My disorganized book list
People ask me for book recommendations.
I always promise to send them.
I have never once kept that promise.
I always wanted to make the perfect list. With neatly organized categories — maybe a database with tags and filters so you could find exactly what you’re looking for in a very smart way.
But the books that shaped me can’t be sorted into neat little boxes. And we don’t discover new things by walking the same old paths.
In my disorganized list below, I hope you find something you were not looking for:
Hitmakers, Derek Thompson (2017). The sad realization that there are countless factors completely unrelated to the work itself that determine its commercial success. It brings on anxiety, resignation, and, with luck, ideas.
The Creative Act, Rick Rubin (2023). The indispensable bible for any artist. In it you’ll find inspiration, reflection, comfort, and the courage to keep going.
The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst (1992). A classic, and rightly so. And poetry, of all things! “Letters have life and dignity of their own.” An essential book for anyone beginning to delve deeper into the world of typography.
What Are You Looking At?, Will Gompertz (2012). This author is the art history professor I wish I’d had in college. If you’re just starting to get interested, you can’t go wrong.
Better, Simpler Strategy, Felix Oberholzer-Gee (2021). A Harvard business strategy professor I discovered through the (now-discontinued) After Hours podcast. He explains complex topics with a clarity that few can match.
The Art of Looking Sideways, Alan Fletcher (2001). An explosion of creativity through graphic and verbal experimentation. A weighty work. 2.5kg, to be exact. Worth every gram.
Reading Letters, Sofie Beier (2012). A remarkable meeting of science and typography. A solid foundation for anyone who wants to go deeper into typographic knowledge.
The Danger to Be Sane, Rosa Montero (2022). If you feel anxious or troubled as a creative, welcome. Here you’ll find your people and the long list of mental struggles that have always accompanied us. It helps.
The Ride of a Lifetime, Robert Iger (2019). It’s the biography of Bob Iger, who was CEO of Disney for 15 years (he later returned during the pandemic with little success — I’ll ignore that part). Because his ability to articulate strategies and communicate and live his values is something I find fascinating. I haven’t found any book on (traditional) leadership better than this biography.
It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, David Hansson and Jason Fried (2018). The cornerstone of the calm company management model. It genuinely changed how I think about what a company can be: human and viable. This is the best book on (contemporary) leadership I’ve come across.
The Impossibility of Silence, Ian Lynam (2020). Reflections on the writing process for professionals who express themselves visually — designers, artists, photographers. It always helps me.
The Stroke, Gerrit Noordzij (2005). The foundation of all typography is calligraphy, and no one has written better about it than him. Understanding these concepts is essential for anyone who wants to take type design seriously.
Creativity, Inc., Ed Catmull (2014). It’s the story of Pixar from the perspective of its founder. A classic about how to (try, fail, try again, and with some luck along the way) turn creativity into a business.
The Pixar Touch, David Price (2008). If you want to go deeper into Pixar’s history and discover what life was like for these visionary artists back when rendering a single frame of Toy Story could take anywhere from 45 minutes to 20 hours.
Just Kids, Patti Smith (2010). Discovering everything Patti Smith lived through in pursuit of her art at just 22 years old made me jump off the couch.
Make Good Art, Neil Gaiman and Chip Kidd (2013). We’re all disappointed with Neil Gaiman — me too. Trying to separate the author from the work, this speech delivers fundamental lessons for any creative. And it’s brought to life visually by a great designer. It had to be on this list. (With the appropriate caveat).
Team Human, Douglas Rushkoff (2019). Rushkoff has long been the guy asking the uncomfortable questions we forget to ask, dazzled as we are by technology. And bear in mind this book came out in 2019.
Type: the Secret History of Letters, Simon Loxley (2004). Fascinating stories about great names in typography, from Gutenberg to Neville Brody, written for a broad audience — meaning a pleasure to read even if you’re not a type nerd.
Just My Type, Simon Garfield (2010). Very similar in theme to the book above, this other Simon also wrote for a wider audience, though with a slightly stronger focus on the history of typefaces themselves and the contexts of each era.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (1979). I’ve never seen creativity applied to a text so funny and profound at the same time. A classic everyone should read.
Slow Productivity, Cal Newport (2024). I’m a big Cal Newport fan. In this more recent book, he argues and makes the case that a slower model of working is actually more efficient. A great complement to the calm company approach.
While You’re Reading, Gerard Unger (2007). A fascinatingly accessible introduction to the theoretical questions of typography.
Theory of Type Design, Gerard Unger (2018). In his final book, Unger presents his ideas with greater depth and richness of imagery. Essential reading for any serious type designer.
Change, Édouard Louis (2021). This book moved me deeply. I’ll leave it at that.
Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson (2011). A cliché to include on this list? Yes. Should you read it? Absolutely.
The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo (2019). Do you know the story of an excellent designer who gets promoted to manager and ends up lost? Julie tells her own story, drawing valuable lessons in a very authentic way.
Écritures, miroir des hommes et des sociétés [Writing: Mirror of Men and Societies], Ladislas Mandel (1998). A journey through how letterforms transformed throughout history, reflecting the spirit of their time. (He was a colleague of Adrian Frutiger at Deberny & Peignot.) (French/Portuguese only — no English edition)
The Visual History of Type, Paul McNeil (2017). My favorite big illustrated book on the history of typography.
A Evolução da Escrita [The Evolution of Writing], Carlos Horcades (2004). I couldn’t put this book down during college. An excellent, richly illustrated introduction to the history of writing and its evolution into typography. (Portuguese only)
A Letra Impressa [The Printed Letter], Claudio Rocha (2013). Traces the evolution of typography through advances in technology, from Gutenberg to the digital age, with many images. (Portuguese only)
Revista Tupigrafia [Tupigrafia Magazine], Claudio Rocha and Tony De Marco. The iconic Brazilian typography magazine with an international reputation. Each issue is a feast for the eyes and for the curious. A landmark of Brazilian design.
The End of Print, David Carson (1995). The foundational work of my idol since the days when I was a computer-obsessed teenager.
The Four, Scott Galloway (2017). I was one of those listening to Galloway before he became famous, and I’m glad his ideas reach so many people today through Prof G Media. It was in this book that he offered a highly original take on business strategy and branding by analyzing the four Big Techs of the time.
How Brands Grow (Parts 1 and 2), Jenni Romaniuk and Byron Sharp (2010 and 2016). The best of marketing and brand strategy based on evidence.
Coisa de Rico [Rich People Stuff], Michel Alcoforado (2025). It will show you the game you’re playing without even knowing you’re playing it. And you should know, unfortunately. (Portuguese only)
Owning Game-Changing Subcategories, David Aaker (2020). This is the father of branding. At nearly 80, he wrote this final book — which is where I took the decision to position ourselves as ‘fonts for branding.’
Designing Type, Karen Cheng (2006). An indispensable reference guide for anyone starting out in type design.
Adrian Frutiger: Typefaces, Heidrun Osterer and Philipp Stamm (2008). The complete collection of the work of the type designer I admire most. Beyond the systematic vision, the variety of styles he executed with such high technical rigor is impressive.
