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Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits
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.
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.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2011
308 people are currently reading
3776 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Millman
34 books259 followersDebbie Millman is an American writer, educator, artist, and designer who is perhaps best known as the host of the Design Observer podcast 'Design Matters'. She is 'President of Design' at Sterling Brands, based in New York City, working with brands such as Pepsi, Gillette, Colgate, Kimberly-Clark, Nestlé, and Campbells. She chairs the 'Masters in Branding' program at the School of Visual Arts, is a contributing editor to Print, a blogger for Fast Company, and the 'President Emeritus' of AIGA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
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November 20, 2018Wonderfully informative set of interviews about branding and design and the relationship consumers have to the products of their lives. Wanted more of the interviewer, who is brilliant.
June 26, 2021
3.5
"Brand Thinking and Other Noble Persuits" offers 22 insightful interviews with well-known and well-respected people in business, marketing and design industry.
Debbie Millman asks challenging questions and doesn't back off until she gets the answer she wants.
But the problem with this book is its format.
No matter what questions Debbie asked, because so many of these people had the same opinions, the book got kind of repetitive. I skimmed some chapters because I already knew what their answers to questions like "What is a brand in your opinion?" would be: Brand is an identity, a story, an experience and so on.
Definitely recommend to people who are curious about these subjects but are fairly new to them.
"Brand Thinking and Other Noble Persuits" offers 22 insightful interviews with well-known and well-respected people in business, marketing and design industry.
Debbie Millman asks challenging questions and doesn't back off until she gets the answer she wants.
But the problem with this book is its format.
No matter what questions Debbie asked, because so many of these people had the same opinions, the book got kind of repetitive. I skimmed some chapters because I already knew what their answers to questions like "What is a brand in your opinion?" would be: Brand is an identity, a story, an experience and so on.
Definitely recommend to people who are curious about these subjects but are fairly new to them.
February 1, 2012
Brand Thinking offers 22 short interviews with an astounding array of heavy hitters in branding, identity design, and related disciplines. It's a fascinating and invigorating read. Millman coaxes the likes of Tom Peters and Karim Rashid into moments of almost shocking candor; Dori Tunstall and Alex Bogusky unflinchingly address issues of social and environmental responsibility; Brian Collins' insights into Apple's brand left me literally open-mouthed. Millman's interviews are wide-ranging, but reveal surprising commonalities in addition to the expected differences; I was surprised, for instance, by how many interviewees, apparently without coaxing, associated branding with religion. (On the other hand a few 'fessed up to making some purchase decisions on the basis of price and features.)
One very slight drawback: experiencing the work of any of the interview subjects is left as a homework exercise for the reader; Brand Thinking is strictly text-only. It's an interesting counterpart to more visually oriented books like Sean Adam's Masters of Design (Sean Adams is himself one of Millman's interview subjects.)
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in branding and identity.
One very slight drawback: experiencing the work of any of the interview subjects is left as a homework exercise for the reader; Brand Thinking is strictly text-only. It's an interesting counterpart to more visually oriented books like Sean Adam's Masters of Design (Sean Adams is himself one of Millman's interview subjects.)
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in branding and identity.
April 23, 2021
Reading this book as a part of a Strategic Marketing and Branding module I'm taking in my post-graduate course. I'm enjoying it quite a lot as it transcends business implications and dives into the very nature of human behavior. Brands are created in our minds, they're created and given a life solely by us - demanding, savvy, hungry consumers. Positioning is everything.
November 16, 2019
One of the best books I've read about branding. Even though the context is slightly dated, the insights are spot-on. Possibly the most underlined and notated book I have in my campaign collection.
January 30, 2023
Some repetition and “skim-worthy” portions, but overall a very worthwhile read; definitely enough value and truth gems to recommend the read. 👍
December 23, 2020
Insightful conversations that provoke and open questions of how brand and design should be approached.
