Best products from r/Design

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

Well I still go to school for Industrial Design, well I should say Transportation Design. I can tell you some of my ups and downs. I went to the Academy of Art in San Francisco and basically hated it. I didn't think the teacher were qualified enough and the school was run like a for profit. Then I left and took Art Center College of Design night classes and I fell in love with design all over again. I kind of regret not knowing of this program earlier. After taking a couple classes their I recently got accepted to their school and I'm going to start next semester. This school is insanely good, it's also insanely expensive but it's a top notch education. I would recommend if your into product design to start looking into your favorite products, see who designed them, find their biography and see what schools seems to come up again and again. Go to that schools website and see what type of things they require to enter their program. After the Academy I started doing research and the two schools that kept coming up was Art Center in Pasadena and CCS in Detriot, but these are better known for their transportation programs. I'm not entirely to sure on product design. You should buy some books on product design, I love this book and this book. A lot of schools don't like portfolios that show you can draw, they want to see that their is a purpose to your design. Why did you do it, what was the market, why is it better, is it innovative, try to put a lot of thought behind your ideas. Ofcourse you need a certain level of drawing ability but they are looking for people that have great ideas, then they torture you for 2 years making you an artist, then they torture you for 2 more years making you a industrial designer. It's insanely hard at school but I honestly love every moment of it. I mean you get to draw all day, then do clay or foam models, then do 3d models, then make working prototypes. It's crazy to go into this room see all these awesome renderings on the walls, so much creativity and artistic ability. It's honestly the best career you can chose, that's not even a joke, it was like ranked 9th on best career choice. My only real advice is do a ton of research before you commit to a school and never give up.

I've taken several typography classes and I have a core group of books that I constantly turn back to for information. I'm a total typo-file and I've read a lots on the topic, but these are my favorites:

Tips on working with type

A good book on just some basics and a little history of typefaces

If you're interested in learning a little history

More history

The first book I mentioned is a really good resource. Sometimes it's easy to make type look too fancy, but it's important to remember that it doesn't always have to do all the talking. Sometimes it's the main dish, sometimes it's a spice added to the whole.

As far as the color theory goes, I don't have much to contribute. Figured it'd be best to just share what I'm familiar with.

Happy designing!

Well I'm sure you've read it, but I've heard cradle to cradle is pretty good

You could look into biomimicry too, there's absolutely loads of interesting projects that deal with biomimicry

Here are some other books that could help:
one,
two

Hope that helps!

EDIT: Forgot this one

I've found all of these books to be helpful. I think you mainly would find the Grid Systems book useful.

Grid Systems by Kimberly Elam is a pretty good reference for using grids and better understanding composition. It has alot of examples of works that are accompanied by transparent pages that have grids to lay over them.

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton helped with just understanding typography better.

Designing Type by Karen Cheng is good for understanding the intricacies of type and the differences between different typefaces by using grids.

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.

Interaction Design

• About Face 3 by Alan Cooper
  
• Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge
  
• Designing Interfaces by Jenifer Tidwell
  
• Designing for the Digital Age by Kim Goodwin
  
• Making Things Talk: (2011) (2007) by Tom Igoe
  
  Interior Design
  
  
• The Decoration of Houses by Edith Wharton and Ogden, Jr. Codman
  
• Domino: The Book of Decorating by Deborah Needleman
  
• Design*Sponge at Home: A Guide to Inspiring Homes by Grace Bonney
  
• The Vintage/Modern Home by Katherine Sorrell
  
• The Fundamentals of Interior Design by Simon Dodsworth
  
  Landscape Architecture
  
  
• Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards by Leonard J. Hopper
  
• Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers
  
• Landscape Graphics by Grant W. Reid
  
• Cities for People by Jan Gehl
  
• Design with Nature by Ian L. McHarg
  
  Lighting Design
  
  
• Stage Lighting Design by Richard Pilbrow
  
• The Architecture of Natural Light by Henry Plummer
  
• Painting With Light by John Alton
  
• Made of Light by Anthony Tischhauser
  
• Color, Environment and Human Response by Frank H. Mahnke & Rudolf H. Mahnke
  
  Product Design
  
  
• Sketching: Drawing Techniques from Product Designers by Koos Eissen
  
• Design for the Real World by Victor Papanek
  
• The Craftsman by Richard Sennett
  
• Mythologies by Roland Barthes
  
• Cradle to Cradle. Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
  
  Product Design
  
  
• In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World by John Thackara
  
• The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine II & James H. Gilmore
  
