books that think critically about design and the power visual communication can hold!
created by blithesome
last updated October, 2026
It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic
Jack Lowery
Design against Design: Cause and Consequence of a Dissident Graphic Practice
Kevin Yuen Kit Lo
What It Means to Be a Designer Today: Reflections, Questions, and Ideas from AIGAâs Eye on Design
Perrin Drumm
Glossary of Undisciplined Design
Rebecca Anja Kaiser Stephany
Who Can Afford to Be Critical?
Afonso Matos
CAPS LOCK:: How Capitalism Took Hold of Graphic Design, and How to Escape from It
Ruben Pater
Extra Bold: A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-racist, Nonbinary Field Guide for Graphic Designers
Ellen Lupton
The Politics of Design: A (Not So) Global Design Manual for Visual Communication
Š 2025 Pagebound