfies players individually, it is hard to concile, for example, a power player with a player that focuses more on roleplaying and narrative, depending on how extreme their behaviours are;
   
   
2. The system needs to agree with the group's overall sentiment. A freeform narrative type of system might get in the way of a group seeking more tactical, rules-heavy combat, and will detract from the kind of flow the group is seeking, while a rules-heavy system with miniatures and grids and tables might inconvenience players that are more interested in the roleplay aspect of RPGs.
   
   ¹ I'd recommend you reading Norman's Emotional Design, as it has some pretty direct parallels to concepts used by the SRK Model that /u/Brokugan mentioned.

Working cools vs warms is a little complicated. I recommend buying some painting books and color theory books to really know what I'm talking about. Basically decide what is going to be the structure of your painting, value or warm/cool shifts. So lets say you decide value (basically you'll find a lot if values, strong darks and lights). Warm/ cool shifts in this context could mean: most of the shadows will feel cooler than the lights (or vise versa). The way you mix that would be: shadows made of violets, greens, blues + a slight neutralizer (the opposite color) or a shade like black, or grey and the lights with bright versions or the hue shifted to things like red, yellows, oranges. (Know that context determines whether a color feels warm or cool. blue can be warm if surrounded by certain neutrals etc etc) However, instead of painting the shadow of on an arm brown, paint it violet. Warm cool shifts work best when there is little value. So if the shadow is Waaaaay darker than the highlight, don't push the violet too much. But let's say you decided to have little value in a painting and wanted space to be formed through warm/cools then make the highlights from red tints and the shadow from violet with no change or little change in value. You see this type of painting Impressionism to contemporary work and prior to Impressionism most painting is value based (due to pigments and the color theories of the time). Extreme values make an easy read for a work, while warm/cools play tricks on the eye and are visually unstable, which makes a painting visually develop over time (stand in front of some Rothko works and you'll know what I mean). It really depends on what you're going for. Also paint from life. Photos flatten things out tremendously and you'll see a lot more color and dimension from actual observation.

Color theory book I recommend: The Elements of Color:

1. A Treatise on the Color System of Johannes Itten Based on His Book the Art of Color
   http://amzn.com/0471289299
   
   
2. Interaction of Color: Revised Edition
   http://amzn.com/0300018460
   
   
3. Interaction of Color: Revised and Expanded Edition
   http://amzn.com/0300115954
   
   Painting technique book I also recommend:
   Portrait Painting Atelier: Old Master Techniques and Contemporary Applications
   http://amzn.com/082309927X
   
   Sorry I'm on mobile and 3:30am so I am a but too exhausted to make those clickable. I look forward to seeing more of your paintings :)
   
   A Cezanne portrait where his colors in the face do what I'm talking about (using color to make planar shifts or space) http://www.canvasreplicas.com/images/Paul%20Cezanne%20Self%20Portrait.jpg
   
   A Degas based on warm cool shifts: http://uploads3.wikipaintings.org/images/edgar-degas/the-pink-dancers-before-the-ballet-1884.jpg

Zero experience?

If you have no experience in typography or design, I recommend learning typography as a starting point. Letterpress printing is a fascinating pursuit on its own, but you'll get much more out of it if you prepare yourself with a strong foundation in typography.

The cool thing about learning typography as it's more often practiced today is there's plenty of carryover from the metal type of a letterpress. Terms like leading and uppercase have meanings that transcend the physical medium, but relate to the history of applying typography with metal type. That's the best way to look at letterpress printing — it's a specific form of applied typography.

To learn how to use a letterpress without learning general typography is to learn penmanship without knowing a written language.

To get started, I recommend reading an introductory typography book:

http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Type-5th-Edition-Typography/dp/0823014134/

Practice a bit, then make your way through Bringhurst:


http://www.amazon.com/The-Elements-Typographic-Style-Anniversary/dp/0881792128/

Much of Bringhurst will be review, but you won't fully appreciate it without already having a basic comprehensive understanding.

Any learning you can do before touching a machine should be done. I recommend this path because working with a letterpress is time consuming and potentially expensive. If you jump straight into producing letterpress work without a typographic background, it will be of poor quality. You can learn the basics much faster digitally, while also gaining the eye that will help you when you move into letterpress printing.

The Bringhurst Bible

James Victore's book is amazing. It's a quick read but is packed with inspiration.

Envisioning Information is great for info design.

Megg's History of Graphic Design


The rest of these I haven't read yet, but here is a list of things I currently have on my amazon wish list:

Some People Can't Surf by Art Chantry

Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design by Jennifer Bass

Seventy-Nine Short Essays on Design by Michael Bierut

Damn Good Advice by George Lois

How To Be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy

How To Think Like A Great Graphic Designer by Debbie Millman

The Design of Dissent by Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic

Iron Fists: Branding the 20th Century Totalitarian State by Steven Heller

I came here to say imposter syndrome as well, but seems like you already have some great advice above, so instead I'll recommend a book. Check out How to Think Like a Graphic Designer by Debbie Millman. It's filled with interviews of renowned designers, and you get to read about some of their personal struggles...yes, even these big name designers that seem to have everything figured out! Best of luck and work hard. You'll be fine!

Casual:
Jeans: Jacob Cohen
Shirts: Emmanuel Berg, Hugo Boss
Blazers: Paul Smith, Hugo Boss
Sweaters: Emmanuel Berg (cashmere), Ralph Lauren (merino)
Pants: Hugo Boss
Jackets: Joop, Hugo Boss, Barbour, Burberry
Shoes: crocket & jones

Office/Work:
Shirts: Emmanuel Berg, Hugo Boss, but considering bespoke options
Blazers: Paul Smith, Hugo Boss
Suits: Corneliani M2M, but considering bespoke options
Pants: Hugo Boss
Coats: Joop, Burberry
Shoes: Crocket & Jones, Hugo Boss

Other stuff, like ties (rarely use them), or handkerchiefs, pretty much anything good, emmanuel berg, armani, boss, hermes.

cuff links: anything good.

Hair style: Fairly short, but with an old school cut (think Gatsby).

Note: I am 40,in decent physical shape, and due to the nature of my work, dressing well is kind of a requirement (consulting), so this looks natural on me. Oh, and live in Europe.

Edit:
I should perhaps add that I actually like male fashion in a timeless sense, and take a very hard look at the look I want to achieve (timelessness, natual, refined). For any man who wants to take their wardrobe to the "next level", I'd strongly recommend two books:

http://www.amazon.com/Dressing-Man-Mastering-Permanent-Fashion/dp/0060191449

and

http://www.amazon.com/The-Suit-Machiavellian-Approach-Style/dp/0060891866

They will both give you the basics of suits, materials, etc, with references to old-school male icons... think mad men on steroids... in the style department...

but never forget, style without substance is worthless.. fashion/style is not necessarily "peacocking", but it does help in attraction of course ;)

For young people, certain things just look like you’re trying too damn hard: bowties, pocket squares, French cuffs, white collars on a colored shirt, suspenders, wide-spread collars, vested suit (sometimes), etc.

