twenty-six.design is an independent design and editorial studio and think tank led by Jarrett Fuller. Our work takes shape across a variety of media, from books and websites to podcasts and public relations and we work with clients large and small, around the world.
In addition to client work, we also produce experimental work, research projects, and original content, including the podcast Scratching the Surface, the online archive of graphic design texts readings.design, and other books and speculative projects.
Jarrett Fuller writes about the best design books of 2022 for Fast Company
Every year, there are great design books released, and 2022 was no exception. But what is a design book, really? Is it a big, glossy coffee table book filled with full-bleed images—perhaps collecting a single designer’s work or united by theme? Is it the range of how-to and DIY books available? Is it an academic work of theory? A historical biography? A survey of the built world? The answer, of course, is all those things.
Despite the range of books to choose from, I did notice a theme that united the books that meant the most to me this year. The ones I found myself drawn to in 2022 were the books that pointed away from design, the books that use design objects (or thinking or people) to tell us something about ourselves, and the world we live in. Included on this list are monographs and history books, works of theory and works of memoir. They all start with design but they don’t all end there.