Recommended by CreativeRefuge.com staff, contributors, or savvy site visitors.

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| BUSINESS::GRAPHIC DESIGN | ETHICS & ENVIRONMENT | CULTIVATING CREATIVITY | ART HISTORY |
| NUTRITION::COOKBOOKS | UNDERSTANDING THE SELF | WEB DESIGN::INTERNET |

The Business of Graphic Design

Identity Crisis: 100 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands, by Jeff Fisher.
Identity design (logos, letterhead, web sites, etc.) is one of the most popular topics in design books, and Identity Crisis takes a fresh look at this common subject by exploring the process of redesigning existing identities to help businesses refine their images, communicate with customers, and find success. Readers will get an inside look at the challenges of redesigning identities. They'll see the creative and strategic thinking behind fresh design work as well as have a powerful tool to show clients what a difference a professional can make to their image.

[Jeff Fisher, of LogoMotives, is incredibly knowledgeable about all things graphic design. This new book is sure to be a treasure trove for newbies and salty old veterans alike. Available in July 2007 -- pre-order yours today; I did! -- Ed.]

The Business Side of Creativity: The Complete Guide for Running a Graphic Design or Communications Business, by Cameron S. Foote, Mark Bellerose (Illustrator).
The most comprehensive business companion available for those just starting out or expanding operations in the design field. This updated edition of an industry standard furnishes all freelance graphic designers, art directors, illustrators, copywriters, and design-shop principals with the tools needed to move ahead in the design business. From getting launched to running a multiperson shop to retiring comfortably, this book covers it all and includes sample business forms. ISBN 039373093X

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines, 10th Ed., by Graphics Artists Guild. First published in 1973, the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook has become the essential source for fair prices and practice. Assembled by the national organization for graphic artists, this 10th edition contains the latest information on business, pricing and ethical standards for nearly every discipline in the visual communications industry, from advertising to publishing to corporate markets. ISBN 0932102115

AIGA Professional Practices in Graphic Design, by Tad Crawford (Editor), AIGA.
ISBN 1880559897






Business Ethics and the Environment

The Art of the Commonplace, by Wendell Berry. Writer and farmer Berry has long been an inspiration to the contemporary agrarian movement and a guiding light to people who care deeply about the health of their land and their communities. In his numerous books of essays, he has thoughtfully and articulately shown how the current consumer-based, profit-driven industrial society not only destroys our natural world but also increasingly harms our social and personal well-being.This compilation of 21 beautifully crafted essays are replete with social criticism, righteous anger, moral guidance, and lyrical wording. Above all, they contain a reverence for the beauty and complexity of our natural world and a call to be good stewards of the earth and our limited resources. Berry states that we do not need to rely on constant technological progress to improve our future: "If we take care of the world of the present, the future will have received full justice from us." -- Ilse Heidmann (Review © 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc). Highly recommended. ISBN 1593760078

Mindfulness in the Marketplace: Compassionate Responses to Consumerism, by Allan Hunt Badiner (Editor). Book Description: How to live a truly thoughtful existence. This collection of essays inspires hope, not through platitudes but through intelligent, challenging dialogue about our economy and how we might choose to steer it. Discussions include how consumers and business leaders might be swayed and educated "to reorient themselves into active, mindful, and responsible citizens, to see the dynamic connection between their purchases and their values, and to mindfully offer gratitude for their sustenance." Given our current market-driven ecological crisis, this is an especially important book. Highly recommended. ISBN 1888375248

Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution, by Paul Hawken (author), Amory Lovins,and L. Hunter Lovins. In Natural Capitalism, three top strategists show how leading-edge companies are practicing "a new type of industrialism" that is more efficient and profitable while saving the environment and creating jobs. Paul Hawken and Amory and Hunter Lovins write that in the next century, cars will get 200 miles per gallon without compromising safety and power, manufacturers will relentlessly recycle their products, and the world's standard of living will jump without further damaging natural resources. "Is this the vision of a utopia? In fact, the changes described here could come about in the decades to come as the result of economic and technological trends already in place," the authors write. They call their approach natural capitalism because it's based on the principle that business can be good for the environment. If natural capitalism continues to blossom, so much money and resources will be saved that societies will be able to focus on issues such as housing, contend Hawken, author of a book and PBS series called Growing a Business, and the Lovinses, who cofounded and directed the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental think tank. The book is a fascinating and provocative read for public-policy makers, as well as environmentalists and capitalists alike. -- Dan Ring. ISBN 0316353000

