Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team Hardcover – 7 Dec. 2012

This is, by some distance, the best book I have purchased that looks at how to design/build a brand.I've bought quite a number of books on this topic and they all suffer from either being (a) incredibly academic (and, therefore, dull to read), (b) full of waffle and jargon, or (c) the author has a completely over-inflated opinion about him/herself and their book is largely condescending. The worst books combine all three aspects - feel free to peruse my other reviews on Amazon.Where Designing Brand Identity stands out is that it is easy to read and follow - beginners to this topic will find it just as easy to follow as experienced practitioners. It's written in a very engaging way and is literally a step-by-step guide on designing and developing your brand. I would also say don't be out off by the 'Designing' part of the title - this book is not just for those setting out to design a new brand. Experienced brand professionals will also find a wealth of information in here, either as refresher material, or (because the book is completely up to date) for information on developing your brand in 2013 onwards - including across websites, mobile and tablet platforms.The book is split into three parts. The first presents the fundamental concepts of branding, covering the basics from what is a brand and brand identity, to brand ideals, brand elements and brand dynamics.The second part covers the process(es) involved in designing a brand - with a big slant on processes, it covers research, audits, competitive analysis, strategy, design, touchpoints and managing assets.The final part of the book covers a number of case studies - from brands of all sizes - and reinforces the best practices that were covered earlier in the book.At 300+ pages, this isn't a small book by any stretch of the imagination, however, it's easy to read and follow and you can dip in and out of it depending on where you are in your brand journey. I'd highly recommend this to anyone working in communications and marketing too - you'll learn a lot more about how a brand is developed, and that knowledge will make your campaigns all the more powerful.

It's tough to find books about branding that aren't either (a) self-help manuals which over-state the obvious and are therefore useless if you know almost anything at all about marketing, or (b) which take the case-study approach - often involving huge, existing brands like Coca-Cola or IBM and scenarios you may never face.This book, however, is sharp, bang up to date (4th edn) and ideal for anyone involved in building and articulating brands. Don't be put off by 'designing' in the title: it's ideal for copywriters (like me) and planners, for example, and as a resource or even a refresher for experienced branding professionals.Beautifully presented, a delight to read, 300+ fascinating pages... it definitely doesn't have an academic feel, but it does takes you through processes and metrics, rather than woolly suggestions, and there's a huge amount to get your teeth into. It's the first book I've encountered which looks at brand-building as a process and a science, as something which can be followed, and it provides the tools to help you do it. If I wasn't afraid of appearing to gush, I'd say I'd stumbled on trade secrets I should be paying a fortune for under the label 'consultancy'.Definitely recommended - although, unlike all the other books I wasted my money on, this one won't be a quick scan-read!

I used this book for an essay on Branding and found it really useful! All the information is refreshingly clearly broken down in a simple layout with plenty of examples to illustrate the point, making a subject that can often be presented in an oppressive and complicated way much easier to understand!It covers a wide range of different aspects of the importance of branding. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the basics of branding.

The depth of coverage in this book seemed a bit much at first but once i approached it as a reference manual then it began to make sense and become more useful. It's also beautifully put together

A great book, very informative and useful for my dissertation this year but also a great read. Lots of case studies and brand progression images to look through and also a nice book to have out.

Well-written book about graphic design. Consists of three major chapters, the basic knowledge, process and examples. Incredibly useful book that is easy to find right information in. Absolutely worth the money.

excellent book for someone intrested in branding. it is really easy to understand and make sense of - some of it is common sense, other bits you have never thought of. Only half way through but am very pleased so far.

Like it a lot. Packed full with words and lovely pictures. Design focus rather than brand strategy and refreshing for that.