Book recommendations for newbie designers
Reading books is my happy place. I have always been a reader, I used to be that kid who used to finish her English textbooks even before the year begins and now I am that adult who wants to have a cafĂŠ where her all her books are placed in shelves for readers to enjoy. Provided they handle them with love and care of course :).
As I have grown my choices of books have changed over the years. From Archie's I went to Sidney Sheldon, followed with a brief phase of Harry Potter and now I am making best use of time by reading Self help books and books that help me become a better designer.
I have to be honest, the principles given in these books wonât work unless you do and also its not necessary that all the pages of the book resonate you or enlighten you instantly. But I have come to the belief that even if one paragraph of the book brought a monumental change in my mindset and lifestyle then it was definitely worth my time.
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
Fun fact you always learn something new when you reread the book. It almost feels like that this book was waiting for you to come back to answer the much needed guidance you wanted.
Some of the books which I will revisit year on year to become a better designer and refresh my skills:
- Articulating design decisions, Tom Greever: I wish this book had come into my life sooner. I thought the most important part about designing is learning the tool or having a good eye for design but now I understand that
the most important part is how well you articulate your design decisions
- Refactoring UI, Adam Wathan & Steve Schoger:Â I swear my confidence in my designs grew so much after reading this book. Highly recommended for newbie designers who want to know what an UI designer exactly does.
- Nicely said, Kate Kiefer & Nicole Fenton: If you observe really well and read articles on website and app dissections (Growth.Design â Better Products, Better Growth. is an excellent place to get started with ) you will realize that content plays a huge part in a good User Experience. If you want to take your UX skills to next level, this is THE book.
- Donât make me think, Steve Krug:Â This was the first design book which practically helped me better my skills. It is to easy to follow through and if you understand concepts in it well, you will become a better observer and also point out the good (and the bad) UX practices followed by a website.
- The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman: This book is a friendly reminder on why I chose this profession and can make anyone fall in love with design elements used in our daily life. It also inspired me to write my favorite twitter thread:
Some non design books which helped me give structure to work and my thought processes. These books helped me be wary of my self sabotaging internal monologue and have the confidence in the work I do today.
- Mindset, Carold S Dweck: Few books change you from the core and this book is one of them. If it wasnât for this book I would have never progressed to the point where I am today. In this book Carol talks about Growth Mindset and how everyone is capable of achieving anything if they are determined enough and willing to persist.
- Atomic Habit, James Clear: After reading Atomic habits I stopped pressurizing to become a perfect designer as soon as possible. This book changed my attitude towards designing and I started focusing on improving my craft gradually so that I donât feel overwhelmed because of it.
A book is more than a binding full of paper, it was someoneâs lifelong journey documented at one place so that people like you and me can accelerate in our journey faster and make lesser mistakes. I am grateful for all these authors and deeply indebted for the positive impact they have had in my life.