It’s easy to blame other people, but your clothes are prompting their reaction. I don’t know you and I don’t know the way you dress. But perhaps you should think about trying to be more subtle: buying nice clothes that aren’t at all ostentatious. Don’t wear bowties if, when you wear one, people make comments.

In my opinion, the majority of advice on MFA will make a high school or college students look good for other high school or college students. If I wore my pants below my natural waste or if I wore wingtips or a bow tie, the men at my work would think I was an immature, insecure, hipster douche bag. There is nothing wrong with those things, but dress to your audience. Being stylish, being able to express your own, personal style, within the bounds of what’s acceptable to your peers is a true and worthy challenge. An artist is limited by the artistic media he chooses to work with. So to, you are limited by your lifestyle, income, peer group, profession, region, etc. Strive to be stylish and express yourself within you lifestyle’s bounds. Then you will look good without looking like you’re wearing a costume to try to look good.

If following the advice on this forum is getting criticism, I’d like to suggest some alternative sources for advice:

http://www.amazon.com/Dressing-Man-Mastering-Permanent-Fashion/dp/0060191449/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344004043&sr=8-1&keywords=allan+flusser

http://www.amazon.com/Clothes-Man-Principles-Fine-Dress/dp/0394546237/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344004043&sr=8-2&keywords=allan+flusser

http://www.amazon.com/GENTLEMAN-TIMELESS-GUIDE-FASHION-Ullmann/dp/3833152702/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

http://www.amazon.com/The-Suit-Machiavellian-Approach-Style/dp/0060891866/ref=pd_sim_b_7 (especially the chapter for “young” persons)

http://www.amazon.com/Elegance-Menswear-G-Bruce-Boyer/dp/0393304388/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344004086&sr=1-1&keywords=bruce+boyer

http://www.amazon.com/Eminently-Suitable-G-Bruce-Boyer/dp/0393028771/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344004086&sr=1-3&keywords=bruce+boyer

Your library should have these, as they are menswear “classics.” The books are well-written and, though older than something like “Esquire The Handbook of Style,” the advice is better. How to dress well is a timeless art.

New Complete Guide to Sewing for general sewing techniques.

For tailoring men's clothes, Classic Tailoring Techniques (and women's.)

For pattern drafting, Winnifred Aldrich has a great line of books.
There's also Fundamentals of Men's Fashion Design, casual and tailored. As well as Patternmaking for Fashion Design.

For corsets, Waisted Efforts and The Basics of Corset Building are good.

For making shirts, Shirtmaking.

For learning to sew stretch/knit fabrics, Sew U: Home Stretch is pretty good.

And for just having a bunch of fun with patterns, the Pattern Magic series is plain awesome. I think there's three of them out now.

Edit: thought of more!

The Art of Manipulating Fabric is great. And www.threadsmagazine.com as well as the corresponding print publication.

There are a lot of people recommending certain books and videos, but personally those suggestions never worked out for me and arent the best start since they concentrate on being too flashy or don't teach the basics. The 2 books you want to buy are

Sketching: The Basics - Koos Eissen, Roselien Steur

Sketching: Drawing Techniques for Product Designers

Both are hard cover at a price of $29 and are by far the best sketching tutorial and reference books I ever purchased.

And as a starting point to sketching, buy a batch of fine point ball point pens (I recommend the Bic Ultra Round Stic Grip Black Ink Fine purchased at Staples), a ream of paper, and just start drawing straight lines across the pages.
Draw with the pen to build confidence, draw straight lines because it's the basis of product design sketching.

Then take those 2 books I recommend, and start copying page by page while practicing straight lines every day (2-3 pages a day)

• The Form of the Book by Jan Tschichold
  
• The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
  
  These are mostly directed at classical book design, so they probably tend more conservative than you should do for a magazine, but these books actual spell out rules for what you should do (I'm a big believer in handcuffing yourself to rules for the purpose of understanding them, and then breaking them later), which is I think what you're asking for.
  
  My sorta summary/advice based heavily on what I read in the above books:
  
  Don't decorate; be confident. There's definitely an urge to add little horizontal rules above things or boxes around page elements. Tischichold especially points out how young designers can't help but put a thin box around the inside title page of books. He says it shows a lack of confidence. The solution is to have a justification for where you put things.
  
  Basically, if you have a baseline grid for the page, then you can place page elements on it and know that they will be harmonic with the overall page.
  
  Page numbers can honestly go anywhere as long as it's not the inside edge. Putting them there means the publication has to be completely open in order to use the page numbers, which is annoying.
  
  Don't put repeating information on pages. It's annoying to have the author's name or the book title at the top of every single page. Again, this is a demonstration of a lack of confidence. I believe the thinking is that if the pages are photocopied and distributed, then people will know where it came from. DRM annoys.
  
  Usually the font size for notes will be smaller than the main text, so keep aware of the leading difference between the two, especially if you put notes along the side. The leading shouldn't necessarily be equal, but it should be a multiple of the main content, so that every three or four lines the text aligns again.
  
  I hope none of that was totally irrelevant to your project :) Good luck!

There are a lot of books out there that will help you. At OSU we're using this book for reference (required) in our sketching class: http://www.amazon.com/Sketching-The-Basics-2nd-printing/dp/9063692536/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343289990&sr=8-1&keywords=sketching

There are a ton of other books specifically for ID type sketching if you want that I can recommend. There are also a lot of online resources and videos both that can be bought or are free. Here is one very good resource/reference.

http://www.sketch-a-day.com/

ID sketching is different from fine arts sketching. If you are not comfortable drawing/practicing using your own imagination, try imitating/copying ID sketches from professionals. You need to build a visual vocabulary before you can draw/make your own products/designs. Copying helps a lot to give you that foundation.

Edit: Learning how to draw in perspective is a key foundational skill in ID sketching. Also, rendering using things like marker, etc ... they come later and can take awhile to learn. Prioritize basic sketching using a medium you are comfortable with (honestly though, I think the majority of professionals use a simple/cheap pen [not pencil although you're welcome to use it if you're better at it]).

Nice find! I found those nibs to be rather sharp, so it takes some practice to get the hang of them, but you can get some very nice calligraphy with them!

The book I started with was: https://www.amazon.com/Write-Now-Complete-Program-Handwriting/dp/0876781180/ but there is a lot more to explore with edged pen calligraphy! A whole other approach is https://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Calligraphy-Technique-Lettering-Typography/dp/0486261425/ ... have fun and don't get too frustrated, just go slow! It takes some practice!

I have a friend who is a really talented calligrapher and these are the pens he uses!

I think I know what you mean. For broad edge, I'd suggest Michelle Brown's A Guide To Western Historical Manuscripts. I'm not sure what the answer is for pointed pen.

Brown's book is meant for paleographers (historians who read old manuscripts) not calligraphers, so it won't have anything like a ductus or comments on how to do the scripts inside. What it does have is a crap ton of scripts, laid out in high-quality full-page photos from the original manuscripts in a nice large format.

