HOW Books: Exclusive Excerpts & Design Book Reviews

Looking for Design Books? You’ve come to the right place. From designing striking web graphics to getting the most from your software, to tapping into new sources for ideas, to navigating the business world, you’ll discover the design books you need to move your career forward. Or maybe you’re looking for a diversion. A fun read from someone who’s on the cutting edge of design and culture. Well, we’ve got that too.

design books, how books

The goal of HOW Books is to provide advice, inspiration, tools and entertainment for creative people. While we publish a variety of books, the common thread is our dedication to top-notch design. HOW Books are intriguing, useful, beautiful, provocative — or all of the above.Browse the newest HOW Books titles by visiting MyDesignShop.com, your one-stop-shop for design resources.

Do you have an idea for a new HOW Book? Submit book proposals to megan(dot)patrick(at)fwmedia(dot)com.

Find exclusive excerpts from HOW Books, author interviews and reviews below.

The Connection Between Archetypes And Brand

As both a face and a function, brand archetypes can reveal how a brand shows up in the world, how it is motivated and what triggers it. Very simply, archetypes can facilitate the understanding of a brand and why it attracts certain customers. More

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5 Ways to Rock a Grant Application

Grants are an often over-looked way to seek funding for a socially conscious design idea. Check out these 5 grant writing tips, excerpted from “The Design Activist’s Handbook: How to Change the World With Socially Conscious Design,” to help bring your idea to life. More

Categories: Design for Good: Designing for Social Change, Editor's Picks, HOW Books: Exclusive Excerpts & Design Book Reviews | Tags: , | 1 Comment

In-House Designers: 37 Ways to Get Fired

Here, Andy Epstein, author of “The Corporate Creative,” offers a tongue-in-cheek list of ways to get fired in the hopes that you’ll not try them. More

Categories: Design Management: The Process & Business of Design, Featured, HOW Books: Exclusive Excerpts & Design Book Reviews, HOW September 2012, In-House Design: Careers & Advice, On the Job: Advice & Tips for Designers | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Typography Crash Course

Get typography tips and tricks from the author of Mastering Type. Learn about everything from kerning to font pairing. More

Categories: Editor's Picks, HOW Books: Exclusive Excerpts & Design Book Reviews, HOW July 2012, HOW Magazine, Typography + Fonts: The Best Fonts for Web & Graphic Design | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

The Logo Brainstorm Book: An Exclusive Sneak Peek

With Jim Krause’s new book, The Logo Brainstorm Book, set to release soon, we decided to give you a taste of some of the awesome lessons and examples you’ll find inside. More

Categories: Design Inspiration: Ideas & How-to Advice for Designers, HOW Books: Exclusive Excerpts & Design Book Reviews | Leave a comment

Designers Discuss Their All-Time Favorite Projects

This collection of designers’ favorite work is the best of the best—the work that is the best-looking, the highest profile, the smartest strategically. More

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HOW eBooks for iPad

    A New Way to Be Inspired Jim Krause’s best-selling, globally popular “Index” series and Eric Smith’s inspiring “Live Now” are coming to the iPad! These eBooks use an all new fixed-layout design, these are built specifically for your … More

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Flourish Banner Frame by Von Glitschka

Von Glitschka is a master at creating special elements that designers can use in their own projects: textures, patterns, and now ornaments! Read more about his newest book “Flourish Banner Frame.” More

Categories: Editor's Picks, HOW Books: Exclusive Excerpts & Design Book Reviews, Web & Graphic Design Illustration | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Fingerprint No. 2 by Josh Chen

For many designers, creating things by hand is a reaction to too much computer-based design. Since the first Fingerprint was published, ideas that were once on the fringe have begun to thrive in the mainstream. From typography and illustration to book-making and film titles, elements of handcraft have soaked into everyday life. Fingerprint No. 2 reflects the evolution of those ideas. More

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The Strategic Designer

Strategy is important, today more than ever. Design is so much more than color, type, and image: It’s a way to boost project success rates and determine solutions to problems. This book, very thoughtfully written by Dave Holston, doesn’t look … More

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