Part 8: The essential collection of visualisation resources

This is the eighth part of a multi-part series designed to share with readers an inspiring collection of the most important, effective, useful and practical data visualisation resources. The series will cover visualisation tools, resources for sourcing and handling data, online learning tutorials, visualisation blogs, visualisation books and academic papers. Your feedback is most welcome to help capture any additions or revisions so that this collection can live up to its claim as the essential list of resources.

The Essential Visualisation Books II

This eighth part, alongside part seven and part nine, presents a comprehensive collection of the books that have had most influence on my knowledge about data visualisation and its many closely-related subject areas. The selection presented includes only the books I own or I have read from a library – I have decided to exclude any books I’ve not yet read, even if they might be on other reading lists. However, I will add emerging texts to the collection as and when I get to them.

The categories used to organise and group the books simply represents an instinctive and personal view for how they have proven valuable to me – I appreciate they could be/will be argued, debated and refined but it will never be perfect! The books in each section are typically sequenced alphabetically. Clicking on the book images will take you to the relevant Amazon.com page (please note these are affiliate links).

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Visual Perception and Visual Design

	Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques, By Kevin Mullet
	Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition, By Steve Krug
	Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things, By Donald A. Norman
	Information Visualization: Perception for Design, By Colin Ware
	Metaphors We Live By, By Georga Lakoff and Mark Johnson
	Non-Designer’s Design Book (3rd Edition), By Robin Williams
	Now you see it, By Cathy N. Davidson
	Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design, By Bill Buxton
	The Design of Everyday Things, By Donald A. Norman
	The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life), By John Maeda
	Thinking Fast and Slow, By Daniel Kahenman
	Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated, By William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler
	Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand, By Connie Malamed
	Visual Thinking: for Design, By Colin Ware
	Ways of Seeing: Based on the BBC Television Series, By John S. Berger

Communication Design

	Art of Plain Talk, Rudolf Flesch
	Building Stories, By Chris Ware
	Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, By Chip and Dan Heath
	Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your Presentations, By Garr Reynolds
	Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery, By Garr Reynolds
	slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations, By Nancy Duarte
	Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, By Chip and Dan Heath
	The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing), By Jane E. Miller
	The Elements of Style, William Strunk and E B White
	The Jelly Effect: How to Make Your Communication Stick, By Andy Bounds
	Thinking With Type, By Ellen Lupton
	Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, By Scott Mccloud

That completes the eighth part of this collection of essential visualisation resources. You should also take a look at similar collections made by Enrico Bertini and Jorge Camoes. Please leave any comments or feedback any suggestions you have to add to this collection or to enhance the detail presented above.