Someone asked me recently whether there were any books I would recommend that related to the work a creative agency might do.  I decided to post my response on here for everyone’s benefit.

1.  Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers

by Eva Doman Bruck and Tad Crawford

This book has been infinitely helpful to me throughout my years as a designer.  It includes dozens of document templates with explanations for each section of each document, as well as a CD with digital copies of every template.  While they are no substitute to documents laid out specifically for your company, they are an excellent resource if you are just starting out and are unsure where to begin. Purchase from Amazon.

2.  2014 Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market

by Mary Burzlaff Bostic

If you aspire to sell your artwork to various galleries, museums, publishers, and more, this is the book for you.  Not only does it provide contact info for each business or organization, but each entry also describes the type of work that location is interested in buying, as well as how to submit it.  It also provides the names and contact info of organizations that offer grants and scholarships, art communities, and a healthy dose of articles and interviews for your educational needs. Purchase from Amazon.

3.  The Freelancer’s Bible

by Sara Horowitz

This is a fairly self-explanatory title.  It offers many priceless suggestions on how to get work, grow and manage your business, and even how to build your business within your own community.  If you are a freelancer, you need this book.  If you are not a freelancer, you probably still need it.  Purchase from Amazon.

4.  The Web Designer’s Idea Book

by Patrick McNeil

There are three different volumes of this book, so if you are a web designer, be prepared to spend hours flipping through the pages to find that perfect bit of inspiration.  The books are laid out by type, style, and structural elements, and include a URL to the website beneath each screenshot so that readers can see them in person.  Purchase from Amazon.  (I suggest purchasing a few packages of sticky notes while you’re at it.)

5.  Typographic Design:  Form and Communication

by Rob Carter, Ben Day and Philip B. Meggs

If you are unfamiliar with the aesthetic benefits of well-kerned text, this is the book that will familiarize you.  Every page is perfectly presented to help drive home the main point of the book:  Type matters.  It utilizes a variety of case studies  and graphics to clear things up if a reader finds something confusing.  That being said, this is no candidate for light reading due to its large page size and compact paragraphs, but it is very informative.  Purchase from Amazon.

Have something else to add to this list?  Leave a comment and tell us about it!