We know from past experience that Barcelona-based Actar Publishing puts out some of the best books around on cutting edge design and architecture. That’s why we’re super psyched for two of their most recent releases that celebrate the most compelling samples of graphic design in recent memory from two of our favorite foreign lands. Super Holland Design is a stunning compendium that delves into the work of Dutch designers such as Experimental Jetset and Sander Plug, amongst others, that have forced us to re-think the meaning of design through their use of new techniques and technologies. The second volume we’re touting is ESC: Enter Spanish Creativity, which displays some of the finest graphic design talent to come out of (you guessed it) Spain, including works by Basedesign and Ipsum Planet. The primer explores the “visual seduction by new and experimental formulas” as “the defining concept of emergent Spanish Design”. We’re certain both books will provide your design crazy mind with a compelling read as well as a feast for your eyes.

I’m really excited to get my hands on a copy of One to One, a new book by Tanja Backe that may well be the ticket. Literally actually– the book is an international collection of tickets (over 1,600 of them) from the past 20 or so years. It covers all the bases– planes, trains, ferries, buses, museums, theaters, circuses, operas, zoos, concerts, ballets… It is organized by color, and displays the tickets in their actual sizes, guiding the reader through the unique identity of each, transforming these everyday objects into products of “high design and ingenuity.” The book itself is small; I think it would make a perfect travel companion. It’s available through Actar Publishing for $38 USD.