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From business to creativity to motivation to reference, I tried to include a little bit in this list for everyone. I read a lot, so I’ll be doing more of these as time goes on.

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines
Learn standard ethical practices, what to charge your clients, how much you should make when working with other companies, how to protect yourself legally, and a whole lot of other extremely useful information. There are even business forms and contracts in the back that you can use.

Graphic Designer’s Guide to Pricing, Estimating & Budgeting
by Theo Stephan Williams
This is a fantastic, easy to read book about the business of graphic design. From Amazon: “Whether you’re a start-up business or an experienced owner, The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Pricing, Estimating & Budgeting, Revised Edition, provides a one-stop source of indispensable, innovative methods for achieving productivity and profitability in every area of a graphic design business. This brand-new and completely updated edition offers practical guidelines for setting rates, dealing with clients’ budgets, preparing an estimate, and establishing profitability. Readers will also discover step-by-step strategies for pricing on the Internet, negotiating effective pricing with clients, and developing options to traditional pricing. Plus, the easy-to-read sidebars throughout this valuable guide offer dozens of creative, resourceful success tips for running a top-notch business.”

Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers
by Tad Crawford
The title says it all. Comes complete with a CD with editable and customizable forms.

The Dictionary of Brand
by Marty Neumeier
This fantastic reference contains 221 branding terms that your entire team should know in order to communicate your ideas to each other, and to clients, more effectively.

Creative Whack Pack and Innovative Whack Pack
by Roger von Oech
Feeling blocked? Need some inspiration? These card decks are full of creative thinking strategies and ideas designed to give you new ways of solving your creative problems.

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
by Seth Godin
Gain some much needed insight on how to become remarkable in a sea of sameness.

MTIV: Process, Inspiration and Practice for the New Media Designer
by Hillman Curtis
In this book, Hillman shares with us his methods behind his remarkably successful new media empire.

Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player
by Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez tells us his hugely inspiring and informative story about how he got off of his butt and and transformed himself into.. well, Robert Rodriguez.

Font Book
from FontShop International
Containing 24,500 type samples from 65 foundries, Font Book is one heck of a monster reference. It’s sold out at the time of this writing, but if you can find this in a used bin somewhere, I highly recommend snatching it up.

Meggs’ History of Graphic Design
by Philip Meggs
The New York Times says: “A significant attempt at a comprehensive history of graphic design…it will be an eye-opener not only for general readers, but for designers who have been unaware of their legacy.” This is a pretty pricey book, but worth every penny to design enthusiasts.