• Universal Methods of Design by Bruce Hanington & Bella Martin
  
• Cradle to Cradle. Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
  
• Mental Models by Indi Young
  
  Sound Design
  
  
• Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema by David Sonnenschein
  
• Designing Sound by Andy Farnell
  
• Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen by Michel Chion
  
• The Sound Effects Bible by Ric Viers
  
• Sound Theory Sound Practice by Rick Altman
  
  Urban Design
  
  
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
  * Cities for People by Jan Gehl
  
• A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander
  
• The Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler
  
• The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch
  
  Web Design
  
  
• Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug
  
• HTML & CSS: Design and Build Web Sites by Jon Duckett
  
• The Principles of Beautiful Web Design by Jason Beaird
  
• Responsive Web Design with HTML5 and CSS by Ben Frain
  
• Hardboiled Web Design by Andy Clarke
  

The Art of Looking Sideways is not strictly a design book, but is great for inspiration on dry days and full of interesting stories and ideas to help you start thinking laterally.

Design at it's core is the marriage between content and form. Some marriages are calm, stable, and reassuring while others are codependent, paranoid, and toxic. Both can have amazing results when you know what you're doing.

Thinking with Type was my favorite intro textbook in school. It has a straightforward approach to theory with examples that are both beautiful and inspiring.

My advice would be to exhaust yourself of ideas. Put as many quick attempts together as possible with each as different from the previous as possible. Often the best ideas come after this moment of frustration.

Also, think to space god's quote from futurama. Design is invisible, reactions are implicit.

First, I would study some basic design principles. Look at a few books on typography, grid, etc. Learn about some of the major design movements.

Check out these book:
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299115160&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Grid-Systems-Principles-Organizing-Design/dp/1568984650/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299115186&sr=1-7-spell

What tends to happen is most people dive into these tutorials knowing how to use the programs, but not knowing anything about design in general. Knowing how to use Photoshop doesn't necessarily mean you are a designer, like knowing how to play a few chords on a guitar doesn't necessarily make you a musician.

Web design is big now, but if you want to hop on the next gravy train, I'd suggest getting into Mobile / Tablet visual design. The demand is hot and theres not enough people who know how to do proper visual design for touch screen devices.

Oh yeah, and Lynda.com and tutsplus is good too. Learn the programs, but don't expend too much energy learning fancy lighting tricks until you've learnt the basics of design. It'll help build a foundation on which you can go from there.

I have compiled a reading list to be read in order just for this question.

I strongly believe that these books will make you better than 90% of designers out there.

Level One

Start with Thinking with Type it is a really good introduction to all things graphic design. It focuses a lot on typography and it is really basic. I

Next is Grid Systems: Principles of Organizing Type This book takes what you learned in Thinking with Type and allows you to develope it further in a grid based system. Its good, basic, and has exercises for you to do to play with composition.

Third on the list is Graphic Design: The New Basics It will take what you learned in Thinking with Type and Grid Systems and open them up a little. You learn about design elements other than just type like scale, rhythm and contrast. It really good, and has some projects to do.

Level 2

Now You can get into more "advanced" stuff. There are a lot of books that can go here, but Ill recommend some of my favorites. Its not as important to do this section in order.

Grid Systems in Graphic Design is the bible when it comes to grids. Its german and dry as fuck, but it is basically awesome. Its expensive, but worth every single penny.

Elements of Typographic Style Not alot about grids in here, but it tells you every insane crazy thing that typographers do when they massage text.

You can look at other designers work too. Heres a list of designers I like a lot:

Stefan Sagmeister

Paul Rand

Massimo Vignelli

James Victore

Paul Sahre

Wolfgang Weinhart

Paula Scher

Tibor Kalman

Most of these designers also have books out about their life and work.

Get a sketchbook and play around in it. Draw, collage, glue bubblegum wrappers in there. Just make it a diary of your visual life.