January 2, 2013
Interesting anecdotes but not much more
April 29, 2020
A brand is nothing, but an idea;
Brands exist in the minds of people who interact with them;
The word "brand" is derived from the Old Norse word brandr, which means "to burn by fire";
Branding demonstrates the sense of belonging;
Brands represent the visual manifestation of the capitalist system. They are symbols of entrepreneurship. When someone attacks a brand, they are attacking a symbol, whereas the reality of what they are attacking is the capitalist system;
Most branding consultants wrap themselves up in analyses, in jargon, in pretend statistical data that is comforting and gets them well paid but is meaningless. A contemporary version of witchcraft;
Market research is extremely valuable when it is used properly. But you must not use it to tell you what to do;
I see designers as vehicles for the corporation to take culture seriously;
We must be much more particular - about the meanings that we think matter;
We are not looking for a return. We're not looking for circularity. We're looking for a crazy, relentless projecting of ourselves into an unknown future;
Designers are able to help us craft a new notion of what time missed;
"Innovation" as that which connects the familiar with the unknown;
Brands are a reflection of one's personal compass;
Enlightenment means, in most cases, that you no longer recognize the difference between you and anything else, because everything else is an illusion;
We construct frameworks through which we may better understand the world;
Why do doctors wear white coats and why do soldiers wear uniforms? One reason is to allow that person to take on that identity, which includes their own sense of who they are, in a very fundamental way;
Branding is an experience, and advertising is a temptation;
User-centered design is about creating systems that are intuitive, inevitable, and quite natural. It has to be something intentional - something you do through an act of creativity yet that feels completely inevitable when it's finished;
You go back to the essence of the brand. Why was it made? What need did it fill? GO back to the origins of a brand and identify how it connected to consumers and how it became a relevant;
You develop a story, and then you start to identify who the consumers are. Who are you talking to? How are you going to talk to them? How are you going to tell your story to them? What are your opportunities or your channels through which you can tell that story? DO we need to design some new products, or do we need to redesign our existing products because they aren't true to our story? Or maybe you determine that your products are fine, but you haven't been talking to your consumers in the right way, so it's a communication issue;
The brands are totems. They tell us stories about our place in culture - about where we are and where we've been. They also help us figure out where we're going;
Uncover the story that you can believe in and steward forward;
How would you define success as it relates to this design initiative? Who will be involved in the approval process, and what roles will they play in our collaborative effort? Will we have regular access to the final decision maker? Can you describe previous design projects and the experiences with outside design firms, both good and bad? Will your internal design team also be developing directions? Who do you consider your strongest competitor, and how would you rate their brand design? What attracted you to our firm? Will we have access to and be able to collaborate with your other marketing communications partners - your ad agency, pr firm, web developer? What is your position on research? how will qualitative and quantitative research be conducted on this design? What's the design fee?