If you want instructions for how to do said scripts, I'd recommend The Historical Source Book for Scribes, by Brown (again) and Patricia Lovett, an accomplished calligrapher. This won't have quite the breadth you're after (it only has 14 scripts vs. 55 in Guide to Western historical manuscripts), but I think it's a valuable starting point to learning scripts from just a manuscript, as I talk about at length here (that comment also has some links to online libraries with extensive digitization projects; it takes some work to get what you want out of them, but once you do the selection and image quality is miles better than any book).

If you can't find an affordable copy of "historical source book" (the price seems to fluctuate wildly), Drogin's Medieval Calligraphy is not as good, but still a good starting point. And it's super cheap.

Also, I wouldn't recommend Harris' The Calligrapher's Bible. It's overdone in some areas and underdone in others, as I talk about here.

Sorry to link to my own replies so much, but I have a lot to say on this topic and I only have so much time to type :)

> I'll never meet a guy that will love me back. There's no one that's remotely interested in me. I'm too awkward. Even if I did find a guy, he'd probably leave me anyway.

I lived in SF for a long time and I can tell you that people of all stripes and levels of awkwardness find love, I saw it all the time.

The people at Pixar say things get better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4MR8oI_B8

As for your parents, people find comfort in having scapegoats and people who are followers tend to listen to leaders who are happy to supply scapegoats - in the past (US) it was the Irish, Italians, Chinese, Polish, etc nowadays for rednecks it is the immigrants, for flag wavers it is ISIS, for Mormons it is the gays. One way to think of these people is morally immature and easily lead astray by the authority figures they rely on to tune their moral compass. You have to be the bigger man. In this case, yes they are torturing you but it is because they think it is what they are supposed to do. Success is your best revenge.

As far as jobs or education here is a secret - being a middle manager or something is not necessarily more rewarding than being a barista. Honor and fulfillment come from how you conduct your life and how you treat others. Chop wood, carry water there is much to be said for humility and simplicity. You can learn more for free from the best schools in the world on iTunes University than you could at BYU.
https://diyscholar.wordpress.com/guide-to-itunesu/

"Do not let yourself be guided by the authority of the sacred texts, nor by simple logic, nor by appearance or opinion, nor even by the teachings of your master; when you know in yourself that something is bad, then give it up, and accept the good and follow it." -Buddha

You are stuck in a place where people live in a very small bubble and they all believe it is real, it is not and there are many amazing and fulfilling things out there that you should try out before you kill yourself. Here are just three books with alternative ideas about spirituality, philosophy and jobs - you can stop living live exclusively from the POV of the Mormon bubble without letting anyone else know that you are doing it - for now while you are still in prison, once you are out you can be your own man.

http://www.amazon.com/Chop-Wood-Carry-Water-Fulfillment/dp/0874772095
http://www.amazon.com/Wabi-Sabi-Artists-Designers-Poets-Philosophers/dp/0981484603
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180

If your interest is graphic design, start with indesign. Getting into fancy Photoshop tutorials will only derail you and give false hope that you can make a living out of making cool looking images that the internet adores. Learn indesign, and pair it with reading. If you haven't done much reading on graphic design, (this read)[http://www.amazon.com/Layout-Workbook-Real-World-Building-Graphic/dp/1592533523/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323732190&sr=8-1] is a great start, imo.

The best tutorial is the help file that comes with the software. Don't get trapped in the Photoshoppin' culture. Think of them as mere tools for your creativity, not sources of it.

I love the books by Yoshiko Tsukiori, including:

Stylish Dress Book: Wear with Freedom

Sweet Dress Book: 23 Dresses of Pattern Arrangement

Amazon carries more by her and others.

Men's patterns are less common, but here are two:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/61669506/mens-coat-by-ryuichiro-shimazaki

https://www.amazon.com/Otoko-No-Shatsu-Hon/dp/4579111109/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BERT1MM1RQ2Q1PQ491P0

You will find many Japanese pattern books and magazines on Etsy and eBay. Pomadour24 on Etsy carries a lot.

This blog reviews books and magazines.

On this French-language blog, people post the things they've made. A number refers to the book and the style.

Some of the books are only in Japanese, but many people are able to follow the drawings. Lots of sites provide guidance. Some are in French. Increasing numbers are being translated into English.

If you're interested in pattern magazines, I assume you know that you have to trace the pattern. I love the sturdy pattern paper that Japanese pattern book patterns are printed on and the way they can be easily folded back up when you're done traciing. If you find some books you like they can be really economical to use.

You need to draw through. That means drawing every side of the cube, even if you don't see that corner.

None of your lines are straight. Practice one movement of your arm that results in a perfectly straight line. it's hard to make yourself learn this but practice is important. once you have that one perfectly straight stroke just rotate your paper around and do the same motion every time.

You also need to work on your perspective.

these are some great books to start with: 1-2-3.

I personally don't think you are too old.

I used to sew for fun when I was 16, stopped after leaving school and began again at the age of 23/24. I have been steadily re-learning all of the techniques I was taught at school, and have been attending college courses on sewing and dressmaking too. I am now at the stage where I am working on my own project portfolio, but will happily admit that I am still learning lots of new things.

I will agree with /u/heliotropedit though. you do have to be completely 100% dedicated to learning everything you can.

You will end up spending hours and hours practicing the same techniques over and over again. You will want to quit at times and need to motivate yourself to carry on and push through to the end. You'll want to cry on occasions at how tired you are and how you feel that your work simply isn't good enough and how it never will be. You will see other people wearing beautifully crafted garments and feel angry at your own lack of skills. but when you finally break through and create a perfectly drafted and constructed garment, you will realise all of that time, pain, upset and sheer panic will have been 100% worth it.

But before you ever reach this point, you need to be completely certain that it is what you want to do, the tailoring profession is very difficult to break into and it takes true dedication and sacrifice and time (years) to make it.

NB a few good books to help:- (the first three books are good for beginners, the last 4 books are aimed at the more intermediate level sewers)

Easy Does It Dressmaking

The Sewing Book

The Dressmakers Handbook

Couture Sewing Techniques as recommended to me by /u/heliotropedit.

Couture Sewing: Tailoring Techniques

Classic Tailoring Techniques: Menswear

Classic Tailoring Techniques: Womenswear

A lot of calligraphy is about pen angle, which means keeping the nib at a consistent angle to the baseline regardless of the direction you are moving the pen. Learning to control your pen angle can help improve your letters. Learning a few different calligraphic hands can help you improve your style. It is a good idea to draw individual letters in a style first, then work towards words.

I highly recommend The Calligrapher's Bible by David Harris. It's a great little book with all the info the beginner needs, and 100 different calligraphy styles illustrated.

5'7" here. I've read a lot of these guides over the years, and this is easily one of the best. Well done.

On suits, I'm going to have to disagree with this:

> Unlike most people, you don’t want your suit jacket to cover your rear completely.

