Industrial Design Book Collection

Hello,

I wanted to start this thread or possibly put in a recommendation for a new sub-forum. As a recent graduate of ID I want to continue learning and to improve so I thought I a good place to start would be to build a small library of books that could be helpful in any project I might try to take on. There are a lot of books out there and one thing I learned from school is not all of them are very useful and some might not be the right style for you or show exactly what you are looking for.

I figured searching the forums here would be a good place to start but all I could find was the occasional recommendation scattered through dozens of different posts. There is one collection of sorts in the sketching sub-forum but I was looking for something where people could post any book related to ID or design. From design history and thinking to pattern-making to wood working to business and professional guides. Basically any book that could fit into one of the “Skills” section.

Possibly, if a moderator see’s this, just start a “Book’s” sub-forum in the “Skills” section. It would be similar to the Software and Technology one that already exists and allow for users to start a thread about a specific book and it would let other people post comments about that book. This would keep things organized and allow other people to find a collection of helpful info about a specific book. Also possibly set up a template for posting a book such as:

Subject-
“Book Title”

Message Body-
Book Title:
Author:
Topic:
Personal Review Info:
For Sale URL:


And since this is what started this idea, has anyone bought/read through this book:

The Industrial Design Reference & Specification Book

I have not. I am actually looking at product design as a potential career. Would you mind providing me with some links or resources that could help?

Library is very useful. Reading the relevant books will create more knowledge in us. So it is a very good suggestion.

In looking to begin a very similar thread I found this one. Glad its out there, but needs a bump.

I have read some books like:

Breaking In : Amina Horozic
-Landing a design job
Making It : Chris Lefteri
-Manufacturing possibilities
Shopcraft as Soulcraft : Matthew B Crawford
-Prototyping and attention to details

Does anyone have recommendations on books to improve form development, visual brand language, etc. ??

Spencer Nugent has a new book out!

https://www.sketch-a-day.com/book


The Measure of Man and Woman, first design book I bought in school.

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@sonofscrotum that is an indispensable classic to be sure.

I’ve got a few of these as well that I use sometimes:

some good ones on this list:

I just bought this book.

With the addition of a few images, that’s really the entire book. The author - Michael Sorkin - passed away from covid in 2020. He wrote a lot about the urban experience, architecture, places, and things for magazines like Metropolis and ID Magazine. I was sad that he died, so was glad to find his (last) book at Peter Miller bookstore - which is totally worth a trip if you’re in Seattle.