Brands must built on past associations but go beyond nostalgia to novelty;
The reason we keep refreshing the way so many things look is because of our ceaseless race to leverage the feelings of safety and nostalgia this old thing imparts, while simultaneously injecting a sense of newness to seduce us into re-engaging in the experience;
The primary reason for such exchanges is to generate joy or connection;
But he's not a workaholic because he's not doing it defensively. He's doing it productively;
The brand is the thing that allows you to recognize that particular kind of water that you had before, and that you probably don't mind having again;
The fewer people in the club, the more unique you are. And if you encounter another exclusive member, you can mirror the mutuality back and forth. It's wonderfully narcissistic;
Consumerism was the movement to protect consumers. Now it's become the definition of overconsumption;
The only things we screwed up were decisions where we only used our head;
Everything we do casts a vote for a certain kind of world;
Brands exist in the minds of people who interact with them;
The word "brand" is derived from the Old Norse word brandr, which means "to burn by fire";
Branding demonstrates the sense of belonging;
Brands represent the visual manifestation of the capitalist system. They are symbols of entrepreneurship. When someone attacks a brand, they are attacking a symbol, whereas the reality of what they are attacking is the capitalist system;
Most branding consultants wrap themselves up in analyses, in jargon, in pretend statistical data that is comforting and gets them well paid but is meaningless. A contemporary version of witchcraft;
Market research is extremely valuable when it is used properly. But you must not use it to tell you what to do;
I see designers as vehicles for the corporation to take culture seriously;
We must be much more particular - about the meanings that we think matter;
We are not looking for a return. We're not looking for circularity. We're looking for a crazy, relentless projecting of ourselves into an unknown future;
Designers are able to help us craft a new notion of what time missed;
"Innovation" as that which connects the familiar with the unknown;
Brands are a reflection of one's personal compass;
Enlightenment means, in most cases, that you no longer recognize the difference between you and anything else, because everything else is an illusion;
We construct frameworks through which we may better understand the world;
Why do doctors wear white coats and why do soldiers wear uniforms? One reason is to allow that person to take on that identity, which includes their own sense of who they are, in a very fundamental way;
Branding is an experience, and advertising is a temptation;
User-centered design is about creating systems that are intuitive, inevitable, and quite natural. It has to be something intentional - something you do through an act of creativity yet that feels completely inevitable when it's finished;
You go back to the essence of the brand. Why was it made? What need did it fill? GO back to the origins of a brand and identify how it connected to consumers and how it became a relevant;
You develop a story, and then you start to identify who the consumers are. Who are you talking to? How are you going to talk to them? How are you going to tell your story to them? What are your opportunities or your channels through which you can tell that story? DO we need to design some new products, or do we need to redesign our existing products because they aren't true to our story? Or maybe you determine that your products are fine, but you haven't been talking to your consumers in the right way, so it's a communication issue;
The brands are totems. They tell us stories about our place in culture - about where we are and where we've been. They also help us figure out where we're going;
Uncover the story that you can believe in and steward forward;
How would you define success as it relates to this design initiative? Who will be involved in the approval process, and what roles will they play in our collaborative effort? Will we have regular access to the final decision maker? Can you describe previous design projects and the experiences with outside design firms, both good and bad? Will your internal design team also be developing directions? Who do you consider your strongest competitor, and how would you rate their brand design? What attracted you to our firm? Will we have access to and be able to collaborate with your other marketing communications partners - your ad agency, pr firm, web developer? What is your position on research? how will qualitative and quantitative research be conducted on this design? What's the design fee?
Brands must built on past associations but go beyond nostalgia to novelty;
The reason we keep refreshing the way so many things look is because of our ceaseless race to leverage the feelings of safety and nostalgia this old thing imparts, while simultaneously injecting a sense of newness to seduce us into re-engaging in the experience;
The primary reason for such exchanges is to generate joy or connection;
But he's not a workaholic because he's not doing it defensively. He's doing it productively;
The brand is the thing that allows you to recognize that particular kind of water that you had before, and that you probably don't mind having again;
The fewer people in the club, the more unique you are. And if you encounter another exclusive member, you can mirror the mutuality back and forth. It's wonderfully narcissistic;
Consumerism was the movement to protect consumers. Now it's become the definition of overconsumption;
The only things we screwed up were decisions where we only used our head;
Everything we do casts a vote for a certain kind of world;
February 12, 2022
In the last couple of months I have been listening to Debbie Milman’s, Brand thinking and other noble pursuits and I wanted to take a bit of time to review it. Firstly, I have to start by saying I love the conversational nature of how this book has been created and how it is an interview and I think this plays really well with it being an audible book. I am not sure I would have enjoyed the style quite so much, if I was reading it.
The book is a series of interviews with a range of brand experts, working for a range of companies and coming at it from their own angle or experience. It shows that there are commonalities and themes when looking at branding, but also that there are nuances and individualism in the approach or execution. Due to the nature and consistency of the questions, I do agree with other views that say that it can become repetitive, which is partly why it took me so long to listen to, as I tended to do a chapter at a time. Almost like I was listening to a podcast and not a book.