This works for short and slim (and young), but if you've got some, erm, shape to your rear, you'll want to cover it. Cropped jackets also won't fly in most workplaces that require suits.

I've actually been thinking about this a lot lately, and I think a better guide is something like this:

> Jackets should be just long enough to fall straight.

There's probably a better way to word it, but basically, you want the jacket to not flare out at the bottom.

I've also dug into the oft-repeated "rule" about short guys not wearing double-breasted suit jackets, and after going back to sources like The Suit, I've found there's an exception: unless you can have it custom-made.

Couple examples of short guys in double-breasted suits: 1 2

On typography:

• The Elements of Typographic Style, the Bible of Typography.
  
• Thinking with Type, a nice overview of how type works.
  
• Detail in Typography, on the finer points of type.
  
  On grids:
  
  
• Raster Systeme, by the eminent expert of the Swiss School.
  
• Making and Breaking the Grid, a modern update on the timeless grid.
  
  On colour:
  
  
• The Art of Color, a classic on color.
  
• Interaction of Color, another classic text on color (theory).
  
  On usability:
  
  
• Don't Make Me Think, a classic on web usability.
  
• The Design of Everyday Things, a general usability Urtext.
  
• Understanding Comics, a great primer from an unlikely field.
  
  On information design:
  
  
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, the master at work.
  
  On inspiration:
  
  
• How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer, inspiration from the field.
  
• How to Be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul
  
  On theory:
  
  
• What is a designer, philosophical musings, existential questions.
  
• Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field, theoretical backgrounds on the craft.
  
  On history:
  
  
• Meggs' History of Graphic Design, a canonical classic.
  
• Graphic Design: A New History, an alternative narrative.
  
  Monographs:
  
  
• From Lascaux to Brooklyn, the inimitable Paul Rand.
  
• Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design, the art of Saul Bass.
  
• Tibor Kalman, Perverse Optimist, the exceptional work of Mr Kalman.

What about the Steampunk Tarot? (There are a couple but this is the one I mean: The Steampunk Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738726389/)

Maybe also check out the Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot, Pagan Otherworlds, and Darkness of Light Tarot. These aren’t in the same digital art style but they might appeal to you.

Before buying anything, I’d recommend searching on YouTube for deck flip throughs (if you don’t already do that) so that you know you’ll like the whole deck.

Edited to add: Decks by Kim Huggens also look similar to Ciro Marchetti so you might want to look at those too!

Edited to add: Another one to check out is Ellis Deck: https://ellistrations.bigcartel.com/product/ellis-deck-5th-edition Very heavily RWS-based (though not a clone) but the illustrations are truly unique. The colors look pretty bright in photos, but the real-life colors are more muted.

Something I've taken a liking to is medieval style calligraphy. Check out Marc Drogin's book on the subject. There are a good number of different hands which span hundreds of years, and great fun to practice. Plus you get all the interesting historical tidbits and visuals.

My favorites are Gothic Littera Bastarda and Insular Majuscule

I'm also somewhere in the middle. I can never see myself working abstractly, but I don't want to be just another cog in the machine of disney's latest meatgrinder project.

The reason I brought up Piet Mondrian is because he went from very realistic down to the simplest shapes and primary colors. Perhaps shape design is something worth looking into for you.

There's a book.. Well.. I say book, it's more like a leaflet. By Molly Bang on composition and imagery.
https://www.amazon.com/Picture-This-How-Pictures-Work/dp/1452151997

And it's quite interesting in terms of shape design and "shape language". It's a great introduction to the many uses of shapes and perhaps you already know about it, in which case I'm sorry I can't help more. But if you don't want to get into too much on light and form, shapes are a good place to start.

Oh boy, history of graphic design was my favorite thing in college and during my thesis research. It puts so much into perspective once you go trough all the little things in history. Here are some books i would recommend:
[Graphic Design, Referenced – by Bryony Gomez-Palacio] (https://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Design-Referenced-Language-Applications/dp/1592537421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467706816&sr=8-1&keywords=graphic+design+referenced)

The Elements of Typographic Style – by Robert Bringhurst
The Fundamentals of Graphic Design Paperback – by Paul Harris
Design Elements, 2nd Edition by Timothy Samara
Thinking with Type – Ellen Lupton

From history, great stuff on: Bauhaus, Dada, Brodovitch,Helvetika (there's even a great documentary on Helvetica), Gestalt principles, Whitespace... You could try and get some textbooks on these topics or just google.
(protip: type into google name of the book and finish the search with filetype:pdf there are many books that you can get free pdfs that way)

This PDF will give you a pretty basic understanding of print design, and creating a portfolio, and it's free!
http://www.portfoliohandbook.com/PortfolioHandbook_UCID12.pdf


i've grabbed a stack off my shelf, i'll list a few here

[Thinking with type] (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Type-2nd-revised-expanded/dp/1568989695) (Typography)

[Layout Workbook] (http://www.amazon.com/Layout-Workbook-Real-World-Building-Graphic/dp/1592533523/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374116370&sr=1-1&keywords=layout+workbook+a+real-world+guide+to+building+pages+in+graphic+design) (Typography & Page Layouts)

[Production for Graphic Designers] (http://www.amazon.com/Layout-Workbook-Real-World-Building-Graphic/dp/1592533523/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374116370&sr=1-1&keywords=layout+workbook+a+real-world+guide+to+building+pages+in+graphic+design)
(This one is more technical, Printing, Final Art Production, Etc.)

[Designing with Type] (http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Type-5th-Essential-Typography/dp/0823014134/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374116474&sr=1-1&keywords=designing+with+type) (Typography)

[Type & Image] (http://www.amazon.com/Type-Image-Language-Graphic-Design/dp/0471284920/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374116510&sr=1-1&keywords=type+and+image) (Combining Typography & Imagery)

[Color & Type for the Screen] (http://www.amazon.com/Color-Type-Screen-CD-ROM-Digital/dp/2880463297/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374116649&sr=1-1&keywords=color+and+type+for+the+screen) (Web Typography)

[The Element of User Experience] (http://www.amazon.com/Elements-User-Experience-User-Centered-Design/dp/0321683684/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374116686&sr=1-1&keywords=elements+of+user+experience+by+jesse+garrett) (User Experience/Web Design)

[Don't Make Me Think] (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374116719&sr=1-1&keywords=dont+make+me+think) (User Experience/Web Design)

There are also a ton of threads here on Reddit about Design books alone, and there is still the rest of the internet!
These are most of the books I got from my first two years at well respected design program, some are more helpful than others. But it doesn't hurt to read!

Also if you really want to give this a shot, work your ass off! Know that there is someone out there that is willing to (and probably is) working harder at it than you! Design is just like any other field of business, you gotta put in the work to get what you want.

