To thrive in the creative industry, there are design books you must read in 2025, as this world of design always has some new trends; you’ll have to stay updated in order to be relevant in the market.
Which only a few can manage to do in this world… But how can a designer always have some new idea or pattern?
The answer revolves around the learning process of a designer.
For Indian designers and creative professionals in industries like web design, marketing, and social media, design books offer a treasure trove of insights and inspiration.
Whether you want to be a designer or you are an expert, in 2025 you need to read these design books that promise to enrich your understanding and spark your creativity. Here’s a list of the best design books to guide you through the coming year of 2025. ( Happy New Year, btw.)
Why Reading Design Books Matters
With so many creators and designers telling you that you need AI and you should know how to draw this and that’ with tutorials available online, one may ask why books are important then.
The answer lies in depth. When it comes to information and ideas, books provide a very convenient way to look at different aspects of design and offer ideas that cannot be found in brief articles. These books can be helpful to Indian designers, especially because they work within the Indian context as well as in expanding industries such as eCommerce and social media marketing.
Although reading design books concerns mastering new skills, it is also about understanding the principles of why design functions well. These assist learners in establishing a good understanding of areas such as typography, layouts, and the fundamental color theory while indicating contemporary issues such as designing an item from the end user’s perspective and using AI tools.
Top Design Books to Read in 2025
1. “Thinking with Type” by Ellen Lupton
You might not know, but typography is a basic part of design, and “Thinking with Type” is one of the great essential sources out there. The role of typefaces is described in detail, as well as certain grids, to make sure you know all about typography in printed and screen-based works. The presented 2025 version adds new knowledge about designing for the responsive layout and AI text generation.
Why Read It?
- Make sure you know the best way to design and utilize efficient typographies for 2025.
- Learn how you can apply different types of typographies for different devices and applications.
Example: It is a well-observed fact that many Indian startups fail miserably in coming up with good websites that are mobile responsive or mobile friendly. Knowing these can help you create types that can translate across screens to assure better readability and its effectivity to its users. This can help you in many ways…
2. “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug
If UX design is what you are interested in, then “Don’t Make Me Think” is an interesting book for you to read. This book simplifies the seemingly complicated space of UX design, making sure that anyone who is even new to UX understands it. Because of this new age of AI, you’ll always need the newest version, which brings new approaches to designing very clear and understandable interfaces.
Why Read It?
- Learn how to create designs that have very easy navigational interfaces for users.
- Listen to discover how you can make testing and iterating your designs more effective.
E-commerce companies in India usually lose customers due to their poor site navigation. If you follow the principles outlined above by Krug, then you can create interfaces that control the user’s decision-making process and build up high conversions.
3. “Creative Confidence” by Tom Kelley and David Kelley
Design is inherently creative, and this book is entitled ‘Creative Confidence.’ Being written by the IDEO co-founder, this book focuses on design thinking and group work. This book also discusses a great way to add the application of AI in creating art without full automation of the art-making process.
This thing can help many of you in 2025 because of the AI revolution. It also includes how you can leverage AI in creativity.
Why read this?
- Clear your mind and get new ideas to create or solve something.
- See how to effectively manage creativity for teams.
This book targets designers and market professionals, who always have to get some new ideas for marketing during festivals and major events. By reading and implementing its strategy, you can become an expert in creating a higher level of engagement on social media.
4. “Grid Systems in Graphic Design” by Josef Müller-Brockmann
This next book is a recommendation of many great designers. This book can easily be called one of the most significant works addressing the problem of layouts. “Grid Systems in Graphic Design.” is a great book for many. It teaches you how to implement proportions and achieve better tension in designs with the help of grids, which makes it very useful for graphic designers, illustration artists, and web designers.
Why Read It?
- Let us understand the basics of the grid as a tool to address the issue of visual structure.
- You can learn how to add practicality to the need for visuals in designing layouts.
Example: Magazine layout designers in India or anyone working in a design agency who has to create wireframes for websites. You can make your work more professional by applying the best grid systems from this book.
5. “Designing for Emotion” by Aarron Walter
Design isn’t the utility alone; it is also the feelings… This design learning will show you how to add funny, surprising, and delightful design elements. The author of this book has included examples that will apply to both current social media trends and upcoming 2025 trends. This book has great examples for mobile application designers as well…
Why Read It?
- Find out how to make people feel with design.
- Build those memorable experiences that your target audience will enjoy.
Example: Emotional design has also been observed in social media campaigns in the Indian context by various brands. Recently a food delivery app in India has added some animations that are catchy and funny. Which helped them get great engagement in the cricket season.
How to Choose the Right Design Book
We have met many people who find it confusing and tiring when trying to choose the appropriate book. Here are some tips that will help you decide:
- Your expertise level: Newbie designers may go to the basics, such as ‘Thinking with Type,’ while adding some advanced books for those interested in artificial intelligence.
- Your field: If you’re in marketing, creative confidence is indeed a great name to go with. Web designers stand to benefit most from “Don’t Make Me Think”:
Your goals: No matter what, you are interested in typography, you are trying to improve your UX, or you just want to read about trends; there is a book for anyone.
Conclusion
Since the design industry doesn’t just roll around every year, there is a need to remain relevant in the markets, and the information shows how this can be done.
The listed books provide proactivity principles that are relevant in business in combination with present-day strategies, which makes these books very useful in 2025. These books are important to any freelance designer, a member of an online web design agency, or even someone managing social media campaigns.
Therefore, take some books in 2025 to read and make 2025 your year of creativity…!
