I know what you are saying. What do you want me to do? Turn off my computer? What? Yes! Turn it off and step away. Sometimes we need to disconnect from the internet and revert to a more basic technology: Books! Here are 8 suggestions from my bookshelf.
Bullet Proof Web Design
This book helped me learn how to make table-less websites. Dan Cedarholm takes you from the basics to the advanced css ninja skills. He also shows how popular websites are (horribly) coded and then shows you a better way to code them. This book is a staple in my library which i still reference a lot.
CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions
The only other css book I own. This book is the older geekier cousin of bullet proof web design. less pictures, way more technical, but still amazing. this book gets down into the nitty gritty of css. Css mastery is worth reading, and re-reading again and again.
Caffeine For The Creative Mind
Not specifically a web design book but a great addition to a library anyways. Do you ever feel stuck or uninspired? This book has tons of little creative exercises that will jump start your brain and inspire you.
Don’t Make Me Think
Another great staple in a web designers library. The information in this book may seem obvious but its really good to sit down and think about usability and testing. Web conventions exist for a reason! This book is a quick read that will get you thinking about your users.
Making And Breaking The Grid
This book was required reading (or rather viewing) for one of my classes in college for a good reason. Grids are the skeleton of good design – without them our designs would be chaotic and unorganized. Once you know how to establish a follow a grid structure, you learn how to break it!
History Of Graphic Design
Web design is deeply indebted to its closely related cousin graphic design. If you don’t read this book (which you probably should) just flipping through it will surely give you inspiration. Its amazing to see what designers produced before computers existed! Learn from your design elders and read this book!
Thinking With Type
While this book may be written for a print designer we can still gain alot of information from it and apply it to the web. Thinking with type is a great intro to typography book with tons of pictures and examples of how to make beautiful type.
Fingerprint
Fingerprint will help you think outside the ‘div box’ that we often get trapped in as web designers. This book is packed with hand drawn inspiration and insight from designers about the creation process.