Minuscule and Majuscule letters. You need to choose a hand, eg the Foundation hand, and then find a text that illustrates the ductus (drawing path, dimensions etc) for that hand on the page. Like the page on that link. There are many, many books, like The Calligrapher's Bible and there are resources online. You can also download and print guidelines (lined pages) to get your spacing and even your slant for italics. Someone in this subreddit posted a link to these in the last few days I think.

Perhaps search for 'calligraphy hands' and decide which hand you want to do. You seem to be looking at broad pen calligraphy, which is a good place to start, as pointed pen calligraphy can be a bit discouraging for a beginner.

>Yes, I'm sure Machiavelli is quoted all the time on Wall Street.

Probably by way of paraphrase, though:

• MANAGEMENT & MACHIAVELLI : A Prescription for Success in Your Business
  
• Machiavellian Management - A Chief Executive's Guide
  
• The Mafia Manager : A Guide to the Corporate Machiavelli
  
• Machiavelli on Management: Playing and Winning the Corporate Power Game
  
• Ancient Wisdom for Modern Management: Machiavelli at 500
  
• Machiavelli, Marketing and Management
  
  Edit: Or even:
  
  
• The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style :)

Thinking With Type by Ellen Lupton is a great resource on typography, especially for beginners.

Just My Type is another one, it's basically an incredibly entertaining history book on typography. Knowing the history of type and how it evolved is very helpful on how to use type in design work. Personally I feel like knowing type history, even just a bit, is necessary in becoming a good designer.

I actually had to buy both books mentioned above as well as Designing with Type which is pretty good.

It's probably more of a beginner's book to typography (history of type, anatomy, terms and definitions, ect.), but I've enjoyed using it. Elements of Typographic Style and Thinking with Type are a little more advanced imo. All good books to have.

The choice of typefaces and the choice to use so many screams amatuer to me. I get that you tried to made each font "relate" to the word you were representing but it just doesn't work. The color choices are awful to me, they dont work together. Is an event planner your main job? Its what sticks out the most followed by community management. Also your content is not really saying anything. I guess you're trying to say you do all these things but I would certainly hope not all at once. From what I've heard, employers/clients will frown on someone claiming specialty is so many areas because it implies you're not really good at any of them just mediocre at a lot of them. The composition is filling, not activating the page. As a user/reader, it is way to much work to get to the intended message, that can be okay if the journey is stimulating and leads to an interesting or unexpected pay off but this doesn't, it's predictable and only surprising the surprisingly poor execution. I recommend Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual.

http://www.amazon.com/Suit-Machiavellian-Approach-Mens-Style/dp/0060891866

If you've ever been on SF you might be familiar with power user Manton. This is his book. It is pretty good. reads like an ego trip, but definitely provides a lot of insight into tailoring styles and techniques and suits in general. I would strongly suggest this book if you are better than everyone else.

http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Type-2nd-revised-expanded/dp/1568989695/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1320103677&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Interaction-Color-Expanded-Josef-Albers/dp/0300115954/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320104020&sr=8-1


http://www.amazon.com/Power-Center-Composition-Visual-Anniversary/dp/0520261267/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320103713&sr=8-1 (this one can be a bit esoteric but if you stick with it, its good)

There are also roughly 6 elements to keep in mind when making compositions and you will have to read more about them and seek out examples. they vary depending on where you look but this has some: http://www.wiu.edu/art/courses/handouts/princdesign.html

This also has some good material: http://photoinf.com/General/Robert_Berdan/Composition_and_the_Elements_of_Visual_Design.htm

None of those links are perfect, and they are not quite the way I learned it either, but you should just do exercises to work on them. For example, In a 5x5 square, do compositions using just 10 dots of the same size. Make each composition represent a word such as unity, variety, movement, stillness, and others like that. Thats just a quick example.

Course book list from my first year of graphic design, I found them all really helpful and interesting, especially the first one. It explains not just how to make things look good, but WHY certain things look good and some things look like crap.

Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers

Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students

There's another really small, short book that is on the process of design, or rather "how to produce creative ideas." I can't remember the title, but I'll find my copy when I get home. PM me if you have any questions!

Artist here.

Start with a set of 6 basic prisma colored pencils- yellow, red, blue, green orange, purple. Maybe white. Art supply stores like (Utrecht, Blick, and Michael's) should sell them individually.

Start with the primaries, slowly building up color. Set up next to a window- a built-in frame- and make small shades of colors where you seem them. There's a tree? Don't outline the tree. Think about the light. Make a layer of yellow, make a lighter layer of blue over it. It's not quite green. Make another thin layer of yellow at the top, where the sun hits the leaves. Add another layer of blue in the shadow. The shadow could even have a layer of red- it lowers the intensity of the colors, makes them more muddy.

No outlines. Just make shapes of shaded color. Lightly. Build it up. Use a very loose grip on the pencil. You said you can draw normally. Use that technical skill.

Like Monet's Haystacks, it doesn't matter if you draw the same view out a window 100 times. What matters is that through practice, you learn how to see the variations of color and learn how to record them on paper with only the primaries, using layers to blend.

Take a look at the Impressionists use of color, especially Seurat^1 ^2 ^3 ^4 and Pissaro^1 ^2 ^3.

I'm not necessarily suggesting pointillism (I'm just bias)- use a technique you like, but make sure to not outline-draw color, shade a shape of color.

Now, if you really need it, add some green into your tree. Use orange and purple when you need them, add some highlights by erasing.

A fun practice would be drawing a boiled egg on a white background with a white light. It really tests your ability to see color.

For more color theory, check out Josef Albram's book, Interaction of Color.

This is good advice. Especially the bold bit. A key part of design is finding out what your client wants/expects, and in this case your client is the UofC admissions committee.

I would add that I found Designing a Digital Portfolio and Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Creating Powerful Pieces to be very helpful in putting together my own portfolio.

Love the Layout Book. Also your namesake's Form of the Book is excellent and beautiful.

Graphic Design Referenced is a really great, heavily footnoted and cross-referenced history that connects the big ideas of each era. It's not focused on marketing so much, but will at least show the more successful campaigns (IBM, etc.). Look at this book in person if you can to appreciate it.

What kind of background do you have in graphic design?
Any formal or informal education?
Do you have any work to showcase?
What are your ultimate goals?

Its easier to help you out if we know more about where you are right now. Regardless, one of the books I've found useful is this:
http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Design-Referenced-Language-Applications/dp/1592537421/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1370562672&sr=8-1&keywords=graphic+design+referenced

It is pretty much an almanac of all things design related.

I am in almost the same situation.
I have also been looking for books for motivation, inspiration and so on.
Here are some stuff that keep getting recommended as well as other books that I think are interesting judging by their description and reviews (note: I haven't read anything yet I am just sharing my searching results from the past 2 or 3 days):

For creative problems

• Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
  
• Burn your Portfolio
  
• The Design Method
  
  For Inspiration
  
  
• 100 ideas that changed graphic Design
  
• Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills
  
• Graphic Design, Referenced
  
• Drawn In
  
  And this one seems to go into depth of the business itself:
  
  
• Know Your Onions
  
  Like I said, I haven't read any of those but maybe this will save some time for you or for other people searching for books.
  
