I really love the simplicity of these infographics by Yang Liu illustrating the differences between the cultures of China and Germany. They really drive home the point that images can help us instantly see complicated things.

See more over at Brain Pickings

For an good study in designing interesting page (or slide) layouts, look no further than the comics page. The legendary Bill Watterson, the cartoonist behind my favorite comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, was a master of thinking out side the box…er…cell.

You can see lots more in the archives at Comics.com.

What if Saul Bass illustrated a children’s book? Well, he did, and the result is this beautiful and minimalistic masterpiece.

via Swiss-Miss and Brain Pickings

What can presentationists learn from the world of fashion design? A lot actually.

I enjoyed this video of Eva Franco’s creative process if for no other reason than that it gives us a glimpse into the creation of one of her patterns, with nothing but a scanner and a jar full of safety pins. When you create your next presentation, think about how you might create your own graphic elements instead of relying on the ready-made variety. It’s totally unique, and less spendy, too.

via the Uppercase Blog

As a lover of both books and design, if there were ever a book to add to my Amazon wishlist, this is it.

Bibliographic, by Jason Godfrey

I’m mostly self-taught when it comes to graphic design, and I’m always looking for more graphic design texts to absorb. Bibliographic, by Jason Godfrey, is a book that profiles 100 of the most influential books written about graphic design during the last 100 years. It’s especially valuable since many of these books are now hard to get your hands on.

In other words, it’s the reading list for the graphic design curriculum I’ve (and maybe you’ve) been searching for.

via Brain Pickings