You could also get into Visual Theory here:
Norman Bryson has a book on still lifes that awesome
JWT Mitchell's What do pictures want is great

After this, its just a matter of making a lot of really bad shit and eventually its just a little less worse and maybe one day it might be good.

Ive got more, but that should keep you busy for a year or two.

It is listed in one of the posts already, but I have this book and can honestly say it IS the book you are looking for. Its design, but not limited to one field of study.


Universal Principles of Design


Stellar book. Breaks down tons of design principles, which could aid graphic designers, product designers, architects, computer programers, etc. I would definitely call this a Design Encyclopedia. Great book. Worth every penny.

Some of my favorites. Some are good to skim through for ideas, some of them are more "sit down and read" books. Definitely not a comprehensive list, but all books that I enjoyed reading.

Graphic Style by Seymour Chwast and Steven Heller

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton

100 ideas that Changed Graphic Design by Steven Heller and Veronique Vienne

The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst

A Short History of the Printed Word by Warren Chappell and Robert Bringhurst

The Posters: 1,000 Posters from Toulouse-Lautrec to Sagmeister

Hatch Show Print: The History of a Great American Poster Shop by Jim Sherraden

Here's a little list of best-sellers on Amazon and a few from this thread:

• Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals
  
• Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
  
• The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition
  
• How to Draw: drawing and sketching objects and environments from your imagination
  
• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
  
• The Non-Designer's Design Book (3rd Edition)
  
• Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design
  
• Envisioning Information
  
• Interaction of Color: 50th Anniversary Edition
  
• Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice
  
• Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills
  
• Design Basics (with CourseMate Printed Access Card)
  
• Graphic Design: The New Basics
  
• Style & Simplicity: An A to Z Guide to Living a More Beautiful Life
  
• The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors
  
• The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life)
  
• Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming
  
• The Art of Looking Sideways
  

I'm in a similar position. I'm working on a PhD in Electrical Engineering, so that boat has pretty much sailed for me. I LOVE manufacturing processes and design. I hear these two books are good:
Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design

and
Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals

I might want to do a post of my own to see if I can get some advice for myself. Does anyone have ideas of how I can get into product design? I'm interested in things such as those that are posted on Yanko Design.

Well, as an ex-designer that now pretty much exclusively codes, I'd say your time would be best spent around typography. Here's a book that I would highly recommend. :)

Wacom products are good, but I find they're overpriced for what you get. I'm currently rocking a Huion H610 ($76.99 on Amazon). My first tablet was a Wacom Bamboo that served me just fine (aside from the USB cable shorting out a couple times; customer service always replaced it for a small fee), but honestly I like the Huion better.

I remember really liking the book "logo design love" when I was getting started, though I haven't looked through it in awhile (loaned mine to a friend) to remember exactly what was in it haha. But I remember it having some practical advice in it that was presented in an easily understandable way. (https://smile.amazon.com/Logo-Design-Love-Creating-Identities/dp/0321985206/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=logo+design+book&qid=1568948814&s=gateway&sr=8-1)

Could be worth checking out!

If you're having trouble with text and typography, I recommend Elements of Typographic Style. From letters and glyphs to pages and columns, it's a great read (actually funny in places) and will help you know what you want to do with your type. Then it's usually a pretty simple matter of googling how to do that in InDesign.

This isn't directly skills-related, but if you're going to be working as a designer you should read Design is a Job. A lot of really great practical info on working as a designer and the industry you don't usually hear people talk about.

Hey Mug2k. I think you are progressing well. Here are some resources that helped me with web and interaction heavy stuff b/c that's the direction you seem to be going. Also kudos for using Sketch!


Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug (The bible of interaction):
http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Think-Revisited-Usability/dp/0321965515


A Book Apart by Various Authors (Based on the excellent blog 'A List Apart'):
http://www.abookapart.com/


Design+Code by Meng To (One of the best when it comes to Sketch):
http://designcode.io/

I wish I did, but any good design book (think The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman) should mix in elements of how the human psyche interacts with good and bad design, so even if we don't have any currently, we have some books that can help fill this gap.

I am also interested in specific psych/soc application books as well though.