  There is also Thinking with Type, The Elements of Typographic Style, Universal Principles of Design, Deign for how people learn, How to be a Graphics Designer without losing your soul.
  
  Edit: I was actually going to make a thread similar to this but I am gonna post my similar question here anyway,
  Does anybody know of more books for people who are already involved in the medium ?
  
  A lot of recommendations I see around the internet seem to be for someone just starting graphics design or still in school but rarely is it something for a higher level.

Well, the person I quoted--who explained that black is traditionally considered an inappropriate color for suits--is the author of The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style, which has been reviewed by the WSJ (where he has also been published), and he has also been interviewed by Forbes. As far as internet strangers go, he's a pretty authoritative one.

Ultimately, it's like any other "rule" or tradition. You can wear a suit jacket with a center vent, a tuxedo with notch lapels, or french cuffs without a jacket. I'm sure there are people who would find no problem with these things--including wearing a black suit. But as Manton said, "it is still against the rules." The fact that you've observed many people wearing black suits--even (perhaps especially) adults--is not surprising. This is a very common menswear misconception. But that doesn't mean that they're not still flouting tradition and committing a fashion faux pas. Many people wear square-toed shoes. I bet your career center wouldn't stop you at the door if you wore them to a job fair. That doesn't mean that they are appropriate as a matter of tradition or the "rules" of menswear. Same thing for brightly-colored matching vests at weddings.

With respect to your career center's advice, their goal is to make sure that the students don't embarrass themselves or the school by showing up to a career fair in seersucker (apologies if you're south of the Mason Dixon line). Unlike that robin's egg blue tux lurking in the back of the closet, a black suit won't offend anyone or get you dinged during an interview (unless your interviewer is a sartorial enthusiast), and black is such a common choice for a first suit that of course a career center making a list of acceptable suit colors is going to approve that. That has nothing to do with whether black is a correct choice as a matter of tradition or fashion.

You mentioned you've never before heard of this convention. Like I said, neither had I when I was in college. But spend a little time looking into this topic, and you'll find that it's fairly widely known and generally agreed upon--as far as fashion "rules" go. Not to toot my own karma horn, but there's a reason my post got upvoted 100 times and the posts recommending that OP buy a black suit ended up getting buried. It's not that I'm the first person to say any of those things, but rather that the tips I gave him--including not to wear black--are based on the prevailing rules of good menswear.

For me, books. There are a lot of paleographers and calligraphers who have devoted a lot of time analyzing historical manuscripts and tracing the lineage.

Some good ones:

Historical Scripts by Stan Knight

Medieval Calligraphy by Marc Drogin

The Historical Source Book for Scribes by Michelle P. Brown and Patricia Lovett

Those are just a few. There are plenty more good ones! Also, getting into script analysis yourself can be very helpful. Start looking through the manuscript section of the sidebar and making your own observations. It can be quite illuminating.

My pleasure, and happy to help.

I highly recommend this book for starting out. There's also the free Art of Calligraphy linked in the wiki, but for Uncial, this one is a little better imho.

Wow, thank you so much for the super informative response.

The book I am currently using is The Calligrapher's Bible by David Harris (and this is where that script came from), would you advise against using this?

It's not an entirely unreasonable comparison.

Nowadays you can buy your own tarot cards in a hobby shop with a booklet about how to "skillfully read them." Special editions-- like [steampunk] (http://www.amazon.ca/The-Steampunk-Tarot-Barbara-Moore/dp/0738726389/ref=pd_sim_b_12?ie=UTF8&refRID=1GE2RA0ZY73T7VTV9K92) and [angel] (http://www.amazon.ca/Angel-Tarot-Cards-Doreen-Virtue/dp/1401937268/ref=pd_sim_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1GE2RA0ZY73T7VTV9K92)-- are released every now and again. Like Magic Cards, most people roll their eyes when they see them come out, except for a small crew of highly devoted fans. Both have a lot of fairies.

Now, Pokemon on the other hand...

haha, the link is already purple for me. Got really into the history of fonts after watching the Helvetica documentary. Also read a book called Just My Type which is perfect for anyone who enjoyed reading this.

Another good book that surveys typography and introduces lots of general concepts:
Thinking With Type

A book you may find useful for color theory - it is about the relationships between colors, and was originally a book that came with colored paper to follow along with. It helps with seeing these relationships, not what good color combinations would be (this is some more like Kuler)
Interaction of Color

If you are interested in more informal clothes, you may like Japanese pattern books. Japanese women tend to be smaller. The fit is also more forgiving.

Here's an example:

http://www.amazon.com/Stylish-Dress-Book-Wear-Freedom/dp/0804843155

It's the Steampunk Tarot - /u/rarelyserious actually gifted it to me :) I love it a lot so far, this is the first time I've really had the chance to use it.

Welcome to the hobby! Some perspective:

1. Newbies focus on the tools ("I need a calligraphy pen!")
   
2. Amateurs focus on the letterforms ("I need to know the proper strokes and construction")
   
3. Intermediates focus on regularity ("My spacing and angles need to be perfect")
   
   …I cannot claim to know what comes next as I'm not sure I have much claim to anything beyond amateur. But here are some especially nice books on the subject I have found helpful:
   
   

• Calligraphy A to Z by Stuart David
  
• The Calligrapher's Bible by David Harris

A Smile in the Mind - great introspective + examples on what makes a design witty or dull, and why the most memorable designs of all time all are witty on some level.

Meggs’ History of Graphic Design - you can read books theorizing about design in general, or you can read books showcasing great design. This is the latter, and is so dense every time I open it up I discover something new.

You might be interested in this: http://www.amazon.com/Just-My-Type-About-Fonts/dp/1592407463

I got this book for my dad for Christmas, and now that he is done reading it, I am starting it. It's quite remarkable to read about the history and effects of typeface. Typeface is one of those subtle things that many people don't realize can have a huge effect.

I've been reading about them and looking at them for ages. I finally bought one last month, although I haven't used it yet. http://www.amazon.com/Stylish-Dress-Book-Wear-Freedom/dp/0804843155

An increasing number are in English, some are in French.

Yes, you must trace the pattern and make a muslin first.

I assume you know that you almost always have to add the seam allowances.

Linens for Less is an inexpensive choice for linen. Some blogs recommend SuperBuzzy and Naniro for Japanese clothing.

Japan Couture Addicts is a French blog on which members post projects made from pattern books. japancouture.canalblog.com

I enjoy this blog: http://www.japanesesewingbooks.com/

I agree about your photography and 3D designs. With a bit of work, you can turn these, or any other artwork into different design pieces. Simple things like CD covers, business cards, posters, can quickly beef up your portfolio.

Consider adding Typography to your extra curricular studies. A lot of your stuff that you think isn't portfolio worthy, might be after some thoughtful typesetting. Thinking with Type and Designing with Type are old standbys that are easily available.

