This is my most borrowed book. By that I mean, my housemate Vallan comes and snatches it from my room on almost a weekly basis. But he does so because this book is genuinely awesome!

Rather than explain theory or even explain anything, this book is a series of color palettes that work. That can be frustrating. It's not a knowledge building book. It's a working book.

In the middle of a piece I'm working on, I pick up this book, flip to the sort of tone that I'm looking for (Active! Rich! Muted!). Then I find a color that I like on the outside margin, and find that color in a palette of two to four colors, and BAM! my piece is made all that much better with a sophisticated palette.

One day, I'll learn color theory and be able to know and see why certain colors work with others. Until then, it's almost silly to put this book back on my shelf. It's no more than a couple of days before I (or Vallan) pulls it back out again. ( )

An invaluable tool for beginning graphic designers. ( )