Reddit reviews Mastering Type: The Essential Guide to Typography for Print and Web Design

If you want to self-teach yourself, that is absolutely a route I would take. I was taught during a 3 year program in high school, and then got my BFA in college, but to be honest a lot of the things I learned (not all, mind you) could definitely be self taught. This is solely my opinion, but if I were you I would do the following:

Immerse yourself in design. Follow design blogs, subscribe to design magazines. Collect things you think looks good. Why do you think they look good? Start noticing trends. Get a nice sketchbook you can carry around. Sketch some things you see that you like. See a logo somewhere that you think is nice? Sketch it. Things like that. In doing this, try to research the designers or design firms that created these things. Look at their portfolios. Just become really familiar with design trends.

Brush up on the basics. Try to research color theory. Research the fundamentals on art (form, composition, balance, symmetry, atc.). Keep a binder with terms, print out many examples of each, and really try to learn why art is aesthetically pleasing to people. It's more of a science than people realize. There are reasons certain things look better than others, and you really have to commit to learning those.

Typography. I would say learn this before getting into the programs. I would suggest getting this book http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Type-Essential-Typography-Design/dp/1440313695 it helped me a lot, but I am sure that there are many other good ones out there. Learn the terms, look at classic types, learn the history of type. Typography is very important in design and you really need to know as much about it as possible. We had a few projects in my type class that was done on paper I could share with you if you'd like. Once you have the basics down, look into experimental type. Google would be your friend because there is just so much out there, but just look into what people have done with typography besides, well, typing.

Programs. To be honest, I would start with Illustrator. Personally, it is was I use most. Look online for tutorials. A great way to learn how to use it is to find something that you like, and try to recreate it in illustrator. An ad, a poster, anything. Try to make it match perfectly, and when you don't know how to do something, google that one thing. Once you have illustrator down, I would then do Photoshop, and then InDesign.

Practice by giving yourself projects. Create a menu for a fake restaurant, create a logo for a fake brand, create packaging for some fake grocery item. Look at other people's portfolios and get an idea of the kind of projects you want to do. Start by sketching a LOT. If you want to create a logo, sketch down 50 ideas first. Then refine that sketch and then move onto a program and go from there. Rework the idea until you are happy, and then try to get critiqued. Critiques are probably one of the best things I learned in school. You need to learn how to critique others work, and how to hear critique on yours, as well as how to defend your work. You need to be able to say why something you made works, besides you think it looks good. Try finding groups online and on reddit that would be willing to look at your work

Start putting projects that you like together in a portfolio. Create a resume. Create an online portfolio. You can then use these things to try to get an internship (probably not paid, to be honest..) to learn more. My first internship was at my county's library (it was a big library though and had its own graphics department) but I gained a lot of experience there and references.

Anyway, I know that is a lot of text and again I'm not expert, but I think it gives you an idea of where to start. I'd be willing to help you if you'd like, but I hope this gives you an idea of the work you have to do!

Mastering Type is crazy helpful in that it provides more practical typography advice. Whenever I'm laying out a large piece, I always have it out for reference. It's definitely upped type and layout skills.

Mastering Type is great for practical information about typography. I find myself referencing it all the time on larger project.