7 Recommended Books for Absolute Design Beginners

Since my previous post, "Introducing 6 Design-Related Books I Was Glad I Bought in 2024", was well-received, I will continue by introducing more recommended books.

I often get asked by people studying design, "Are there any recommended books that are helpful for studying?" So, for those who have just started learning design, I will introduce some reference books that I actually read and found useful.
The books introduced in this article have been carefully selected for those aiming to become Web designers or graphic designers.

Also, when choosing these books, I focused on the following points.

If you are already studying design and have specific areas you are struggling with, please use the table of contents below to help you choose.

I want to learn design from the basics

In Web design, print design, and other fields, there are design fundamentals necessary to properly convey information to people, such as making things easy to see, making necessary information easy to understand, reducing misunderstandings, and making it easier to visualize images.
Since there are many topics that are hard to grasp just by reading text when you are a beginner, I have selected books that are easy to understand with plenty of illustrated materials.

❶ Naruhodo Design (I See! Design)

With many diagrams, illustrations, and photos, you can enjoy reading it as if you were looking at a picture book.
When you start studying design, you tend to brace yourself, thinking you have to memorize complicated rules, but this book is designed so that you can understand the user's feelings and the intent behind the design creation as a set, making it very easy to understand.
I also give design lectures for non-designers, and when you have a long history in design, you lose the ability to understand how a beginner feels. However, reading this book helps me think like a beginner again, so I keep it on hand as a permanent reference.

❷ Please teach me the tips for design that doesn't look amateur, for now!

Design builds an image through combinations of layout, color, fonts, etc., and this is a book where you can learn these evenly through diagrams.
It is written by ingectar-e, who is famous for the "Kekkyoku, Yohaku. (In the End, White Space.)" series (currently 4 volumes in total), but if your wallet can't handle buying them all, I recommend this book because you can sample the important parts of all 4 works.
This book is recommended because it breaks down design into parts, making the differences between before and after easy to see, and even beginners can easily understand what is good and what is bad.

In the 4 volumes of the "Kekkyoku, Yohaku." series, they compare NG and OK designs and explain the points for improvement.
You can see many examples, so if you are at the stage of digging deeper into design learning and are troubled because your design variations aren't increasing, I think you should read it.

I don't know how to compose text

If your text layout is uncool, the whole image ends up looking dowdy, doesn't it?
Even when challenging yourself with design tracing or the banner themes I organize, I think you might have various frustrations, such as not knowing what to be careful about when placing text or not knowing which font combinations go well together.

The next books I will introduce are reference books specialized in "text layout," so they might be the key to solving those problems.

❶ Hontoni, Font. (Seriously, Fonts.)

This is a book published after the Kekkyoku, Yohaku. I introduced earlier.
This book investigates the cause of why, even though you've become somewhat decent at layout and design, the text area still looks uncool.
Even with the same design theme, the overall atmosphere changes significantly depending on how you select the font.You can have an epiphany, realizing, "It makes this much of a difference just by being careful with the text!"
Since the fonts used are also listed, it serves as a helpful resource for those who want to use the same fonts.

❷ I want to know Typography Design

The Hontoni, Font. I introduced earlier is a book that explains the role of fonts while looking at the layout and design as a whole, but this is a reference book that focuses on title text.

It covers things like how to kern text (making it look beautiful by adjusting spacing), pursuing what kind of white space feels easy to read, and what you should be careful about when creating custom lettering (typography) by combining default characters with various motifs.
① Just typed the text
② Adjusted for readability
③ Added some playfulness
It is written carefully about how to arrange text step-by-step, and you can read it while checking the actual production process, so it has a structure that is easy for beginners to imitate.

I want to understand the mechanics of website creation

Website creation involves not just design, but also the process of converting information into a language that computers can easily understand for display.
The languages required for display are things like HTML and CSS, but unlike design, which is visually intuitive, these concepts can be a bit difficult to grasp.
Therefore, I have selected books that feature simple explanations that are easy for beginners to understand, as well as plenty of diagrams for those who prefer to learn visually.

1. A Beginner's Course in HTML & CSS and Web Design: Learn Everything in One Book

The initial approach explains 'what kind of design is easy to see and preferred for websites?', so those who have studied design will likely find it interesting to read through.
Difficult jargon like 'corporate site' and 'usability' is explained carefully from the start, so you can learn technical web terminology without having to look up information yourself.

The book also carefully selects which code you should learn first in order to be able to build a single site using HTML and CSS.
Since it covers all the basic knowledge needed to build one site, I felt it was a very gentle book for beginners.
Also, it properly covers mainstream topics like responsive design, embedding YouTube videos, and OGP support, so I think you will be able to handle most technologies used in the field.

2. HTML & CSS and Web Design for First-Year Employees

A book that covers everything from basic coding to advanced applications while coding four different types of web designs. Recommended for those who want to practice coding various designs and build a foundation of skills that are in demand for work. This is my book.
In the code explanations, I used plenty of diagrams and illustrations to make it easy for beginners to understand and fun to learn.
Also, when creating web designs, I have illustrated the key points to keep in mind to achieve a good design while showing the four types of web designs.

I have included many tips that you can only learn by experiencing the production field, such as the workflow when taking on jobs as a company employee or freelancer, what to be careful about when coding, and how to upload to a web server.
I have provided a sneak peek of the contents here, so please take a look if you are interested.

3. HTML as a Weapon

If you want to learn from the basics when creating websites, I think it is easy to understand if you purchase it as a set with an HTML & CSS book and study them together.
Books for beginners that teach how to build one website tend to have more volume dedicated to CSS explanations, and HTML is often not discussed in depth, but this book isspecialized only in HTMLand I thought it was a book that could serve as a model for both beginners and veterans to rethink their correct coding practices.

If you are someone who doesn't know how to create website designs, I have introduced them in my note below, so I would be happy if you could read that as well.

For those who want to work as a web designer, I have summarized the steps for learning in the article below, so please use it as a reference.

I have introduced the above, but did you find a reference book that suits you?
Design books and business books can be a bit expensive and hard to get your hands on.
Kindle Unlimitedoffersunlimited reading for 30 days for freeso it is a good deal to use this service to read the design or business books you are interested in. If you cancel within 30 days, no charges will be incurred.
It is unlimited reading anytime, anywhere, and can be used on various devices, so it is fine to use on your smartphone.

There is so much for designers to learn that it is also necessary to have the skill to select the study methods and materials that suit you.
However, since there is so much information overflowing, there are times when you might get lost with all the options.
In this note, I hope to continue updating articles that can support beginner designers who are feeling lost, even if just a little.
If you would like to read them, please follow my note!

To publishers and authors considering sending review copies

Regarding review copies, I have summarized the accepted genres and introduction methods on the page below, so please read it before applying.