The Best Books for Designers

Discover essential design books that dive deep into generative AI, UI and product design, UX strategy, branding, graphic design, creativity, design thinking, psychology, marketing and more. This curated collection highlights influential titles that help designers expand their skills and thinking.

Prompt Engineering & Gen AI

Brand, Logo & Identity Design

Visual & Graphic Design

UI & Digital Product Design

UX, Behavior & Psychology

Creativity, Ideation & Design Thinking

Drawing & Illustration

Motion & Storytelling

Marketing & Personal Branding

Advertising & Copywriting

Ethical, Inclusive & Sustainable Design

Prompt Engineering & Generative AI Design Books

Books exploring how generative AI tools and prompt engineering technics influence design workflows, creativity, ethics, and the future of design practice.

Sponsor

Designing your Future with AI: A Practical Guide to Prompt Engineering and Generative AI for Creators, Innovators, and Real-World Impact

Paul Orlander

Paid

Sponsor

Generative AI Essentials For Beginners: Boost Your Artificial Intelligence Skills With Innovative Tools To Write, Create, And Edit Content With Ease

JS Collins

Paid

Sponsor

Prompt Engineering for UX - Mastering Generative AI for Design Excellence: Elevate your UX design skills to new heights

Medavi

Paid

Sponsor

AI Prompt Engineering Bible: Beginner-to-Pro System to Master ChatGPT and Generative AI for Powerful Results and Real Income

Tomasz Dylik

Paid

Sponsor

Generative AI for Creators: Creating Content that converts: Unlocking the Power of AI-Driven Content Production

James Adler

Paid

Sponsor

UX+AI DESIGN WITH PROMPTS: How to Create Exceptional Experiences with Generative AI

Hegel Gonzalez

Paid

Sponsor

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP AI USER GUIDE 2025: Master Generative Fill, Content-Aware Tools, and New Creative Features

Blair DK. Morgan

Paid

Sponsor

Image Context Engineering: Master Creating Amazing Detailed Images Through Example Stories (Generative AI Mastery)

David Gillette

Paid

To expand AI-powered creative work beyond books, discover generative AI platforms and image generators, well established AI assistants, and best practices on designing with and for AI.

Branding, Logo & Identity Design Books

Books that explore how to create memorable brands, strong visual identities, and logo systems that communicate clearly and endure over time.

Sponsor

Logos that Last: How to Create Iconic Visual Branding

Allan Peters

Paid

Sponsor

Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities

David Airey

Paid

Sponsor

The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design

Marty Neumeier

Paid

Sponsor

Identity Designed: The Definitive Guide to Visual Branding

David Airey

Paid

Sponsor

Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands

Marty Neumeier

Paid

Sponsor

Designing Brand Identity: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of Brands and Branding

Alina Wheeler, Rob Meyerson

Paid

Sponsor

Branding: In Five and a Half Steps

Michael Johnson

Paid

Sponsor

Logo Modernism

Jens Müller, Julius Wiedemann, R. Roger Remington

Paid

To explore branding beyond books, discover curated branding podcasts, inspiring branding inspiration, and trusted brand management platforms used by creative teams.

Visual & Graphic Design Books

Titles covering typography, layout, composition, color, and visual storytelling to strengthen the foundations of graphic and communication design.

Sponsor

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

Ellen Lupton

Paid

Sponsor

Grid systems in graphic design: A visual communication manual for graphic designers, typographers and three dimensional designers

Josef Müller-Brockmann

Paid

Sponsor

Interaction of Color

Josef Albers

Paid

Sponsor

The Elements of Typographic Style

Robert Bringhurst

Paid

Sponsor

Meggs' History of Graphic Design

Philip B. Meggs, Alston W. Purvis

Paid

Sponsor

The Graphic Design Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters

Steven Heller, Gail Anderson

Paid

Sponsor

How to Use Graphic Design to Sell Things, Explain Things, Make Things Look Better, ...

Michael Bierut

Paid

Sponsor

The Visual History of Type: A visual survey of 320 typefaces

Paul McNeil

Paid

Sponsor

100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design

Steven Heller, Veronique Vienne

Paid

Sponsor

Palette Perfect for Graphic Designers and Illustrators: Colour Combinations, Meanings and Cultural References

Sara Caldas

Paid

Sponsor

Graphic Design For Everyone: Understand the Building Blocks so You can Do It Yourself

Cath Caldwell

Paid

Dive deeper into visual design and discover inspiring graphic design inspiration, graphic design podcasts, and practical tools for graphic designers.

User Interface & Digital Product Design Books

Books on designing digital products, interfaces, and interaction patterns that balance usability, product thinking, and business goals.