1. Spellcheck
   
2. Use a grid, organize your information, make the distinction between content, description of that content, and metadata
   
3. Learn about typography and type design history -- the Helvetica you are using is a rough digital replication of the metal cut for small point sizes, not display
   
4. Have your website up before you submit anything
   
5. Your portfolio should consist of anywhere from 4 to 12 projects targeted exactly for the job/internship you're after -- everything irrelevant should be taken out. It's better to have a lighter portfolio that is completely on point than a heavier portfolio with fluff.
   
6. The reason your portfolio is so big, filesize wise, is because you are using software to make it which rasterizes your type, rather than preserving the postscript outlines. This means that not only is it harder to send online, it's going to print like shit. Most people who look at your stuff are going to see it online first, so make sure you have a compressed version that you feel comfortable attaching in an email (<10MB), as well as a print version you can take to clients.
   
7. Use the design process to decide how your portfolio will look when printed -- if that's appropriate. How is your work intended to be viewed? Approximate that as best as possible in your portfolio.
   
8. If you're not sure which software to use to make all this stuff: get a copy of InDesign and start learning.

I highly recommend Edward Tufte's book Envisioning Information. It's a bit older but still incredible prescient in formulating how to lay out graphical elements such as graphs and maps. A truly gorgeous book.

Meggs' History of Graphic Design details the evolution of visual communication through the ages, starting with the birth of written language. An understanding and knowledge of the eras of graphic design and the forces/politics/people/movements that shaped it is a valuable asset. This makes a great reference book as well.

edit: typo

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

This is really misleading.

A Graphic Designer can work across fields including (but not limited to) advertising, and:

• medical - scientific illustrations, product info, packaging
  
• environment - wayshowing, signage, installations
  
• publication - typesetting, layout, production
  
• branding - logotype, look/feel, brand extension
  
• motion - multimedia, film/television, flash
  
• web - user interface, site development
  
• gaming - inhouse graphics, promotions
  
  Just to name a few.
  
  For your instance I would suggest it's worth developing any skills that are going to help you and give your work an edge, and understanding design and how it's made will definitely give you that.
  
  That said, the label 'Art Director' could be used in more than one way. Typically a Senior Designer (so a graphic designer with lots of experience and talent) might go on to become an Art Director, and this role would see her responsible for interpreting the creative given to them by the ad folk. On the flip side, within ad firms there's a term 'Art Director' that doesn't necessarily require design skills, but would almost always require a solid appreciation and knowledge of art and design and the market being targeted.
  
  Check out these:
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typography
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Type-2nd-revised-expanded/dp/1568989695/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292171536&sr=8-1

I think for her actual needs she would be better with a tablet, do you think Huion is the best option?
If it is, which one of these 3 would you take?
Tablet 2
Tablet 4
Tablet 6


Seriously, you don't know how much I owe you, guys!! ^^

interesting.

So do you recommend any books on this subject? I'm trying to get a better handle on typical user flows and use cases…

Anyone read Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug?

I was thinking of picking this up.

I would actually start off with some typography since it's such a huge part and foundation of graphic design. "Thinking with type" is a good little book. Messing up your type is an easy way to break a layout.

The idea everything should live within some kind of structure consisting of columns, padding and alignment, etc.

You can use the grid to help create those lines, most people will pull guides and custom measure our a grid. Some prefer to build a grid and design within, others will design organically and mold a grid as they go.

A good read on the practice.

I always recommend the art of looking sideways by Alan Fletcher. It's a great book to just have laying around so you can look at it whenever you've got a couple minutes to spare.

Of course!

Books:

Graphic Design: A New History

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton

How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

Eye Magazine

Blogs:

swissmiss

Design Envy

We Love Typography

The Dieline

Meggs' History of Graphic Design

http://www.amazon.com/Meggs-History-Graphic-Design-Philip/dp/0471699020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250861554&sr=8-1

An incredibly interesting book, I bought it for use in my sophmore History of Graphic Design class last year, and still read it.

Also, another vote for Elements of Typographic Style. An incredible resource if you're at all interested in type.

This seems to be a standard, and this is a great reference.

Logo Design Love

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0321985206

I always really loved this book; Making and breaking the Grid. It was essential when I was in Design School.

The elements of typographic style

http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Typographic-Style-Robert-Bringhurst/dp/0881792063/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250821514&sr=8-1

learned more about fonts and font design than i ever wanted to. great book. lots of why, lots of theory, not as many examples.

