Product Design Books, The professions relating to the design and concerning visual aesthetics should be supported by not only academic documents; but also, it needs visual inspirations to enhance and support educational knowledge. Therefore, product design is also contributing to a wide range of sub-branches, and reading books that are supporting related information about product design have become a necessity.
Especially after the emergence of UI/UX design, the field of product design is highly combined with technology and visual representation. So, the designers should keep up with the digital world instantly!
Here is a list of 10 beneficial books for product designers:
1. Smart Product Design by Sendpoints | Product Design Books
Smart Product Design by Sendpoints explains the latest smart product designs after the developments of science and technology. The book unveils the world with high-tech products consisting of interviews with the most talented designers and company leaders and showing their selected product designs.
2. The Fundamentals of Product Design by Richard Morris
The Fundamentals of Product Design by Richard Morris provides a good source to have an integrated and cohesive view of the product design process with material selections, manufacturing, idea generation, computer-aided design, engineering functions, product types, etc. The book also includes an analytic background for readers with case studies by famous designers such as Naoto Fukasawa, Matthew White, and Thomas Heatherwick.
3. The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
Don Norman’s book ‘The Design of Everyday Things is a classic brilliant source for good design’s basic principles and provides knowledge about interesting topics such as psychopathology of everyday things, the complexity of modern design, human-centered design, and fundamental principle of interaction in terms of product use.
Don Norman’s book has become a substantial source to learn communication between the object and the user which has an impact on the product designer’s perspective. You can read the book’s preface here.
4. Basics Product Design 02: Material Thoughts by David Bramston
David Bramston’s Basic Product Design Book Series’ second book is giving readers an informative opinion on different material selections for product design. The book provides material’s properties and how they have been used by innovative designers around the world.
David Bramston explains material’s variability with unique and diverse materials such as bridges made from paper or felt washbasins.
5. Product Design by Alex Milton | Product Design Books
Product Design by Alex Milton is defined as a comprehensive introduction to the field of product design with explaining all activities involved in the creation of a new product from the conceptual designing process through the manufacturing process. The product visuals are also very inspiring to enhance readers’ conceptual thinking.
6. Change by Design by Tim Brown
Change by Design by Tim Brown enhances the ‘design thinking’ perspective, the collaborative process by which the designer’s sensibilities and methods are suitable according to people’s needs. It also explains problem-solving methods with creating a human-centered approach.
It will be a beneficial source for, especially product design students who wish to become creative leaders in their career life. Moreover, it consists of a design thinking process and relations like a mind map.
7. 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk
Product design is a profession that is highly integrated with people’s perceptions and expectations and for this reason, the books which explain people’s vision are significant for designers.
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk is a beneficial book, which includes chapters like how people see, read, remember, think, focus attention, motivate, etc. These chapters will help product designers’ designs through thinking in terms of usability, and necessity. You will learn insights about human psychology and behavior, practical key points on how to increase conversion rates and usability in digital products.
8. Goods Series Interior Products From Sketch to Use
FRAME publishers’ Good Series ‘Interior Products from Sketch to Use’ are a unique and significant collection of various product designs explaining design process support with visuals. Therefore, it has become a popular and must-read source for product designers to enhance their conceptual thinking process sketch to realization.
The book is also easy to navigate with the indexed name of the designer, manufacturer, and name of the product.
9. Product Design and Sustainability Strategies, Tools and Practice by Jane Penty
The term sustainability is a current concern nowadays and it takes part in almost every field. Product design should be designed according to sustainable principles like using natural materials and this book can be a beneficial source which inspires designers to engage with sustainability and reveals how product sectors are dealing with this process.
10. 1000 Product Designs by Eric Chan | Product Design Books
1000 Product Designs by Eric Chan includes unique products designed by famous product designers, and it can create an initial background about the product design field. The book has chapters for the organization, work, expression, entertainment, and connection process of the product and includes supportive visuals.
References
Academy, P., in, L., now, J., Shopify, W., Series, D., Blog, W. and Books, T., 2021. The 10 Best Product Design Books. [online] Shopify. Available at: <https://www.shopify.co.uk/partners/blog/design-books> [Accessed 2 June 2021].
Heuze, J., 2021. 10 Books Every Product Designer Needs To Read. [online] Medium. Available at: <https://medium.com/@jamieheuze/10-books-every-product-designer-needs-to-read-cdb398f305e1> [Accessed 2 June 2021].
Noman, A., 2021. The Design of Everyday Things — summary of the first chapter. [online] Medium. Available at: <https://uxdesign.cc/design-of-everyday-things-chapter-01-summary-and-keypoints-664d426a11e0> [Accessed 2 June 2021].