Gotcha, very cool, thanks for elaborating.

Based on what you said, you might be interested in Just My Type.

Design Elements: Graphic Style Manual is a great book to have. It helps to remind you about general practice and design sense that you might forget about.

Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain: is not a focus on methodology, but can help to just get your brain out of a rut.

You Capricorn would love this....if you aren’t an experienced reader, the pics make it easy to read as you’re starting out.
tarot deck

It is The Calligrapher's Bible this book makes it easy to learn a lot of different scripts, I would definitely recommend this book

First of all, shoutouts to /u/rcsAlex for spearheading the feedback thread last night! It's awesome that the mods want to continue improving this community by asking what the people want.

I've been reading this book. It's pretty interesting, but I'm not too deep into it yet. And I got a blister on my middle finger from pulling weeds today :C

I've been fascinated by Celtic art since I first saw photos of the Book of Kells, Book of Durrow and the Lindisfarne Gospels many years ago.

I found this book that explains how these complex drawings were made. It's amazing how something so complex can be made with such simple methods.

yeah it will change the way you physically see things, too. the decision making process of what items to start with, when you put them back, will be very telling. please update us on how it goes, i'd really like to hear!


and two links for you:

wabi sabi



arranging things: a rhetoric of object placement

Honestly. Grab some books from Amazon. (you can pick them up fairly cheaply 2nd hand)

Logo Design Love - First edition is the same as the 2nd edition, except you can pick it up for a quid.

Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits

A Smile In The Mind

Thinking with Type

LDL and A Smile are two books I still find myself going back and reading through + referencing even after 5 years as a professional.

They're most branding based, but the fundamentals they speak about absolutely translate to other facets of design.

learn the following programs: illustrator and photoshop. Optional; dream weaver and flash. Go to Amazon.com and buy graphic design books. I'd recommend this one. Then do some freelancing and build a good portfolio.

I'll check these out! this book also touches on some of this. I don't particularly love the title but it's a great quick read!

I've never seen the movie objectified, but I love this book:

Robin Williams, The Non-Designer's Design Book

edit: After a quick look at IMDB, you may want to try a Donald Norman book like:

• The Design of Everyday Things
  
• Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things
  
  edit2: WTF, I suck at formatting.

This is a great way to explain composition. I purchased a book awhile ago that gets into these topics in a really cool way, picturing little red riding hood with basic shapes. here

If you like this kind of knotwork, this is an awesome book about it.

I don't have anything specific for label design, but I've always liked A Smile in the Mind.

I'm not totally clear what you mean by sale/special edition book labels, but I see where you're going with signage—being attractive from a distance in an environment full of distraction. All-in-all though, I think general design principles stand. Other than being concise and direct, I don't know what else you can do on a label. Investigating finishes could be an option (foil, metallic ink, UV coat, etc), to give your label some pizzaz.

Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction by George Bain is the original and still the best book on knotwork.

Looks pretty good!

Celtic knotwork is kind of an obsession of mine and what I say is more for education that criticism. The two important rules of Celtic knots are the lines always go under-over-under-over. You've done perfectly at that. The second is that the knot is one continuous line. This you've haven't quite got. Each of your knots is two intertwined lines. There are a lot of tricks to getting your knot to be continuous lines.

If you'd like to learn traditional methods I cannot recommend Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction, by George Bain enough. It's the bible on doing Celtic knot correctly.

Keep doing it. Get inspired and mimic some layouts you find. Break some design rules. Use stock photos and latin text until you get it down. Keep practicing.

Also, this is a nice resource.

Why thank you! Absolutely I can tell you the ink I used, the red is Diamine Red Dragon and the Black is Higgins Eternal.

The minuscules are from Marc Drogin's book Medieval Calligraphy, its history and technique, the hand he calls Gothic Littera Bastarda and the majuscules are from the David Harris book in the wiki.

http://www.amazon.com/Design-Elements-Graphic-Style-Manual/dp/1592532616/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303080776&sr=1-1

Good luck in your future projects. In the meantime, you might try looking at your piece with your photographer's eye.

I would also ask in the Sewing Patterns Review forum. Woven fabrics are preferred for beginners.

I would look for something with a fitted bodice and a gathered skirt. Fitting the bodice will be challenge enough.

Japanese pattern book patterns are a favorite of mine and fairly simple, but I'm not sure that they flatter hourglass figures. Some American women find they don't provide a sufficiently wide range of sizes. One of my favorites is Stylish Dress Book: Wear with Freedom by Yoshiko Tsukiori.

If you like this sort of thing, you need this book: "A Smile in the Mind". Humor in graphic design. Mentions the FedEx logo, plus tons of other examples. An excellent coffee table book.

One of the other things they talk about is the (now redesigned) UPS logo. The old one had a package that formed the top of an old-style heraldic crest that formed the logo. It was there plain as day, but most people never saw it.

I just finished reading Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers where the author clearly summarises the similarities and difference between wabi sabi and modernist minimalism. It's a short but good read.

For calligraphy, I recommend you this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Calligraphers-Bible-Complete-Alphabets-Draw/dp/0764156152

it have 100 scripts and they are very easy to follow. For cursive every-day handwriting, look for the Palmer Method:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Method

>the crotch. If you turn a pair of pants inside out and look at the crotch, you'll notice it sort of curves. You'll have to follow that curve, whereas the outside seam would just be straight.

OP if you do attempt to alter in this fashion I highly suggest that you seek out a book or two on tailoring techniques.

Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Men's Wear (F.I.T. Collection) By Roberto Cabrera Buyitonamazon

Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Women's Wear (F.I.T. Collection) By Roberto Cabrera Buyitonamazon

Also the Cutter & Tailor forums is another excellent resource for menswear

If you like Japanese pattern book patterns, this blog reviews books and magazines. Here's a link to a Pinterest board on Japanese pattern book patterns. My favorite book is Stylish Dress Book: Wear with Freedom, by Yoshiko Tsukiori. It's the first in a series.

Layout + Color

Picture This by Molly Bang

Typography


Second vote for Elements of Typographic Style, excellent book.


Drawing, honestly at the start the biggest key to growth is going to be drawing as much as you can. You're going to suck for a while so start getting those bad drawings out of you. There's a ton of great people to watch on YouTube (Sycra Yasin, Glenn Vilppu, Stan Prokopenko, Steve Huston). I've seen Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain recommended by many. I'm not crazy about it myself but I didn't read as a beginner artist so I probably didn't get as much out of it as I could have.

This is the one I have. It is very easy to read and has done me well
The Steampunk Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738726389/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_E0G0Db47MZMJA

I recommend this book

It's also interesting to read about the Japanese tea ceremony, the wabi-cha

I have never been more delighted with a deck and book combo than with Barbara Moore's steampunk tarot.
It's engaging, playful-yet-perfectly-serious, and has some very insightful and intuitive descriptions for t cards. It's easy to start simple and then dive deep with this deck.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738726389/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_oayIDbM7XYCDJ

Read https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/dp/0465051367 it was recommended in the audiobook that talks about apple and how they approach design called Design Like Apple

I haven't vetted this book yet, but feel like it has relevance/potential.