What I do love about this book is the style and the coaxing of Debbie Milman to get to the heart of branding and it was a good refresher on the importance of human connection, the trade-off between the sense of belonging and ethical behaviour, and some really interesting discussion on how our need as marketers to be loved is resulting in us over-egging the brand and setting too high expectations.
It also clearly demonstrates the need for brands and how they can bring people together in an ever-divided world and how brand identity and our human instincts to belong are so closely related. It touches on tribe mentality and the cultural limitations and challenges of taking a brand international, while keeping it authentic.
I would truly recommend this book for anyone that works in marketing, but would suggest that you do this as I did one chapter at a time, to avoid the repetition of the commonalities that exist.
The book is a series of interviews with a range of brand experts, working for a range of companies and coming at it from their own angle or experience. It shows that there are commonalities and themes when looking at branding, but also that there are nuances and individualism in the approach or execution. Due to the nature and consistency of the questions, I do agree with other views that say that it can become repetitive, which is partly why it took me so long to listen to, as I tended to do a chapter at a time. Almost like I was listening to a podcast and not a book.
What I do love about this book is the style and the coaxing of Debbie Milman to get to the heart of branding and it was a good refresher on the importance of human connection, the trade-off between the sense of belonging and ethical behaviour, and some really interesting discussion on how our need as marketers to be loved is resulting in us over-egging the brand and setting too high expectations.
It also clearly demonstrates the need for brands and how they can bring people together in an ever-divided world and how brand identity and our human instincts to belong are so closely related. It touches on tribe mentality and the cultural limitations and challenges of taking a brand international, while keeping it authentic.
I would truly recommend this book for anyone that works in marketing, but would suggest that you do this as I did one chapter at a time, to avoid the repetition of the commonalities that exist.
June 5, 2020
A set of freeform interviews between an accomplished design enthusiast and various branding experts, design anthropologists, and cultural critics. All in all an interesting book with some fascinating nuggets of thought to be found in almost every interview. I like how everyone she interviewed seemed so passionate about what they do, which I admire and aspire for in life.
It is not limited to branding but discusses consumerism, capitalistic guilt of people who work in branding, design vs art, accessibility vs exclusivity etc. I liked those segments, but I wish there was more about just branding because I knew about the other stuff already (except design).
One annoying thing was that some themes became repetitive over the course of the book (specifically: a brand is an identity, humans are driven by tribal instincts). She could have perhaps edited the book in a way which bought out different perspectives from each interviewer, because I was not learning new stuff from reading the same definitions told by different people. The same examples of Coke, Apple and Nike became boring as well. I wish they had moved beyond these cult classics more to other brands and industries. Considering the book was written almost ten years ago, there was lesser discussion about branding in the age of social media than if she were to explore these topics now. Definitely something I want to read more about!
It is not limited to branding but discusses consumerism, capitalistic guilt of people who work in branding, design vs art, accessibility vs exclusivity etc. I liked those segments, but I wish there was more about just branding because I knew about the other stuff already (except design).
One annoying thing was that some themes became repetitive over the course of the book (specifically: a brand is an identity, humans are driven by tribal instincts). She could have perhaps edited the book in a way which bought out different perspectives from each interviewer, because I was not learning new stuff from reading the same definitions told by different people. The same examples of Coke, Apple and Nike became boring as well. I wish they had moved beyond these cult classics more to other brands and industries. Considering the book was written almost ten years ago, there was lesser discussion about branding in the age of social media than if she were to explore these topics now. Definitely something I want to read more about!
March 4, 2018
When I first started this book I felt annoyed by the formatting style (kindle version) it took me some time to get used to reading it comfortably and being honest, the "interview" method of developing the book just didn't convince me. BUT once I got over those details I was able to uncover true gems of knowledge.
The interviews are clear and very direct, the author puts some humor seeds here and there, which are a pleasure to find, other than that, the questions are just so in point and very well concatenated, as per interview and as a whole.