Sponsor

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

Steve Krug

Paid

Sponsor

Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design

Jenifer Tidwell, Charles Brewer, Aynne Valencia

Paid

Sponsor

INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

Marty Cagan

Paid

Sponsor

Laws of UX: Using Psychology to Design Better Products & Services

Jon Yablonski

Paid

Sponsor

The Best Interface Is No Interface: The simple path to brilliant technology

Golden Krishna

Paid

Sponsor

The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life)

John Maeda

Paid

Sponsor

Well-Designed: How to Use Empathy to Create Products People Love

Jon Kolko

Paid

Sponsor

Designing Products People Love: How Great Designers Create Successful Products

Scott Hurff

Paid

Sponsor

Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want

A. Osterwalder, Y. Pigneur, G. Bernarda, A. Smith

Paid

Sponsor

The Digital Product Handbook

3steban - Product Crafters

Free

Sponsor

The Path to Senior Product Designer: An Actionable Growth Plan for a UX Design Career

Artiom Dashinsky

Paid

Sponsor

Solving Product Design Exercises: Questions & Answers

Artiom Dashinsky

Paid

Sponsor

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Nir Eyal

Paid

Sponsor

Wireframing for Everyone

Michael Angeles, Leon Barnard, and Billy Carlson

Paid

Sponsor

Generating Product Ideas: Actionable Techniques for Finding New Business Ideas

Artiom Dashinsky

Paid

Sponsor

Hacking Growth: How Today's Fastest-Growing Companies Drive Breakout Success

Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown

Paid

To expand your digital product design perspective beyond books, explore insightful UI & Digital Product Design Podcasts, curated UI Design Inspiration, and leading Design & Prototyping Tools.

UX Design, User Behavior & Psychology Books

Books that deepen understanding of user behavior, research methods, cognition, and UX strategy to create more meaningful, human-centered experiences.

Sponsor

The Design of Everyday Things

Don Norman

Paid

Sponsor

User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play

Cliff Kuang, Robert Fabricant

Paid

Sponsor

How to design intuitive, user centered interfaces by focusing on effective communication

Everett McKay

Paid

Sponsor

UX Strategy: How to Devise Innovative Digital Products that People Want

Jaime Levy

Paid

Sponsor

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Paid

Sponsor

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Susan Weinschenk

Paid

Sponsor

Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience

Jeff Gothelf, Josh Seiden

Paid

Sponsor

Click! How to encourage clicks without shady tricks.

Paul Boag

Paid

To complement these user experience books, discover Best Practices, Principles & Methods, insightful UX Podcasts, and professional UX Tools to support user-centered design work.

Creativity, Ideation & Design Thinking Books

Reads that support creative confidence, idea generation, and design thinking for solving complex problems and exploring new directions in design.

Sponsor

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Rick Rubin

Paid

Sponsor

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation

Tim Brown

Paid

Sponsor

Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

Tom Kelley, David Kelley

Paid

Sponsor

The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO

Tom Kelley

Paid

Sponsor

Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

Jake Knapp

Paid

Sponsor

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

Austin Kleon

Paid

Sponsor

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life

Twyla Tharp

Paid

Sponsor

Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways

Sarah Stein Greenberg, Stanford d.school

Paid

To spark new ideas beyond books, explore curated design inspiration resources that fuel creativity and ideation across all design disciplines.

Drawing & Illustration Books

Titles focused on drawing fundamentals, illustration techniques, visual storytelling, and developing a strong personal style.

Sponsor

Illustration Now!

Julius Wiedemann

Paid

Sponsor

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: The Definitive

Betty Edwards

Paid

Sponsor

The Illustrator's Guide To Procreate: How to make digital art on your iPad

Ruth Burrows

Paid

Sponsor

Draw to Win: A Crash Course on How to Lead, Sell, and Innovate With Your Visual Mind

Dan Roam

Paid

Sponsor

How to be an Illustrator

Darrel Rees

Paid

Sponsor

Figure Drawing for All It's Worth

Andrew Loomis

Paid

Sponsor

Creative Illustration

Andrew Loomis

Paid

Sponsor

The Art of Whimsical Lettering

Joanne Sharpe

Paid

To develop your illustration skills beyond books, explore inspiring illustration inspiration, the latest AI illustration & drawing tools, and curated illustration resources from creators worldwide.

Motion Design & Visual Storytelling Books

A curated selection of books covering motion principles and animation techniques, suitable for beginners and seasoned professionals alike.

