Most Anticipated Design Books of 2019
As a new year approaches, the catalogues of new books that will be released soon become more irresistible. I can never help but casually scroll through them on my laptop or phone as I wait for some other task to take precedent. To be honest, I don’t enjoy waiting. I’m somewhat impatient and the thought of having to wait months for a book to be released does no good for me, especially since I have so many left on my TBR, waiting to be picked up. It also doesn’t help that there aren’t many publishers in the world that publish enough design and art books to be worth advertising them this far in advance. To make matters worse, if they are advertising them, I’m mostly not interested in those books. That being said, I did manage to compound a small list of my most anticipated design books of the first half of 2019. Here they be:
Feck Perfuction
James Victore
Chronicle Books
March 5th
Written by graphic designer and social media star, James Victore, this new books offers his advice on living an out-of-this-world creative life. Targeted towards all ages and professions, his advice is supposed to apply to anyone who picks up this book. Feck Perfuction has been described as containing, “edgy design” and I think that is one of the biggest characteristics that is pulling me into this book, other than it being written by the iconic James Victore. Knowing a little bit about Victore’s design style, and after seeing his covers for the Do// book series, I am extremely curios about how this book will be designed. I am a little hesitant on what to expect though. I wonder if it is going to be a design anthology like Aaron Draplin’s Pretty Much Everything, or if it’s going to be more of an autobiography through narrative like Paul Sahre’s, Two-Dimensional Man. Either way, I think it is going to be phenomenal.
Keep Going
Austin Kleon
Workman Publishing Company
April
I am incredibly excited for this book as I am a huge fan of Austin Kleon, and his books, Steal Like an Artist, and, Show Your Work. Assuming that this book will be formatted the same as the other two, it will cover a whole new topic on motivation, continuing work through burn out, and overcoming external distractions. All of which are problems most designers face. I love all of his books because they are relatively short yet packed with so much information and advice. Definitely pre-ordering this one.
The Designer’s Dictionary of Type
Seans Adams
Abrams
April 2nd
Written by the same author of, The Designer’s Dictionary of Color, Sean Adams is back with a new look and analysis of another important aspect of design: typography. In this book, Adams looks at 48 typefaces and analyzes their traits, their histories, and includes prominent work that they exist in. He covers a large range of typefaces from the classics, like Garamond, to the moderns, like OCR-A. If this book is anything like his previous, then it will probably serve as an excellent primer for those who are just starting out on the typographic journeys. I am interested in this book because I want to compare it to some of the more mainstream type primers that already exist, and see if it holds up. The Designer’s Dictionary of Color is a well designed book and provides a lot of context for color, so I am hoping, The Designer’s Dictionary of Typography does the same, if not just as well.
In Pursuit of Inspiration: Trust Your Instincts and Make More Art
Rae Dunn
Chronicle Books
April 30th
To be honest, I have never heard of Rae Dunn until I came across this book in the Chronicle Books 2019 catalog. But once I did a little research, I was mesmerized. Dunn is a west-coast based artist and ceramicist who creates beautifully, stunning work, which makes me anticipate this book just as more. In Pursuit of Inspiration focuses on twenty various exercises and techniques that are designed to jumpstart anyones’ creativity. Although it is a fairly short book [a little over 100 pages] I am still curious about it, because I love when books revolve around pushing the boundaries of creativity and means of creative expression. I love the sense of creativity that I feel when I read these types of books, and with a new one on the market, I am going to have to snag it. The description of this book states that it is filled with watercolor paintings, photographs, and patterns which makes me want to believe that this might partially tie in a retrospective of Dunn’s work. Which I am really hoping it does.
Graphic Design Play Book: An Exploration of Visual Thinking
Sophie Cure & Barbara Farina
Laurence King Publishing
June 25th
The last book on the list, but probably the most interesting out of them all. The Graphic Design Play Book is surprisingly short at under 100 pages, but will probably be the most memorable. This design primer educates readers about typography, poster design, signage design, etc. through the use of exercises, puzzles, and activities. I am extremely excited for this book because I haven’t seen an interactive design book like this on the market yet. I am hesitant about it because it covers a large range of topics within the scope of graphic design, and I also don’t enjoy activity books as much as I enjoy more formal books. That being said, I am excited that this book is designed to be extremely interactive. The concept in itself interests me greatly, so regardless of the writing, subject, or activities, I think I will enjoy the design of it most.
Although this list is short, there are plenty of new and exciting books being released this year. These are just the ones that I am, personally, super jazzed about. After checking the lists and catalogs, which books are you anticipating most this year? Leave a comment with your most anticipated book down below, and keep the conversation going.