Mike Lenhart (bio)

The first one is the AIGA 365 Year in Design 29. In case you didn't know, the AIGA puts out this book annually, showcasing some of what they consider is the year's best in design. The items contained in the book are culled from 2 of the prestigious design competitions that the AIGA has each year - the 365 Annual Design Competition and the AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers. Categories of the best entries include information design, package design, brand and identity systems, and typographic design. There are also the winning 50 books and covers in this publication.

What do I think? Well, it's usually an inspiring book and has a lot of great images and ideas in it. I just get sort of bored with the same old winners and their work that continually gets showcased in ALL of these design annuals. Bitter? Me? I don't know, I'm just getting old. OK, it is a good book.

The next one to talk about is Essentials of Visual Communication, by Bo Bergstrom, and put out by Laurence King. This book is really good. It covers how to get to great visual communication in your work. From storytelling to strategy and influences, this book explains how the process works and how to do this in practice. It also covers the basics, such as images and typography, but the depth is the real item here. I think students in the higher levels would really benefit from this book.

And the other one this time, also put out by Chronicle, is called Youngs Guns Six and the Undiscovered Letter - really 2 books in one. The two-volume set includes some really great imagery chosen from the Art Directors Club through one of their annual design competitions. It's hard to explain here everything it contains, but it's a definite look-see.
The other part of the set is all about the "27th" letter of the alphabet. The artists in this book are so very clever, and funny, and have great imaginations on what this letter is all about. Chronicle does it again with very effective packaging. This book is good to have around the office or in your backpack for some light bus or train reading.

Some more good books out there. Add these to your collection if they appeal to you - or don't - you'll see them around anyway.