Colour Clash, by Counter-Print
Never mind your morning coffee, flicking through these pages will jump start your day. Colour Clash compiles daringly colourful graphic design work from 30 international studios and will broaden your horizons to a new kind of colour harmony that celebrates the bold and bright. Interspersed throughout are several interviews that pick the brains of designers on their processes of designing in colour. The featured work bounces off the glossy pages in a direct challenge to modern colour minimalism and proves that vibrant colour palettes add value to a brand’s unique identity.
Buy Colour Clash here
Fedrigoni 366 2024
Forgive us the cheeky plug but this year’s edition is worth checking out for several reasons, and not just because August 26th was designed by Clever Ghost! Produced annually in partnership with TM studio, 2024’s edition of Fedrigoni’s 366 showcases the impressive HP Mosaic tool to randomise the colour selections within each design. Every single copy is unique, even down to the covers. Find out more about the project and our contribution here.
Buy a unique copy of 366 here 
The Secret Lives of Colour, by Kassia St Clair
This book dives into the nerdier aspects of colour history with 75 short passages detailing the origins, rise and fall, and world changing moments of specific hues and pigments. For example, in the late 1800s, Parisian Impressionist painters were so fascinated by the colour violet that critics began questioning the artists’ health, and even their sanity, remarking that they suffered from ‘violettomania’. You would be hard pressed not to fall in love with this book; St Clair’s enthusiasm for the lesser-known context of colour is infectious. Not to mention the stunning endpapers, rainbow fore-edge, and full bleed gradients that will make you feel gooey inside.
Buy The Secret Lives of Colour here 
A Dictionary of Colour Combinations, by Sanzo Wada
Compiled by Japanese artist, designer, and teacher Sanzo Wada (1883-1967), this pocket-sized reference book contains 348 colour combinations divided into chapters of two, three, and four colours. The original six volume work published in the 1930s was a forerunner of modern colour research. For ease of use, each named colour is indexed along with its CMYK value. Following the index are swatches that you can cut out (if you’re feeling brave) and use as samples for your own design work. More than a lovely piece of history, this small but mighty book is ideal for designers just starting out and looking for a colour guide that won’t break the bank.
Buy A Dictionary of Colour Combinations here 
We’re always on the lookout for creative inspiration through books, so keep an eye out for more #CleverReads in the future. Happy reading!