How about a coffee table book that combines martial arts and photography:
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Warrior-Martial-Fighting-Styles/dp/0756639751/ref=la_B001NWTJSI_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418652802&sr=1-1

and some supplies for his calligraphy hobby like a book of different techniques: http://www.amazon.com/Calligraphers-Bible-Complete-Alphabets-Draw/dp/0764156152/ref=la_B000APU7TO_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418652881&sr=1-1

and some pens: http://www.amazon.com/Zig-Memory-Calligraphy-Markers-Multicolor/dp/B0050JKNFI/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1418652914&sr=1-1&pebp=1418652916253

This book is good, I am actually gonna pick it up myself.

Calligraphers Bible Complete Alphabets

Once you finish that you should be able to understand letter structure and develop your own typography.

Good book on fonts
“Just My Type”

By Simon Garfield


Just My Type

Got it at MCA Sydney book store

Have a look at Marc Drogin's book. Rolf Harris' book is freely available and also provides an example.

I am the same way. I can't say that I've successfully made it (I'm getting better), but as I'm working on the same thing maybe I can point you toward some books that I found or were recommended to me. Not sure if these are exactly what you're looking for or not, they're both good introductions to graphic design (colors, layout, positioning, typography, etc.)

http://www.amazon.com/Design-Elements-Graphic-Style-Manual/dp/1592532616

http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Beautiful-Web-Design/dp/0975841963

I'm still looking for good material and such so I'd be anxious to see what others have to add.

I just started learning about design myself in an effort to get my software and webpages looking a bit more professional. I'd recommend starting with traditional graphic design theory -- there's some fundamentals you really need regardless of medium. I started picking up the basics from Timothy Samara's Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual and it's been very educational so far.

I really liked this book, although I thought the title was misleading. If anything this book showed me that even the best designers have the same worries and go through the same process as I do. http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1581154968

There are the books I was recommended:


1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

Check out The Form of the Book: Essays on the Morality of Good Design (Classic Typography Series) by Jan Tschichold. A curmudgeon from the old school, these are the rules you should know if you want to break them. I had no idea this book was so expensive though: $58.98 used!

So, after weeks of just drilling strokes and what not, I decided to form some actual words. I'm a super beginner, but please don't have mercy on me, tell me what I need to work on.

My exemplar for this texture quadrata comes from a book The Calligrapher's Bible.

I think I'm pretty bad at my spatial awareness, so all the letters just kind of all look different and nothing is uniform. My "o" is also terrible. But I am sure you guys can give me much more specific details on what I need to work on.

Edit here's another one I just made, using the traditional "a" form

Thank you so much for posting this! I had no idea about this deck. Thank you for the exposure.

For tarot, only the above mentioned Golden Thread tarot comes to mind, but there is this awesome Claire De Lune lenormand deck.

Possibly the Steampunk Tarot deck?

Unless you're wearing shirts with very wide spread collars and long collar points, you should be fine. Some of the most conservative sources will say you should only wear button-down collars without a tie, but general consensus seems to be that any type of collar looks fine without a tie and with the top button undone, as long as it isn't so widely-spread so as to hang strangely.

Buy yourself this book. It's cheap and has exercises to work though. First year graphic design education (2-dimensional and color theory) is basically straight from this book.

As for design basics, I got this book after graduating, and have kept and bought some other books on typography and grids and such, not exactly burying myself in them, though I do read them as often as I can force myself to. Maybe one magazine for now, as well. I don't want it to be my entire life, I just want to be good enough to have a job, as bad as that sounds. I know I have to put some extra effort in, though.

To be good at design in general, there's a few things you need to know.

1. Basic 2d design and color theory: Elements of Colors + Interaction of Color
   
   
2. Art and Deisgn history: Meggs' History of Graphic Design + Janson's History of Art
   
   
3. Basics in grid systems and typography: Grid Systems
   
   Basically, there is no shortcut. You need to study the history and understand why things work or don't. A bit of psychology never hurt anyone either, even just a 101 class should be enough to get you started. Lastly, just remember this one thing, it will be the most important part in your career...CONCEPT IS KING. I cannot stress this enough, make sure everything you do has a big idea behind it. Something that lets you organize everything under it. I don't care how much UX/UI thought you have, how many ad units and SEO whatevers you did, without a great idea, its total shit and just fluff.
   

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0823014134/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_m6MPyb1RTHSF2


You buy that book. And you read every page. Twice. Then you trace your name over and over in different fonts until your hands feel like they're going to fall off. Then you read the book again. Then you trace again until your hand blisters. You learn to use indesign. And about paragraph styles and character styles and rules. Hidden characters and soft breaks and hard breaks and en vs. em dashes and points and drop caps and tabs. And then you pick a book in the public domain, and you rag the whole damn text manually. Full page. Five column.

And when you've done that, you've put yourself through type I at an art school level. And you'll never look at letterforms the same again.

It's so, so worth it.

Books that helped me get started with design:
Designing with Type

Making and Breaking the Grid

Most of these books discuss working with printed materials, but the principles are the same in the web.

I haven't sewn them, but I've bought:

Colette Patterns

Violet


Rooibos

Sewaholic Patterns


Granville Shirt

Stylish Dress Book


Dress E

I would suggest Graphic Design Refrenced and Meggs History of Graphic Design

Extensive study that has been done on color theory. Johannes Itten is a Bauhauser and wrote about this. So did Joseph Albers. We are using both of these books in the color theory class I'm taking at Parsons school of Design this summer.

I've only ever seen this book mentioned here.

I think it’s just called the Calligrapher’s Bible

The Calligrapher's Bible might work for you.

Books I own and still use as reference:

https://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Design-Materials-Manufacturing-Guide/dp/0470055383/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1497367939&sr=8-35&keywords=industrial+design

-----

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1856697436/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

-----

https://www.amazon.com/Sketching-Basics-printing-Roselien-Steur/dp/9063692536/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&qid=1497367910&sr=8-32&keywords=industrial+design

The name of this deck is The Steampunk Tarot and it was made by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell.

What makes this deck unique is that it's a Steampunk deck.

More information about it can be found here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/steampunk-fell/

You can purchase it here: https://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-Tarot-Barbara-Moore/dp/0738726389

And here is the Major Arcana in a zip file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O1EjrQf-zD1o7H0ce3Ed_mWrV5RrHIC0/view?usp=sharing

if you don't own this, you should.

Josef Albers's Interaction of Color [color theory]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0300115954/ref=pd_aw_sim_b_2?pi=SL500_SY115

Not sure about websites, but these books are absolute must-reads for learning typography.

Thinking With Type

Designing With Type

The Elements of Typographic Style

Not OP and could be wrong but think it's this:

https://www.amazon.com/Calligraphers-Bible-Complete-Alphabets-Draw/dp/0764156152