10 Best Branding Books For Designers
Reading the best branding books for designers can help you the community will remember you.
Whenever we hear the word branding, I’m sure that we share the common sentiment about logos.
It can also be about taglines, websites, posters, and brochures.
While most people think it’s just a simple task and doesn’t need much effort, branding is much more complicated than we think it is.
Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines branding as “promoting a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand.”.
A good branding strategy contributes to how a brand gets known and gets support from people it targets.
It dictates how a brand attracts new customers and makes them stick to the brand besides the product or service itself.
Branding works when we mostly remember a brand’s logo.
It’s just like how we can easily distinguish Nike with a check and Apple with a bitten apple as their logos.
As for the designers, it’s significant to learn the brand itself and understand its goal to formulate a good branding strategy.
These can potentially make or break its reputation.
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Guide To Finding The Best Branding Books for Designers
Graphic designers are experts in color schemes, drawing, creative thinking, and visual communication.
They have the skill to express the brand in a way people will remember, understand, and relate to.
It goes beyond basic graphic designs because the audience is significant and considered along with the brand itself.
On the one hand, experts and professionals are the usual book authors making books a good and reliable source of information.
Not to mention the quality control process books go through before publishing.
Despite plenty of online sources about branding strategies, it’s always better to read a book without being overly dependent on online sources.
If you wish to study branding on your own and looking for a book to read, you might benefit from the list below.
This shows the best books branding books for designers that are readily available.
Books About Naming
1. Hello, My Name Is Awesome
The book is mostly about the strategies and techniques to name a brand in a way people will remember.
Watkins wrote the book so that non-designers can understand as well.
Amateurs can also grasp the information she shared and get something useful with her book.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: The author, Alexandra Watkins, currently works as the Chief Executive of Eat My Words, a branding company.
Hello, My Name Is Awesome is one of her breakthroughs as it placed Top 10 in Best Marketing Books and 9th Place as the Best Branding Book of 2009.
Watkins possesses plenty of branding experience, considering she’s in the industry since 2005 and started her career in branding at GAP.
- What’s in the Book: The book contains her personal experiences as a branding designer.
There are samples of brand names and the story behind them, do’s and don’ts in naming, words to avoid, brainstorming process, and naming styles.
It was updated by Watkins recently last 2019, which means more information is available to learn by reading the 134 pages of the book.
The second edition contains more techniques and strategies in branding.
- Availability: It’s available in paperback and offers a free audible audiobook trial on Amazon.
2. Brand New Name
As simple as it seems to be, naming a brand is an overwhelming and difficult task for some people.
This book helps you formulate your own unique, catchy, and notable brand name that satisfies your client or consumers if you’re an entrepreneur yourself.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: Jeremy Miller is a known and bestselling author and branding expert.
He wrote another book that focuses on helping graphic designers and entrepreneurs to produce a remarkable brand name.
While his humor and personality can be very exciting and pleasing, take note that you can learn varied techniques and strategies from him.
- What’s in the Book: Jeremy Miller provided an easy-to-follow guide in creating a brand name that stays and lingers in people’s minds.
He explained how a simple name could make a difference.
Also, he exemplified stories that can inspire readers to come up with an extraordinary brand name.
This book tells the history behind the most iconic brand names and how they came up with the trademark they have.
- Availability: Brand New Name is available as eBook, paperback, and used ones for those who are looking for cheaper alternatives.
Books And Logos About Graphic Design
3. Logo Design Love
As clearly stated, Logo Design Love aims to give readers additional information with regards to creating logos.
In this book, Airey gave tips on creating an iconic logo that will stand out and be remembered.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: David Airey, a graphic designer and owner of his own, self-dependent branding studio, is the author of Logo Design Love.
As soon as he started his website and when potential clients started browsing through his website, that’s when he discovered his passion for graphic design.
He is focused on assisting brands to strengthen and improve their visual representation for the company’s benefit as a whole.
- What’s in the Book: He presented case studies of well-known brands such as Microsoft Word and FedEx based on development in producing ideas and drafts of their logos.
He highlighted the significance of a logo to a brand and ways to create a logo depending on the company.
Besides his personal experiences, he also analyzed and exemplified the works of known graphic designers and logo makers in the industry.
He included hints in collaborating with clients properly.
- Availability: The second edition of Logo Design Love is available on Amazon in paperback.
The recent update provides more information and techniques for the readers.
4. Identity Designed
Like Logo Design Love, the author included the works of famous graphic designers and his evaluation of these excellent practices and creations.
Focused on the design process, identity design will guide you by creating the visual character of a brand in a way people will love and hopefully surpass your client’s expectations.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: David Airey, the author of Logo Design Love, also wrote identity design.
Given his credentials and experiences, readers seemed to love his writings and books.
This inspired him to write other books related to graphic design and logo making.
- What’s in the Book: The book provides a deeper analysis of how graphics and logo work and impact the overall reputation of a brand.
He discussed some case studies to guide graphic designers and aspiring entrepreneurs in generating their ideas to promote their brand.
It emphasized the significance of good design and how it contributes to creating a good and prosperous business.
- Availability: It’s available in hardcover, second-hand, and eBook on Amazon.
Books About Strategic Branding
5. Building A StoryBrand
Building A StoryBrand guides readers to properly and successfully implement the seven principles and strategies that Miller discussed.
This serves as a complete guide – from planning to implementation if you’re looking for something broad yet comprehensive.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: As someone who holds a major position in StoryBrand, Donald A. Miller wrote a book about branding and marketing.
With an estimated net worth of $7 million in 2015, he can be a great mentor for beginners and start-up companies.
