Ebook: Visual Design Fundamentals: A Digital Approach

Hashimoto teaches timeless precepts of visual design. Many of which predate the Internet. The book seems apt for someone already knowing something about Photoshop and Illustrator. It shows how to use those programs to apply changes to a design, in accordance with the precepts. But primarily you benefit at a higher level, in understanding through the book's examples how to use basic key ideas in design. Hence, the book is not necessarily restricted to users of those design programs. If indeed you favour another program not covered here, the book can still be very informative.

By the way, one chapter uses the example of typeface design. This has an air of antiquity about it. Designing letterforms goes back centuries, and has many subtleties that the chapter lets you appreciate.