Sponsor

Motion Design Toolkit: Principles, Practice, and Techniques

Austin Shaw, John Colette

Paid

Sponsor

Animated Storytelling: Simple Steps for Creating Animation & Motion Graphics

Liz Blazer

Paid

Sponsor

The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV, and Digital Media

Bruce Block

Paid

Sponsor

The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas

Richard Williams

Paid

Sponsor

Design for Motion: Fundamentals and Techniques of Motion Design

Austin Shaw

Paid

Sponsor

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

Scott McCloud

Paid

Sponsor

Animation For Beginners: Getting Started with Animation Filmmaking

Morr Meroz

Paid

To expand your motion skills beyond books, explore curated motion design inspiration, and essential motion and animation tools for visual storytellers.

Marketing & Personal Branding

Books connecting design with marketing, positioning, and personal branding, helping designers communicate value and build visible, sustainable careers.

Sponsor

The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd

Allan Dib

Paid

Sponsor

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk!

Al Ries, Jack Trout

Paid

Sponsor

Lean Marketing: More leads. More profit. Less marketing.

Allan Dib

Paid

Sponsor

Wealthy and Well-Known: Build Your Personal Brand and Turn Your Reputation into Revenue

Rory Vaden, AJ Vaden

Paid

Sponsor

Market Eminence: 22 Strategies to Build a Bold Personal Brand, Become a Business Celebrity, and Drive Unstoppable Growth

David Newman

Paid

Sponsor

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

Donald Miller

Paid

Sponsor

Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet

Taylor Lorenz

Paid

Sponsor

Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media

Brittany Hennessy

Paid

Sponsor

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers

Geoffrey A. Moore

Paid

Sponsor

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Simon Sinek

Paid

Sponsor

This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See

Seth Godin

Paid

Sponsor

Loveworks: How the world's top marketers make emotional connections to win in the marketplace

Brian Sheehan

Paid

Sponsor

Contagious: Why Things Catch On

Jonah Berger

Paid

Sponsor

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Chip Heath, Dan Heath

Paid

Sponsor

Click Here: The Art and Science of Digital Marketing and Advertising

Alex Schultz

Paid

Sponsor

Product Design Portfolio Final Final: Make a product design portfolio that lands dream jobs

Fedor Shkliarau

Paid

Looking to expand your marketing knowledge beyond books? Explore curated Email Inspiration, and practical Social Media Design Tools used by creators and professionals.

Advertising & Copywriting Books

Titles focused on advertising craft, copywriting, and communication design, showing how words and visuals work together to persuade and inform.

Sponsor

Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing

Mark Shaw, Gyles Lingwood

Paid

Sponsor

Ogilvy on Advertising

David Ogilvy

Paid

Sponsor

Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas

Robin Landa

Paid

Sponsor

Integrated Marketing Communication

Robyn Blakeman

Paid

Sponsor

Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy, and Design

Tom Altstiel, Jean M. Grow, Dan Augustine, Joanna L. Jenkins

Paid

Sponsor

Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Advertising

Luke Sullivan

Paid

Sponsor

The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells

Robert W. Bly

Paid

Sponsor

Reality in Advertising

Rosser Reeves

Paid

Want to explore advertising and copywriting beyond books? Discover hand picked Ecommerce & Advertising Inspiration, and the latest AI Advertising Tools used by creative teams.

Ethical, Inclusive & Sustainable Design Books

Books that address ethics, inclusion, accessibility, and sustainability in design, encouraging more responsible, equitable, and long-term design decisions.

Sponsor

Design for Real Life

Eric A Meyer, Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Paid

Sponsor

Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It

Mike Monteiro

Paid

Sponsor

Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech

Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Paid

Sponsor

Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life)

Kat Holmes

Paid

Sponsor

Inclusive Design for a Digital World: Designing with Accessibility in Mind

Reginé M. Gilbert

Paid

Sponsor

Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need

Sasha Costanza-Chock

Paid

Sponsor

The Future of the Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 50 Years

Vincent Stanley, Yvon Chouinard

Paid

Sponsor

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

William McDonough, Michael Braungart

Paid

To deepen your perspective on responsible design, explore Best Practices on Ethics, Sustainability and Dark Patterns, as well as curated Accessibility Resources for inclusive design.

How These Books Are Curated

This list is curated to help designers at all levels discover high-quality books that provide real value. Each category highlights widely read and influential titles across the key areas of modern design: product and UI design, UX strategy, behavior and psychology, branding and identity, graphic design, creativity and ideation, communication and copywriting, ethical and inclusive design, and marketing.

All books on this page are carefully curated. However, as an Amazon Associate Toools.design earns from qualifying purchases. Purchases made through these links help support the work behind Toools.design at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support.