The anecdotes and unique answers from the interviewees open a window that let's you understand and learn from the perspectives of big figures in the marketing and branding industry. It allows you to see the topic in new and interesting ways, sometimes so simple and obvious that can feel offensive for those of us who struggle to "get" the customer.
Maybe the formatting and writing style are somewhat different and difficult to get used to, but the interviews are all but boring or uninterested, very well concatenated and positioned in such rhythm that lets you gradually explore the different sides of branding: from the basics of kinship and connection, through emotional response, to the future of branding and humanization. The interviews discuss psychology, sociology, marketing, emotion, merchandising, religion, technology... you just get to understand brands from pretty much all venues available.
It feels neutral, allowing different opinions about points such as self-branding or saturation.
The closing interviews make it all come together and offer such a great message and do a great job at concluding such a massive and subjective topic.
The knowledge is delivered in such a way that feels so natural and digestible, this book is truly a gem. Truly one of my favorites.
The interviews are clear and very direct, the author puts some humor seeds here and there, which are a pleasure to find, other than that, the questions are just so in point and very well concatenated, as per interview and as a whole.
The anecdotes and unique answers from the interviewees open a window that let's you understand and learn from the perspectives of big figures in the marketing and branding industry. It allows you to see the topic in new and interesting ways, sometimes so simple and obvious that can feel offensive for those of us who struggle to "get" the customer.
Maybe the formatting and writing style are somewhat different and difficult to get used to, but the interviews are all but boring or uninterested, very well concatenated and positioned in such rhythm that lets you gradually explore the different sides of branding: from the basics of kinship and connection, through emotional response, to the future of branding and humanization. The interviews discuss psychology, sociology, marketing, emotion, merchandising, religion, technology... you just get to understand brands from pretty much all venues available.
It feels neutral, allowing different opinions about points such as self-branding or saturation.
The closing interviews make it all come together and offer such a great message and do a great job at concluding such a massive and subjective topic.
The knowledge is delivered in such a way that feels so natural and digestible, this book is truly a gem. Truly one of my favorites.
December 5, 2021
I was introduced to Debbie middleman by a friend through her concept of a five-year vision storyline for your life.
Thanks Debbie for this awesome book and for introducing me to the design thinkers of the world.
I loved your interview style in this book. There are only three people that I really knew Seth Godin, Daniel Pink and Malcolm Gladwell.
I love the ending saying that a person is not a brand with Malcolm.
I always think brands are subjective depending on who you ask and when.
A brand is more than a reputation and identity and a purpose of living one's full potential, whether it's a product, a service or a person.
It's easy for us to try to find one word to describe an object, a place or a thing.
I hope our world is much more than that that we can all have our unique identities and build our better selves not by comparing ourselves to someone else but to our own selves from the past.
Thanks Debbie for this awesome book and for introducing me to the design thinkers of the world.
I loved your interview style in this book. There are only three people that I really knew Seth Godin, Daniel Pink and Malcolm Gladwell.
I love the ending saying that a person is not a brand with Malcolm.
I always think brands are subjective depending on who you ask and when.
A brand is more than a reputation and identity and a purpose of living one's full potential, whether it's a product, a service or a person.
It's easy for us to try to find one word to describe an object, a place or a thing.
I hope our world is much more than that that we can all have our unique identities and build our better selves not by comparing ourselves to someone else but to our own selves from the past.
June 18, 2019
Based on some of the reviews I’d read on Goodreads, and how well-known Debbie Millman is in the design industry, my expectations for this book were pretty high.
Millman is a good interviewer — her questions are thought-provoking and often lead her subjects to offer up nuggets of insight. Unfortunately, I felt many of the interviews were too similar to one another and too surface-level. The book is worth reading, but I can’t help but feel that it would have been far more interesting had it featured only half as many (but twice as long) interviews.
