So it has been a while since part 1 of this post. I'm still reading books, I got invited to Dribbble and have continued to learn from other methods without University whilst working.

A few more books to get you started with typography.

I have quite a lot to write in this article so I am going to try to keep this initial part short.

When studying design at college I learnt early on that typography is an often overlooked part of design. There's a lot more to it than just picking a font that looks nice or fits in with the theme of your design!

These books will explain the different parts of type such as the x-height, ascenders, descenders, ears and tails. You will also learn what purpose some typefaces were designed for.

Just My Type - A good read with a little humour

Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works - Written by Erik Spiekermann who has designed and consulted on some of the most famous typefaces in the world.

Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles - A very visual book with great access to online content too.

No University = No Critique?

For those of you who do not know Dribbble is an invite-only place to show and tell, promote, discover, and explore design. Like a lot of networking groups or sites, it is a little like Marmite. Some love it some hate it. For me, it has been great to see the work and process of other designers and converse with them. As a bonus, it has also promoted my work and landed me a few projects along the way.

Unlike university where you have a group of similarly skilled students critiquing your work, I am able to share and have critiqued my work to thousands of designers. I am near to reaching 20,000 people to have viewed my work on the site with quite a lot of discussion across the web on concepts & designs including this concept for a score display using the new Premier League logo.

History Lesson

Vignelli

There are people in design history whom I consider to be masters. Yet many graduates I speak to have never heard of them. One of them, Massimo Vignelli, has sadly passed away since I wrote part 1 of this post. I was lucky enough to exchange emails with Massimo and learnt a lot from studying his work, listening to his lectures and buying or downloading his books. Massimo was always happy to help and released this must read free download: Vignelli Canon

I am lucky enough also to own one of these. If you can it's also worthwhile getting Design:Vignelli. The price has unfortunately inflated massively since Massimo's death but it is one to look out for in bookstores as you might get it for a steal!

Lois

Another person to look back at from history is George Lois. An outspoken 'Ad Man' / Art Director famous for his Esquire magazine covers. Perhaps not a master of design in the same way Vignelli is but a master of visual storytelling and getting a reaction. This little book (Damn Good Advice), to quote a review, will 'open your mind like an umbrella and give you the confidence to go the unconventional way.' Sounds fitting for this post really!

I could go on with this list forever but I want to hold back as there are lots of designers who may inspire others for different reasons. I feel everyone should discover for themselves.

If you are interested in the two mentioned above it will also be worth watching this video of the pair in conversation:.

Just One More

Bierut

I'm envious of Bierut. He was taken under Massimo Vignelli's wing and still continues to preach what Massimo taught. The reason I mention him other than having another great book that came out last year is the fact when I see him speak I see a little of George Lois in him too. He designs with precision like Massimo but with the ruthlessness of George. I remember seeing him speak about the Coca-Cola's advertising featuring hand drawn illustrations and scripted typefaces being replaced by Helvetica saying Coke 'PERIOD' You can see a clip here.

The book is called How To. Or its full title: How to use graphic design to sell things, explain things, make things look better, make people laugh, make people cry, and (every once in a while) change the world. It follows a similar pattern to the George Lois book but with a little more in-depth look at each of the projects Michael has worked on.







