Book List of the Week

The Book List of the Week highlights the list of books provided by invited designers (including architects, fashion designers, graphic designers, interior designers, landscape architects, product designers, urban designers, and other design professionals) who have chosen books that inspire them and that have shaped their worldview or their ideas about design.
189 blog entries
Book List of the Week
January 26, 2015

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland), first published in 1865, will be 150 years old this year. To honor the anniversary, we’re highlighting the comments of our contributing designers who have been inspired by this childhood classic. More...

Book List of the Week
December 29, 2014

We often ask our contributors not only what books have inspired them in the past but also what they’re reading now. Here are a few of the answers we received in 2014. You can find the complete list of 135 books our designers and commentators have recently read in our section on Current Reading. More...

Book List of the Week
By Steve Kroeter December 22, 2014

We received a list of a dozen books that have inspired David Rockwell—the acclaimed architect of restaurants such as New York’s famed Nobu Fifty Seven and hotels like the W, and the set designer of Oscar ceremonies and award-winning Broadway productions including Hairspray and the currently running Kinky Boots. More...

Book List of the Week
December 15, 2014

This week we’re highlighting the books that inspire three architects working in California and the Pacific Northwest: Neil Denari (Los Angeles), Craig Hodgetts (Los Angeles), and Tom Kundig (Seattle). More...

Book List of the Week
December 8, 2014

Five members of the over 40-year-old design consultancy Pentagram, whose work includes branding, publications, exhibitions, and much more, have shared with us the books that have been meaningful to them. The designers are Michael Bierut (New York), Angus Hyland (London), Abbott Miller (New York), Harry Pearce (London), and Paula Scher (New York). More...

Book List of the Week
December 1, 2014

The art, techniques, and theories of photography have influenced the work of architects and designers almost since photography’s invention in the mid-19th century and subsequent reproduction in books and magazines. Here are five designers working today who have been inspired by photography books: graphic designers Kit Hinrichs, George Tscherny, and Véronique Vienne, architect James Biber, and fashion designer Reed Krakoff. More...

Book List of the Week
November 24, 2014

This week we’re highlighting the books that have had an influence on five industrial designers. The designers are:  Tim Brown (CEO of IDEO), the late Niels DiffrientDan Formosa (Smart Design co-founder), Sam Hecht (Industrial Facility, London), and David Weeks. More...

Book List of the Week
November 17, 2014

Ten notable women working as architects have sent us lists of books that have had an influence on what they do and think and how they create. The architects are: Deborah Berke, Denise Scott Brown, Nathalie de Vries, Jeanne Gang, Margaret McCurry, Victoria Meyers, Farshid Moussavi, Galia Solomonoff, Ada Tolla, and Billie Tsien. More...

Book List of the Week
November 10, 2014

Among the many prominent architects and designers who have collaborated on products with the American design firm Knoll are four who have sent us the books that have had an impact on their lives and careers. This week we spotlight the book lists of architects David Adjaye and Maya Lin, architect and industrial designer Emanuela Frattini Magnusson, and graphic design studio 2x4 and one of its founders, Michael Rock. More...

Book List of the Week
November 3, 2014

More than 25 different books, from Achille Castiglioni to The Edifice Complex, have made an impact on three leading design design journalists: Alice Rawsthorn (New York Times, international edition), Julie Iovine (The Wall Street Journal), and Amanda Dameron (Dwell magazine). More...