One thing that kind of irked me about the interview subjects themselves was how pervasive basic-bitch neoliberalism seemed to be among them. Because, I suspect, of the format, most of their assumptions were left unquestioned. A shame.
Millman is a good interviewer — her questions are thought-provoking and often lead her subjects to offer up nuggets of insight. Unfortunately, I felt many of the interviews were too similar to one another and too surface-level. The book is worth reading, but I can’t help but feel that it would have been far more interesting had it featured only half as many (but twice as long) interviews.
One thing that kind of irked me about the interview subjects themselves was how pervasive basic-bitch neoliberalism seemed to be among them. Because, I suspect, of the format, most of their assumptions were left unquestioned. A shame.
July 21, 2025
While this did take me like a year to read, I actually loved it. The interview format is so interesting and compelling and fun — like listening to real conversations of people who are just as intelligent as they are funny. I think many people would really enjoy this book even if you’re not in business or branding. Millman gets into psychology and anthropology and design and economic trends and engineering and … you get it!!
Aside from all of that, why the HELL is the cover so ugly on a design book?? That is my complaint. Still love though!
Aside from all of that, why the HELL is the cover so ugly on a design book?? That is my complaint. Still love though!
December 9, 2019
A stack of hay, a few needles. Presented as a transcription of a bunch of interviews. The author/interviewer isn't skilled at drawing people out like Oprah or Terry Gross or Marc Maron ... so the vibe often feels stilted and interviewees are allowed to back out of tough questions. The end result is that this felt like a superficial podcast about branding rather than a more thoughtful treatment of the topic.
August 12, 2024
This is a fantastic book, I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of it until I googled books about branding! This both inspired me creatively and scratched my itch for thinking about how people work. Debbie interviews experts in branding and design and asks about consumerism, what a brand is, why brands inform our identities, and where we’re going (and where we should go). It came out in 2011 which is evident and I wish she would do a second edition because I want smart people to explain what’s happening in our world now
July 7, 2023
I listened to the audiobook to learn more about branding and the impact they have had on our society. this book was interesting and taught me the story of how certain brands have the logos they do and the deeper meaning behind all of them. It was also interesting to here different interviewees opinions on branding because I didn’t agree with all of them so it really made me think.
May 10, 2017
I honestly enjoyed this book.
The interviews are varied, insightful and rich in experience and opinion.
Truly interesting to for a moment get into minds of people shaping the design world today.
Some genuine pearls of wisdom and a good amount of humour as well.
The interviews are varied, insightful and rich in experience and opinion.
Truly interesting to for a moment get into minds of people shaping the design world today.
Some genuine pearls of wisdom and a good amount of humour as well.
May 13, 2017
Entrevistas llenas de ideas y nuevas perspectivas. Las marcas son reflejo de las organizaciones y su cultura. El buen diseño no está en el logo, sino en la construcción del mensaje (cosa she ya sabíamos). Le faltó conclusión.
January 30, 2023
If you're into brand management, design, business or creative figuring out the new age of advertising and branding.
This book will give you a bird's eye view of new-age brand thinking and may help you find the stories for the brands you want to build.
This book will give you a bird's eye view of new-age brand thinking and may help you find the stories for the brands you want to build.
September 30, 2017
Interesting set of stories, but nothing more than that.
December 19, 2018
Very entertaining and thought provoking. Shows even the experts differ on what good marketing looks like.
January 3, 2019
Started off interesting but became dense, boring, and tedious. I didn't finish it.
April 10, 2019
Probably one of the best books I have read on branding and design I have read in the last few years. I loved this book and cannot recommend it enough.
September 29, 2019
What is Branding? Yet this book has opened tons of perspectives. Super interesting.
Read
December 20, 2020It was a fluent and enjoyable book. also helpfull about advertising
July 3, 2021
My one sentence review: At first I was skeptical, but the insight got better with each interview; highly recommend this for anyone interested in advertising, branding, and design.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews