As a journalist with no extensive formal training in design but who has to teach a couple of "Intro to Graphic Design" classes a year, there are certain textbooks that tend to grab my attention. While browsing readings to recommend to my University of Miami undergrad students this semester, I purchased a copy of White Space is Not Your Enemy (WSINYE: website), curious about its witty title. Written by two instructors from the University of South Florida, Kim Golombisky and Rebecca Hagen, WSINYE is a broad, informative, and unpretentious introduction to the field. It even includes a chapter on infographics that gives sound advice, although the examples showcased are just OK. If you are looking for a book about the very basics for your classes, I'd take a look at it.