- What’s in the Book: In his book, he shared some marketing secrets and implemented it.
Despite all the marketing and business talks, readers can get a hold of information about branding as he explained the seven frameworks of StoryBrand comprehensively.
The book helps to see customers from a different perspective and to understand how and when customers take action.
Miller’s approach is more directed toward making customers listen and understand the brand and its products or services.
- Availability: It was published in October 2017 and is still available in hardcover, paperback, and audiobook.
Amazon offers second-hand books, which are way cheaper than original ones, and a free trial for the audible audiobook.
6. Building Strong Brands
People who have a strong foundation with branding will appreciate this book better.
In here, Aaker did an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of different brands
This book isn’t recommended for readers who don’t have enough background in marketing and branding.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: David Allen Aaker is a professor with a specialization in brand strategy.
He developed the Aaker Model, a business scheme that focuses on developing a company’s brand identity.
Aaker is also called by the name “The Father of Modern Branding.”
He wrote several books and articles about branding strategies and won awards to contribute to marketing science and management.
- What’s in the Book: Aaker shared his case studies and analysis with real brands and their background to their successes, such as McDonald’s and Kodak.
He discussed two elements on why branding strategies don’t affect the success of a brand positively.
Also, he stressed the varied roles of a brand to different people and matter.
- Availability: Published in 1996, it’s still relevant and useful in the present time.
It’s available in paperback and hardbound.
7. The Brand Gap
This book only seems to target designers with experience and a strong branding foundation.
But don’t get it wrong as students and amateurs can still understand the book.
The author’s approach is straightforward and honest in a way readers can easily comprehend and implement.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: Marty Neumeier is an author of several known books and is the Chief Executive Officer for Branding of Liquid Agency.
The Liquid Agency is ranked to be the number one branding company in Silicon Valley.
It assists huge companies such as Apple, HP, and Adobe in branding strategies and marketing.
At the age of 73, he’s still killing it with branding and shows that he still has a lot to show off.
- What’s in the Book: The Brand Gap, as the title suggests, unifies the void between branding strategy and creativity.
Neumeier developed a centralized inference to unite the different branding principles to present a new strategy; designers can use.
Additionally, it highlights the importance of innovation to continuously show-off the brand and the collaboration of people working to create and implement a branding strategy.
- Availability: Neumeier has several books related to The Brand Gap that might help to widen your understanding of his theory.
The second edition of the book has been available since 2006 in paperback.
8. Do Good
Do Good contains sample stories from companies that implemented the strategy and turned it into a success.
The author used a different and unusual approach that points out the company’s moral and ethical responsibilities to their employees and society as well.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: Anne Bahr Thompson, the author of Do Good, also founded OneSixtyFour
OneSixtyFour is a branding consulting firm that assists companies in strengthening their branding strategy and incorporating their social responsibilities as a brand.
Her writings have been published on several websites and known publication industries.
Also, her experiences and interaction with the biggest companies, such as Adidas and Microsoft, led her to create a book to share with those who need it.
- What’s in the Book: In her book, she explained the significance of “Brand Citizenship,” which focuses on the involvement of social awareness of a company as strategic planning for branding.
She believes that it will benefit the company by gaining loyalty and trust from consumers, but it’ll help the community as well.
Additionally, she presented and discussed a “five-step model” to implement brand citizenship to other brands.
- Availability: It’s a timely book since it was published last 2017 and involves recent social issues related to branding and marketing strategies.
The book is available in Kindle in hardbound and offers a free audible audiobook trial.
Second-hand books are also accessible at lower prices.
9. Sticky Branding
From the title itself, you can get an idea of what the book is all about – attracting more customers to earn more profits and develop as a successful brand.
Though the author doesn’t intend to be a branding designer, he’s still able to stand-out in the industry.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: Jeremey Miller wasn’t planning to be a brand designer.
But when their family business had a major fall back, he was forced to look out for other factors that negatively affect the company.
He realized how the poor branding strategy almost failed since people can hardly identify their brand to other brands.
Fortunately, this fallback led him to grow as a business owner and as a branding figure.
- What’s in the Book: Sticky Branding aims to promote not just huge companies but small and start-up businesses as well.
Miller presented an idea called “simple clarity,” wherein the brand name should be simple and easy to remember, yet people can identify what products or services you’re promoting.
Somehow, Miller wants consumers to avoid confusion but imply clearness and directness.
- Availability: There are other varieties of Miller’s book available.
Sticky branding is available in paperback, eBook, and hand-me-down versions for lower prices in Amazon and Kindle.
10. What Great Brands Do
As the title suggests, this book contains a case analysis of the process, steps, and stories on how huge brands became what they are right now.
This book is perfect for graphic designers with aspiring huge clients as well as entrepreneurs themselves.
Pros & Benefits:
- About the Author: Denise Lee Yohn has quite a credential in terms of branding.
As the headman of the marketing and branding team, she led the branding department of huge companies like Burger King and Unilever.
She had a major project with Sony Electronics Inc. where she grabbed awards from different award-giving bodies.
- What’s in the Book: This book discussed how famous brands made it big in the business industry.
She presented seven principles to guide readers on applying what those brands did on their own.
Highlighting the importance of good branding strategy, the seven principle methodology will change brand designers’ views and business associates’ strategy to guide continuous development to success.
- Availability: The book is available in hardcover – both new and second-hand, e-book, and offers a free audible audiobook trial.
Final Thoughts
With the guide for the best branding books for designers , for sure, it’ll be easier for you to find one that suits your needs.
While it’s undeniable how much information we can learn from books, knowledge is nothing if we don’t use and apply it.
Having experience is still the best advantage when it comes to becoming an expert in a certain field.
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