15 Books on Branding and Brand Design

Airline Visual Identity 1945–1975 is a fascinating and superbly researched survey of the visual identities of the world’s greatest airlines presented in a book of extraordinary beauty. It provides unique insight into the design and advertising methods of an era when airlines were considered the most glamorous business sector and quality was the main criterion for selecting a flight. The airlines’ visual identities were forged by some of the best creative minds of the time: designers like Ivan Chermayeff, Otl Aicher, Massimo Vignelli, or Academy Award winner Saul Bass, as well as advertising luminaries like Mary Wells Lawrence. To reproduce the outstanding work of that era as precisely as possible, a total of seventeen different colors, five different types of varnishes, and two different methods of foil printing and embossing were used, resulting in a book of exceptional vivacity that highlights the state of the art of today’s printing technology.

From the Publisher. A comprehensive resource on brand design fundamentals. It looks at the influences of modern design going back through time, delivering a short anatomical overview and examines brand treatments and movements in design. You'll learn the steps necessary to develop a successful brand system from defining the brand attributes and assessing the competition, to working with materials and vendors, and all the steps in between. The author, who is the president of the design group at Sterling Brands, has overseen the design/redesign of major brands including Pepsi, Burger King, Tropicana, Kleenex, and many more.

From the Publisher. The first book-length, critical account of the nation-branding industry. National governments around the world are turning to branding consultants, public relations advisers and strategic communications experts to help them “brand” their jurisdiction. Using the tools, techniques and expertise of commercial branding is believed to help nations articulate more coherent and cohesive identities, attract foreign capital, and maintain citizen loyalty. In short, the goal of nation branding is to make the nation matter in a world where borders and boundaries appear increasingly obsolete.

This book is about how nation branding became a worldwide phenomenon and a professional transnational practice. It is also about how nation branding has become a solution to perceived contemporary problems affecting the space of the nation state: problems of economic development, democratic communication, and especially national visibility and legitimacy amid the multiple global flows of late modernity. In this book, Melissa Aronczyk charts the political, cultural and economic rationales by which the nation has been made to matter in a twenty-first-century context of global integration.

From the Publisher. Brands are always hungry for new communication ideas. With unique spatial experiences—quirky events, experimental showrooms, radical pop-up shops, and stunning flagship stores—they are reaching out to their most sophisticated audiences.

Brand Spaces showcases cutting-edge interior concepts and locations with character that effectively communicate brands in several dimensions at the same time. Decision-makers from leading brands such as Audi, Camper, Aesop, Freitag, Gaggenau, Nike, Nokia, and Starbucks share concepts and strategies that communicate overall brand identity while respecting local specifications. On top of that, a wide range of exceptional examples of contemporary interior design proves that the work of smaller brands and local retailers is as groundbreaking as that of larger global players.

In short, Brand Spaces shows how trailblazers are creating branded worlds that are more than worth a visit. They are places that become urban landmarks or community hubs; they provide us with experiences that stick with us on an emotional level—and we buy products there as souvenirs to preserve their memory.

From the Publisher. We are now living in a world with over one hundred brands of bottled water. The United States alone is home to over 45,000 shopping malls. And there are more than 19 million customized beverage choices a barista can whip up at your local Starbucks. Whether it’s good or bad, the real question is why we behave this way in the first place. Why do we telegraph our affiliations or our beliefs with symbols, signs, and codes?

Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits contains twenty interviews with the world’s leading designers and thinkers in branding. The interviews contain spirited views on how and why humans have branded the world around us, and the ideas, inventions, and insight inherent in the search.

From the Publisher. Terrorist groups are no different from other organizations in their use of branding to promote their ideas and to distinguish themselves from groups that share similar aims. The branding they employ may contain complex systems of meaning and emotion; it conveys the group’s beliefs and capabilities. This book is the first comprehensive survey of the visual identity of the world’s major terrorist organizations, from al-Qaeda and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to the Tamil Tigers. Each of the 60-plus entries contains a concise description of the group’s ideology, leadership and modus operandi, and a brief timeline of events. The group’s branding—the symbolism, colors, and typography of its logo and flag—is then analyzed in detail. Branding Terror does not seek to make any political statements; rather, it offers insight into an understudied area of counter-intelligence, and provides an original and provocative source of inspiration for graphic designers.

From the Publisher. Whether hand drawn or vector based, type is a versatile tool in the hands of most designers, creating bold, expressive graphics that extend a brand as the convey information. In the hands of a master, new typefaces become iconic and unforgettable. Branding Typography gathers a selection of the most original type design of recent years, used to promote products and companies through fashion, interiors and packaging. From print materials to three dimensional projects and clothing, the stunning typography in this volume includes the best of type in use, expertly incorporated for maximum effect on everything from printed materials to products.

From the Publisher. A survey of the best recent design work for cultural clients, including galleries, museums, theatres and auditoriums. Thirty international case studies are featured that clearly express what good design can do to improve the fortunes and/or image of a cultural institution. The focus is on new identities and their application, as well as smaller design solutions such as gallery guides, promotional programs (incorporating everything from posters to ad campaigns), exhibition catalogues, theatre programs, branded merchandising, websites, signage systems, and temporary exhibition design.

