The English edition of the Dark Souls: Design Works just shipped yesterday. Basically, it's an artbook of the game's designs with a long series of interviews with the director and designers about the game's development. Thankfully, mine already arrived.
In one of the interviews, Berserk is specifically referenced when one of the designers said the series' armor designs were what made him start paying attention to armor in fantasy series. Here's the excerpt:
As a comparison, here's a picture of the Catarina armor design sketch: http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/1520/2443067-catarina-armor.jpg
None of this is any surprise to fans of both Berserk and Dark Souls. There are a dozen or so other similarities. But it's nice for Berserk to get some _official_ influential recognition in the interviews.
The book itself is very cool, and a must have for anyone in love with the design of the world and/or armors in Dark Souls. The interviews at the end sometimes get a little tangential, but include some really enlightening things about some of the characters and origins of the ideas in the game. Neither the art nor the interviews however are quite as extensive as I had hoped, but just to get a glimpse of the ideas and personalities behind the game—worth every penny.
It's $25 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898