Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team, 4th Edition

After seeing a link to this book in a New York Times advertisement, I decided to purchase it right away from Amazon. There are so many excellent aspects to the book, it is difficult to know where to begin an analysis of it. The design of the book makes it simple to comprehend the point being made while at the same time, one is not fooled by the ease in which the material is presented because, as we delve into the book, we begin to understand the gravity of the information presented, the importance of every graphic and every recommendation. This Fourth Edition contains not only updates on the previous 3 editions (proof this book must being doing something right, eh? four editions?), it also has some wonderful case studies of modern companies' transition into the digital marketing arena. As an artist, I purchased the book to increase my knowledge of how a market works, how to influence buyer behavior and the perception of those who view my artwork. Once the value of the information contained in the book became even more obvious, the book became an excellent resource for a few of my independent sales and marketing consultant friends who claim it to be invaluable. High quality printing and binding, heavy construction in text book fashion ensures the book can be passed around and truly studied for years. Slick presentation. Points of information rapidly accessed and understood by any reader. I suspect high school students in graphic design classes or art classes could utilize this book. It's not just for marketing professionals. Well worth the low cost and if I owned a company of any sort (really, who doesn't need a positive image, a good brand identity?) -- I'd purchase copies for all of my employees, not just the marketing division.

I have a bachelor's degree in Design and Visual Communication, but for two and a half years I didn't do any work related to it, so when I got the opportunity to work for a photographer and redesign his brand I was a little rusted, this book served me well to remember some of the basics and drive me in the right direction, because we know that the industry changes by the day and as Designers we need to be up to date and know what are the trends. It's an easy read for those who are starting and I think it's a material that should be in every Design school.

This book is mostly about how brand identities were designed. It's not so much a "branding for dummies" style how-to book, which I expected it to be since it's supposed to be an essential guide. That said, it turned out to be just what I needed for my particular project, which involved learning about corporate branding identities and how/why they made certain choices. There are a lot of case studies of (some well known) corporations in this book, as well as overviews of brand identity elements (such as color). This book can help you understand what a brand identity involves (not just a logo, as many believe!), but it will by no means "teach" you how to design a brand identity. The book itself is beautiful. It's oversized, very colorful, and is made with nice paper. I leave it out on my desk and it grabs the attention of many!

Easily one of the most holistic coverages on the concept of "Branding". This is a MUST for students and professionals at any state in the career. This is a fantastic reference, and should be mandatory reading for anyone working in a Branding/Marketing/Advertising capacity.

This book is incredibly comprehensive and visually engaging. I think it's a "must" for both students and professionals. An incredible tool for the aspiring brand professional, small business or really any person or entity working to create a plan around branding and logo identity.

VERY easy read. Great points and simple to understand. From the side of a designer, to the owner of a company, this book is very helpful for both parties to get their moneys worth in designing a brand.

Basic branding book with great examples and quotes from relevant businesses and leaders. Fun layout of page content. Really great re-fresher on branding practices and recommendations. Great read for someone with a background in marketing, design, advertising or similar field. I would highly recommend and suggest readers re-visit this book frequently.

Very happy with the purchase, a note from the seller was a nice little touch. I'll be sure to check their stock next time I need a second-hand book.

Sin duda estamos ante el mejor libro de la historia del diseño de identidad de marcas. Es la biblia del gremio del diseño. No hay ninguno mejor.

Very good book for branding. Through detailing with the example given. Great book. This book will be really helpful to you to understand how brands actually develop. Thanks for the writer Alina Wheeler.

Une bonne et belle synthèse du sujet, en plus très bien mis en page et agréable à lire. Ce livre référence de nombreuses ressources et méthodes disponibles et que on peut approfondir par ailleurs.

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.

Such a great book!! You'll learn A LOT readying this, and it's a great reference book for after.