The digital age is upon us (ahem) and publishing is becoming more expensive. In this struggling economy, ad sales are down and it’s proved too much for publishers to withstand.

Gourmet Magazine (after 70 years), I.D. Magazine (after 55 years), Jane Magazine, and a slew of others have all folded. Why buy a magazine when you can get all of the content online for free? And not have to deal with disposal/recycling/waste buildup? (I myself I have over a years worth of Bon Appétit sitting right next to me.) New content can be pushed daily, or even up-to-the-minute. Overhead costs are lower. It’s just too hard to compete with.

OK, so magazines will eventually become extinct. It makes sense. But what about books? Good question. Well, I think books are a different animal. I think their content and motives are quite contrasting. You can have a book for twenty years, as they were designed to be read and referenced and passed on to the next. Magazines are more ephemeral, pushing new content – the newer, the latest, the current, the better. Sure you may find something to hold on to, but generally, I don’t think that’s the motive.

I’m not the avid reader, so you won’t find tons of New York Times Bestsellers on my shelves, but I do have quite a number of design/art books – a handful of which I keep referencing over and over.

I browse tons of design portals daily and gather a lot of resources for reference, inspiration, and such. I have it all organized by type, date, etc. It’s great. But there’s something about having an object in front of you, and making a direct physical connection with it. Sometimes it’s easier to just turn pages of a book – put it down, pick it up, flip through some more. It just feels good. I don’t think books will disappear for a long time… at least not from my shelves.

Books I can’t live without:

Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth

I can read this graphic novel 800 times and still discover nuances new to my eyes. I think I love anything Chris Ware does. I have tons of his other books and I can never get enough of his crazy stream of consciousness.

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Los Logos Series

I love this series for one simple reason. Tons of great logos. And that’s it. Just pages, upon pages of awesome logos you can flip through in seconds. Tons of ‘em. Yes.

Los Logos | Dos Logos | Tres Logos | Los Logos 4

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ABC 3D

You can’t really recreate the mood of this book. Sure you can make a nice 3D motion graphics piece but it won’t feel the same. You can’t interact with it in the same way. Also, check the YouTube Video.

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Mutabor Iconography

The language of imagery. These books are more about communicating through icon imagery, rather than just “a book of logos and icons.” Sure that is/can be a part of this, but the books are really about reducing imagery for universal comprehension. Very interesting and always a part of a designer’s life.

Lingua Graphica |  Lingua Universalis

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Pixar: At the Museum of Modern Art

The Pixar exhibit in 2006 at the MoMA was brilliant. I’ll never forget it. This book brings me back to those moments. Those maquettes, the sketches, the paintings, color studies… It just created a beautiful atmosphere. All of it. The book is a compendium of artwork, not just a book about animated 3D movies.

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Sagmeister: Made You Look

I remember in college I’d borrow this from anyone who had it. It was just so raw and vivid and different. It still feels refreshing to look at, even after all this time. I never actually owned this book until recently (it’s been out of print for years). I was walking in SoHo and passed a street vender. I looked down at his stack of books and continued to walk on by. Not more than five steps later I paused, walked back,and looked down at the pile again. There it was… Made Me Look.

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