Please note: none of the following links are affiliate links.

Individual publications

Accessibility

A Web for Everyone by Sarah Horton & Whitney Quesenbery, 2014 — practical advice and examples to build accessible web products without sacrificing design or innovation

Inclusive Design Patterns — Coding Accessibility Into Web Design by Heydon Pickering, 2016 — real-world techniques and strategies to build and prototype accessible interfaces

History

Megg’s History of Graphic Design by Philip B. Meggs, 1983 — the unrivaled college textbook authority on the history of graphic design, mostly in America and Europe

Independent practice, consulting, freelancing

Design Is a Job by Mike Monteiro, 2012 — no bullshit lessons on selling yourself and working with others

Pricing Design by Dan Mall, 2016 — brief and invaluable reference on value-based pricing

Process and mindset

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, 1992 – classic international bestseller on the creative process

The Shape of Design by Frank Chimero, 2012 — sometimes insightful, sometimes insufferable; a rumination on making things for other people

Sprint by Jake Knapp & more, 2016 — a balanced book of details, examples, checklists, and scripts to perform your own famed Google Ventures design sprint

User experience and interaction design

Microinteractions: Designing with Details by Dan Saffer, 2013 — straight-forward examples on the small details that exist inside & around a product’s features

User research

Just Enough Research by Erika Hall, 2013 — breaks down the huge topic of design research in a digestible, approachable, organized, and humorous way

Publishers and distributors