Don't Make Me Think is a great book if you do ux design

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Think-Revisited-Usability/dp/0321965515/ref=dp_ob_image_bk

In almost every GD class I took at the California College of the Arts this book was required reading. its a great reference for beginners and really reasonable in price compared to my tuition.

I would second the h60.

It has a decent sized drawing area and for under $100 it's great for a beginner.

I'm partial to Thinking with Type and How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul myself.

Both are very instructional and inspirational

Buy this, then read the shit out of it and try again.

Thinking with Type

Graphic Design: The New Basics

Layout Essentials


Read them. Lacking graphic design history isn't your problem. You're lacking quite a few fundamental skills, and these books are good places to start - they're required texts in many design programs.


Again, read them, don't just give them a 'cursory glance'.

On this note, I found this book to be much more effective than Making It:
http://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Processes-Design-Professionals-Thompson/dp/0500513759

Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals, by Rob Thompson.

Very in depth, and covers more topics of manufacturing than Making It. Excellent examples and pictures too!

Ahhh these type exercises bring back fond memories! Typography can be a difficult thing to learn and teach because there is never one answer to a problem. Just learn the few things you shouldn't do and rock out with the rest. It is a skill that has a feel to it and the only way to develop an eye for it is to just practice and observe. I will dig out some of my work of similar projects and share.

Here are some of my favorite reads from back in day.

The Elements of Typographic Style

The Fundamentals of Typography

U&lc : Influencing Design & Typography

Grab the typography manual from The Futur for free to start with:
https://www.thefutur.com/resources/typography-manual-vol-1/

Then I'd check out Thinking With Type:
https://smile.amazon.com/Thinking-Type-2nd-revised-expanded/dp/1568989695/

The Elements of Typographic Style, very good book about the fundamentals.

Look for books on grid design (here's a simple one I own), check out some magazines with good design (wired, espn) and watch framing and color use in high end commercials, billboards and print ads.

The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Brinhurst is what you're looking for.

Hermann Zapf said “I wish to see this book become the Typographers’ Bible,” and Hoefler & Frere-Jones consider it "the finest book ever written about typography".

I don't have any experience with Monoprice tablets, but I do have a Huion 610. It runs well on Windows 7 using the drivers from their site without any hassle, so I don't believe being a cheaper alternative to Wacom tablets is necessarily the issue.

Check out Frenden and his Wacom-alternative tablet reviews. I bought a Huion H610 and like it much more than my old Intuos 3, and for at least 1/2 the price. Here'a link to the new H610 Pro.

I recommend this one: http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Type-2nd-revised-expanded/dp/1568989695/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323405933&sr=8-2

I own Making and Breaking the Grid and Thinking with Type. Both came highly recommended.

There were a few books that were reccomended as staples in my Design degree.

History of Design

How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul

Making and Breaking the Grid

...and there was one caled 'Type' that I can't seem to remember the author of.

Gotta ask the extremely obvious question, are you using a grid?

I was designing my (print) portfolio recently, and [this book](Thinking with Type, 2nd revised and expanded edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students https://www.amazon.com/dp/1568989695/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gfAyyb1X1NJWM) has been of terrific help. You'll find useful ideas there for web design as well.

There are also some hard limits on how wide a line is compared to the font size. As in, the maximum number of letters on a single line. I think it's about 45-60 letters, but I could be mistaken. But this is the sort of thing that could be researched when "deciding widths".

Universal Principles of Design. Lots of concepts in design explained a topic per page.

Universal Principals of Design

If you had to read one single book on typography I would say this one

The definitive graphic design history book.

Logo Design Love

The Elements of Typographic Style

It may be a bit dense for a beginner, however it's been referenced as the bible of typography multiple times to me, by unrelated sources! (And it's cheap!)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881792063/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0881791326&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=191BS5CQJSX6RBDKACAE

Cradle to Cradle

Design for the Real World

You should read this book: Brockman's Grid Systems Book know it. learn it. and use it/practice it. Finally post your revisions. I know you have put a lot of work in this, but its hard to read and the design feels weak (ie not something that would make me proud to work there).

I would try to get that book (library, I think there is an online version) and try employing the principles he talks about.