Cultivating Creativity

No More Secondhand Art: Awakening the Artist Within, by Peter London.
This books is about using art as an instrument of personal transformation, enabling us to move from an inherited to a chosen state of being. Inside every person, London believes, there is an original, creative self that has been covered over by secondhand ideas, borrowed beliefs, and conditioned behavior. By freeing the capacity for visual expression we can awaken and release the full powers of that original self. This book challenges creatives to discard what they know (their default solutions, brush strokes, colors) and tap their rich inner resources to create truly original work. Highly recommended. Read an excerpt. ISBN 0877734828

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron.
With the basic principle that creative expression is the natural direction of life, Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan lead you through a comprehensive twelve-week program to recover your creativity from a variety of blocks, including limiting beliefs, fear, self-sabotage, jealousy, guilt, addictions, and other inhibiting forces, replacing them with artistic confidence and productivity.This book links creativity to spirituality by showing how to connect with the creative energies of the universe, and has, in the four years since its publication, spawned a remarkable number of support groups for artists dedicated to practicing the exercises it contains. ISBN 1585421464

History (Art)

Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay.
Defining color is a simple matter—visible light of a particular wavelength. Or is it? It turns out that the pigments and dyes responsible for hues have many remarkable characteristics, most of which we rarely ponder. Journalist Finlay's first book is a blend of travelogue and historical exploration about the myriad ways color takes on meaning for us, whether as a matter of aesthetics, economics, war or culture. The book has no overarching theme—it's all byways, an approach that works. Insofar as there is a thesis, it is that visual expression falls just behind procreation and the search for food and shelter as a fundamental human activity; countless peoples, Finlay reports, rank color and art among their primary concerns. During her journey, both literal and literary, Finlay learns of many little-known tribes and historical curiosities: too-trusting Puritans purchasing cheaply dyed black clothes destined to turn orange in a matter of weeks; the rise and heartbreaking fall of the art of the Pintupi tribe in barren central Australia during the 1970s; and the once-supreme economic clout of indigo from Bengal-to take just three examples among dozens. To delve into this book is to see the experimental, scientific side of the old masters and the artistic qualities of inventors and explorers. This is not a scientific work—those interested in rods and cones should look elsewhere. Thanks to Finlay's impeccable reportorial skills and a remarkable degree of engagement, this is an utterly unique and fascinating read. Illus., maps. (Review © 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.) ISBN 0345444302

Nutrition :: Cookbooks

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig. A full-spectrum nutritional cookbook with a startling message — animal fats and cholesterol are vital factors in the human diet, necessary for reproduction and normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. Includes information on how to prepare grains, health benefits of bone broths and enzyme-rich lacto-fermented foods. Recommended by holistic nutritionist, Cynthia Cechota — CreativeRefuge.com's Nutrition columnist.

Understanding the Self

The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You , by Elaine N. Aron. Are you a highly sensitive person? Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Is time alone each day as essential to you as food and water? Are you "too shy" or "too sensitive" according to others? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm you? If your answers are yes, you may be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). Most of us feel overstimulated every once in a while, but for the Highly Sensitive Person, it's a way of life. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Elaine Aron, a psychotherapist, workshop leader and highly sensitive person herself, shows you how to identify this trait in yourself and make the most of it in everyday situations. Drawing on her many years of research and hundreds of interviews, she shows how you can better understand yourself and your trait to create a fuller, richer life. ISBN 0553062182

Web Design :: Internet

Guide to the Internet, by Nigel Holmes
The smallest ever Guide To The Internet (for busy people). Based on lectures given to Fortune 500 CEOs, this guide provides an easy to understand overview to the workings of the internet and related technologies. A small booklet written and illustrated by Nigel Holmes. Now in its 6th edition. Highly recommended (we love this business-card sized book!) and it's only $6.00.

Dreamweaver MX 2004 Bible, by Joseph W. Lowery. Packed with hands-on instruction and step by step tutorials, the Dreamweaver MX 2004 Bible is everything you need to harness the power of this amazing web development tool. Starting with the basics, expert author and well-known Dreamweaver guru Joe Lowery guides you through the ins and outs of Dreamweaver MX 2004 and will have you building your very own dynamic, data-driven sites in no time. ISBN 0764543504

Looking for more book recommendations?
Talent Develop Resources offers perspectives on developing multiple talents and exceptional ability — and provides information and inspiration to enhance creative expression. The site also lists a plethora of thoughtful books targeted at creatives.