Design Theory Books

Showing 1-50 of 528
The Design of Everyday Things The Design of Everyday Things (Paperback)
by (shelved 15 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.15 — 47,162 ratings — published 1988
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Universal Principles of Design Universal Principles of Design (Hardcover)
by (shelved 9 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.16 — 5,870 ratings — published 2003
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Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change (Paperback)
by (shelved 8 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.24 — 1,748 ratings — published 1972
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Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.89 — 10,977 ratings — published 2009
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Designing Design Designing Design (Hardcover)
by (shelved 6 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.50 — 968 ratings — published 2003
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Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.13 — 967 ratings — published 2013
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The Elements of Typographic Style The Elements of Typographic Style (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.26 — 9,039 ratings — published 1992
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Interaction of Color Interaction of Color (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.92 — 14,834 ratings — published 1971
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Design, When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation (Design Thinking, Design Theory) Design, When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation (Design Thinking, Design Theory)
by (shelved 4 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.03 — 209 ratings — published 2015
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Thoughts on Design Thoughts on Design (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.98 — 1,115 ratings — published 1947
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A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series) A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series)
by (shelved 4 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.42 — 5,391 ratings — published 1977
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Understanding Design (revised edition) Understanding Design (revised edition)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.98 — 60 ratings — published 2006
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How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.98 — 5,011 ratings — published 2005
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Designing for People Designing for People (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.12 — 228 ratings — published 1967
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100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.10 — 6,228 ratings — published 2011
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The Sciences of the Artificial The Sciences of the Artificial (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.30 — 652 ratings — published 1969
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Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.01 — 848 ratings — published 2011
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Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.04 — 1,911 ratings — published 2007
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The Vignelli Canon The Vignelli Canon (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.41 — 886 ratings — published 2010
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The Non-Designer's Design Book The Non-Designer's Design Book (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.10 — 4,897 ratings — published 2011
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The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.22 — 115 ratings — published 2003
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The Laws of Simplicity The Laws of Simplicity (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.89 — 6,993 ratings — published 2006
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Living With Complexity Living With Complexity (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.86 — 959 ratings — published 2010
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The Poetics of Space The Poetics of Space (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.18 — 11,072 ratings — published 1957
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Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.12 — 12,520 ratings — published 2004
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Shaping Things (Mediaworks Pamphlets) Shaping Things (Mediaworks Pamphlets)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.91 — 556 ratings — published 2005
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Design Is Storytelling Design Is Storytelling (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.96 — 1,696 ratings — published 2017
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ABC's of the Bauhaus: The Bauhaus and Design Theory ABC's of the Bauhaus: The Bauhaus and Design Theory (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.70 — 174 ratings — published 1993
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The Secret Lives of Color The Secret Lives of Color (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.01 — 20,817 ratings — published 2016
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Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.92 — 2,206 ratings — published 1993
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Meggs' History of Graphic Design Meggs' History of Graphic Design (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.13 — 2,839 ratings — published 1983
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Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.00 — 7,816 ratings — published 1994
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Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.09 — 1,482 ratings — published 2018
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The Language of Things: Understanding the World of Desirable Objects The Language of Things: Understanding the World of Desirable Objects (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.61 — 1,174 ratings — published 2008
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Discursive Design: Critical, Speculative, and Alternative Things (Design Thinking, Design Theory) Discursive Design: Critical, Speculative, and Alternative Things (Design Thinking, Design Theory)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.35 — 23 ratings — published
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Designerly Ways of Knowing (Board of International Research in Design) Designerly Ways of Knowing (Board of International Research in Design)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.06 — 71 ratings — published 2003
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Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.17 — 535 ratings — published 2020
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The Art of Looking Sideways The Art of Looking Sideways (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.11 — 6,624 ratings — published 2001
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Are We Human? Notes on an Archaeology of Design Are We Human? Notes on an Archaeology of Design (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.36 — 421 ratings — published
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The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.38 — 4,317 ratings — published 1996
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This is Service Design Thinking: Basics – Tools – Cases This is Service Design Thinking: Basics – Tools – Cases (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 3.98 — 1,932 ratings — published 2010
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The Shape of Things The Shape of Things (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.04 — 235 ratings — published 1993
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In Praise of Shadows In Praise of Shadows (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.01 — 29,694 ratings — published 1933
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Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.11 — 2,112 ratings — published
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Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.09 — 12,472 ratings — published 2002
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Frame Innovation: Create New Thinking by Design (Design Thinking, Design Theory) Frame Innovation: Create New Thinking by Design (Design Thinking, Design Theory)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.07 — 99 ratings — published 2015
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Now You See It and Other Essays on Design Now You See It and Other Essays on Design (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.15 — 358 ratings — published
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The Nature and Aesthetics of Design The Nature and Aesthetics of Design (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.22 — 40 ratings — published
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Design, Form, and Chaos Design, Form, and Chaos (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as design-theory)
avg rating 4.20 — 263 ratings — published 1993
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Tom  Turner
“Landscape design theory has been rotting away, peacefully, like a garden temple, since the close of the eighteenth century.”
Tom Turner, City as Landscape

Tom  Turner
“Physically, gardens must have boundaries. Mentally, they can reach to the limits of the known universe. The ideas that bestow such vast extent upon gardens derive from sun, earth, art, water, history, civilization, family, anything.”
Tom Turner, City as Landscape

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