Our top 5 books on branding and design
Whilst there are thousands of books on branding, graphic design and everything in between there are only a handful that have truly influenced our studio and our process. We’ve distilled this handful down to our top 5 must-reads that will truly change the way you think about design.
5. A Smile in the Mind – Beryl McAlhone, David Stuart, Greg Quinton and Nick Asbury
This book is all about wit. More specifically the use of wit in graphic design. Topics include types of wit, wit in practice, wit in the world and explanations from over 20 renowned designers (Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Michael Bierut to name a few) about their work and ideation process. Plus this book is packed with useful examples and rationale behind genius and truly witty work.
4. Design as Art – Bruno Munari
First published in 1966, Design as Art is an illustrated journey into the artistic possibilities of modern design. No book has opened our minds more to how design is visually digested and how meaning and rationale plays such an important part in the act of designing.
3. Copy This Book – Eric Schrijver
We were far too excited to read this one. Yep you guessed it, it’s all about copyright. Before you skip on this one, ask yourself do you really understand the copyright protection on your work? Or maybe you’ve been infringing copyright without even knowing it? How would you know? Wouldn’t it be great to have a crystal clear understanding of how it works and where you stand legally? Well then, read this book.
2. The Brand Handbook – Wally Olins
Wally Olins has influenced 99% of our projects here at Redefine. Our process is a tailored evolution of Olins’ core idea method. Here’s the preface to the book, as we couldn’t explain it any better:
Many people talk about branding, but very few people know how to actually do it. Wally Olins, generally recognised as the world’s most experienced practitioner of corporate identity and branding, draws on a lifetime’s experience to present a concise, practical guide. He explains, in trademark straightforward fashion – what brands are, how to create them, how to make them work and how to sustain them. All aspects of the process are covered, from developing the ‘core idea’, creating the name and designing the logo to launching and managing a successful branding programme. Inspirational as well as practical, this easy-reference manual is essential reading for anyone interested in the field of corporate identity and branding.
Sounds great right? That’s because it is.
1. The Brand Gap – Marty Neumeier
If you read one book about branding make it this one. We didn’t truly understand branding until stumbling across this holy grail of brand wisdom. With illustrative examples that supplement the text perfectly, this book will keep you hooked from beginning to end and give you every tool you need to master the art of brand strategy.
And it doesn’t end there. Neumeier has written a whole host of books from his experience building brands. Check out the whole collection here.
Written by Tom Woollam
Creative Director & Founder
