{"id":29260,"date":"2015-10-11T05:00:04","date_gmt":"2015-10-11T12:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/?p=29260"},"modified":"2024-04-09T05:22:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T12:22:43","slug":"most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers","title":{"rendered":"Most Inspiring Coffee Table Books for Designers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As a designer, one of the best ways to get inspired is by seeing the work of other designers. Taking in visual inspiration from the world around you is a great strategy for coming up with new ideas that are uniquely your own. If you&#8217;re looking for a source of visual inspiration that is aesthetically pleasing and easy to get your hands on, one of the best sources is a coffee table book. Coffee table books are large, carefully crafted and often considered design feats of their own, and they can give you a condensed and cohesive inspiration source that you can flip through again and again. Here are a few coffee table books that we find particularly inspiring.<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pantone_The_20th_Century_in_Color_by_Leatrice_Eiseman_and_Keith_Recker\"><\/span>Pantone: The 20th Century in Color, by Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>Pantone has long been considered the world&#8217;s leading authority on color. In 2011, the company created &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pantone.com\/pantone-20th-century-color\">Pantone: The 20th Century in Color<\/a>,&#8221; a coffee table book that explores the colors of more than 200 seminal pieces of art and design over the preceding century. The book is a fascinating look at color trends and psychology, and it&#8217;s a must for designers who want a better understanding of how colors have changed as society has changed.<\/p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/10\/09050433\/PantoneBook.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Pantone Book\" width=\"680\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29280\"><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Collins_Big_Book_of_Art_by_David_G_Wilkins\"><\/span>The Collins Big Book of Art, by David G. Wilkins<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>It&#8217;s indisputable that classic works of art continue to have a huge influence on what&#8217;s created in the realm of digital design. So, to get a heaping portion of famous art, as well as an understanding of the trajectory of how art came to be, check out &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.harpercollins.com\/9780060832858\/the-collins-big-book-of-art\">The Collins Big Book of Art<\/a>,&#8221; edited by David G. Wilkins. The book includes works created as early as 38,000 B.C.<\/p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/10\/09050437\/BigBookofArt.jpg.webp\" alt=\"The Collins Big Book of Art\" width=\"680\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29276\"><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mid-Century_Ads_by_Jim_Heimann_and_Steven_Heller\"><\/span>Mid-Century Ads, by Jim Heimann and Steven Heller<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>The 1950s and &#8217;60s were the heyday of the American advertisement. To get a better understanding of the ads in this golden age of consumerism, browse &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.taschen.com\/pages\/en\/catalogue\/popculture\/all\/04461\/facts.mid_century_ads.htm\">Mid-Century Ads<\/a>,&#8221; by Jim Heimann and Steven Heller. The book is packed with photos, graphics and posters once used as advertisements, and is a fascinating look at what historically sold products in America. It&#8217;s a great source of inspiration for anyone looking for a mid-century aesthetic.<\/p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/10\/09050441\/MidCenturyAds.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Mid Century Ads Book\" width=\"680\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29277\"><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Milton_Glaser_Graphic_Design_by_Milton_Glaser\"><\/span>Milton Glaser: Graphic Design, by Milton Glaser<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>One of the most influential graphic designers of all time, Milton Glaser created iconic images like the &#8220;I Love New York&#8221; logo. In &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.designersandbooks.com\/book\/milton-glaser-graphic-design\">Milton Glaser: Graphic Design<\/a>,&#8221; you can page through a collection of Glaser&#8217;s best designs, including book covers, album covers and billboards. This book includes text from the designer about his process, influences and philosophies.<\/p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/10\/09050445\/MiltonGlaser.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Milton Glaser - Graphic Design\" width=\"680\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29278\"><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thinking_with_Type_by_Ellen_Lupton\"><\/span>Thinking with Type, by Ellen Lupton<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>Design is not just about pictures, but also about words and letters. For typographic inspiration, one of the best coffee table books available is &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thinkingwithtype.com\/\">Thinking with Type<\/a>,&#8221; by Ellen Lupton. The book explores the psychology behind fonts, as well as the history and theory behind the use of typography in design.<\/p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/10\/09050449\/ThinkingWithType.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Thinking With Type\" width=\"680\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29281\"><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Around_the_World_in_125_Years_by_Reuel_Golden\"><\/span>Around the World in 125 Years, by Reuel Golden<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>There&#8217;s no better source of visual inspiration than the natural world around you. So, for a broad look at the world over decades, across continents, and throughout countless civilizations and communities, browse &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.taschen.com\/pages\/en\/catalogue\/photography\/all\/02894\/facts.national_geographic_around_the_world_in_125_years.htm\">Around the World in 125 Years<\/a>.&#8221; This set of three stunning books contains a compilation of the best photographs in National Geographic since 1888.<\/p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/10\/09050455\/NatgeoBook.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Around the World in 125 Years\" width=\"680\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29279\"><p>Collecting coffee table books is a must for any designer who thrives on visual inspiration. Countless coffee table books are filled with stunning, artistic and evocative images that can help get your creative mind flowing. And as a bonus, coffee table books make a great addition to your home&#8217;s decor.<\/p><hr><p><strong>Products Seen In This Post:<\/strong><\/p><p>    <figure id=\"card-368291-402600040\" class=\"product-card half no-pinit\" data-product-id=\"368291\" data-index=\"0\" data-width=\"half\" data-pin_it=\"no-pinit\" data-module=\"Product Embed\" data-block-id=\"402600040\"><\/figure>\n    \n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a designer, one of the best ways to get inspired is by seeing the work of other designers. Taking in visual inspiration from the world around you is a great strategy for coming up with new ideas that are uniquely your own. If you&#8217;re looking for a source of visual inspiration that is aesthetically [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[41,61,65,997],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-29260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creative-inspiration","tag-inspiration","tag-design","tag-books-2","tag-book"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.4 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Most Inspiring Coffee Table Books for Designers - Creative Market Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Most Inspiring Coffee Table Books for Designers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a designer, one of the best ways to get inspired is by seeing the work of other designers. Taking in visual inspiration from the world around you is a\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Creative Market Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/crtvmrkt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-10-11T12:00:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-09T12:22:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/10\/09050433\/PantoneBook.jpg.webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Laura Busche\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@creativemarket\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@creativemarket\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laura Busche\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers\",\"name\":\"Most Inspiring Coffee Table Books for Designers - Creative Market Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/10\\\/09050433\\\/PantoneBook.jpg.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-10-11T12:00:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-09T12:22:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e49444db004baa7d03b048743c86efe6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/10\\\/09050433\\\/PantoneBook.jpg.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/10\\\/09050433\\\/PantoneBook.jpg.webp\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Most Inspiring Coffee Table Books for Designers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Creative Market Blog\",\"description\":\"Creative Market Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Most Inspiring Coffee Table Books for Designers - Creative Market Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/most-inspiring-coffee-table-books-for-designers","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Most Inspiring Coffee Table Books for Designers","og_description":"As a designer, one of the best ways to get inspired is by seeing the work of other designers. 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