From the Publisher. Get tactical insight from the top business-to-business branding experts and gain a global presence This comprehensive manual lays out the steps necessary for creating an iconic global identity. It uses the lessons and inside knowledge of Deloitte, the world's largest professional services organization, to help other business-to-business operations deliver a high-impact, value-added brand experience. This book will illustrate all the components of an integrated brand identity system, and how they can be crafted and implemented for optimal effect. Here, the speculative is replaced by the proven: a seamless framework for global brand success, created and followed by an organization renowned for its consulting and advisory services. Features essential up-to-date strategies for keeping your brand fresh and enduring Addresses the role of designers; the marketing and communication function; human resources and talent teams; agencies and vendors; and more Considers the impact of digital and social media, two massive forces requiring new thinking for B2B brands Incorporates best practices for emerging markets With guidance that takes you on a clear, linear path toward achieving your brand objectives, this impressive single-source volume is the one book no business marketing professional should be without.

From the Publisher. A revised new edition of the bestselling toolkit for creating, building, and maintaining a strong brand From research and analysis through brand strategy, design development through application design, and identity standards through launch and governance, Designing Brand Identity, Fourth Edition offers brand managers, marketers, and designers a proven, universal five-phase process for creating and implementing effective brand identity. Enriched by new case studies showcasing successful world-class brands, this Fourth Edition brings readers up to date with a detailed look at the latest trends in branding, including social networks, mobile devices, global markets, apps, video, and virtual brands. Features more than 30 all-new case studies showing best practices and world-class Updated to include more than 35 percent new material Offers a proven, universal five-phase process and methodology for creating and implementing effective brand identity.

From the Publisher. Coca-Cola. Harley-Davidson. Nike. Budweiser. Valued by customers more for what they symbolize than for what they do, products like these are more than brands--they are cultural icons. How do managers create brands that resonate so powerfully with consumers? Based on extensive historical analyses of some of America's most successful iconic brands, including ESPN, Mountain Dew, Volkswagen, Budweiser, and Harley-Davidson, this book presents the first systematic model to explain how brands become icons. Douglas B. Holt shows how iconic brands create "identity myths" that, through powerful symbolism, soothe collective anxieties resulting from acute social change. Holt warns that icons can't be built through conventional branding strategies, which focus on benefits, brand personalities, and emotional relationships. Instead, he calls for a deeper cultural perspective on traditional marketing themes like targeting, positioning, brand equity, and brand loyalty--and outlines a distinctive set of "cultural branding" principles that will radically alter how companies approach everything from marketing strategy to market research to hiring and training managers. Until now, Holt shows, even the most successful iconic brands have emerged more by intuition and serendipity than by design. With How Brands Become Icons, managers can leverage the principles behind some of the most successful brands of the last half-century to build their own iconic brands. Douglas B. Holt is associate professor of Marketing at Harvard Business School.

From the Publisher. Completely updated and expanded, the second edition of David Airey’s Logo Design Love contains more of just about everything that made the first edition so great: more case studies, more sketches, more logos, more tips for working with clients, more insider stories, and more practical information for getting the job and getting it done right.

In Logo Design Love, Airey shows you how to develop an iconic brand identity from start to finish, using client case studies from renowned designers. In the process, he reveals how designers create effective briefs, generate ideas, charge for their work, and collaborate with clients. Airey not only shares his personal experiences working on identity projects–including sketches and final results of his own successful designs–he also uses the work of many well-known designers such as Paula Scher, who designed the logos for Citi and Microsoft Windows, and Lindon Leader, creator of the current FedEx identity, as well as work from leading design studios, including Moving Brands, Pentagram, MetaDesign, Sagmeister & Walsh, and many more.  

From the Publisher. Apple’s first logo was a complex picture, a tribute to Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, captioned with a phrase from Wordsworth: “Newton...a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought...alone,” with a tag line containing the brand name: Apple Computer Co. This is where the short history of the Apple logo begins. The apple shape was introduced not long after, with a bite taken out of it to increase brand recognition, first with rainbow colours and later in monochromatic tones. In Logo Life, you can read the short histories of the Apple logo and 99 other logos for world-famous brands, seeing all the little steps and great leaps in the visual evolution of these logos, as well as some of their most iconic uses in brand advertising.

From the Publisher. Please Don’t Brand My Public Space is a critical investigation of the visual strategies employed to identify and brand political spaces. Isn’t it about time to look at their often banal images as part of a crisis of political representation? In the context of a revival of xenophobic propaganda on the one hand and the degradation of places into pure marketing products on the other, it is possible to recognize an increasingly theatrical, unquestioned production of public signs and symbols. Contributions on the theme by political scientists, designers, and sociologists make reference to the three visual essays that are at the heart of the book: “The Noticeable Absence of a Flag of the Earth” by Ruedi Baur, “Depictions of Federalism and Nationalism: Comparing Former Yugoslavia, Switzerland, and Belgium” by Irena Bockaj, and “European Capitals in Competition” by Maria Roskowska. The publication is released in collaboration with Civic City (HEAD Genève) and the research program“ Écrire la ville” (Ensadlab, Paris). Designed by Ruedi Baur and Maria Roskowska.

From the Publisher. Symbols play an integral role in almost all branding programs. This book explores the visual language of symbols according to their most basic element: form. Over 1,300 symbols from all over the world are included and have been organized into groups and sub-groups according to their visual characteristics. Presented in this unique way, the reader can enjoy them as a pictorial language in their own right, making this an indispensable archive of identity systems for designers and researchers. Now in a compact format.

Also see Symbol (original edition).