Creating a Brand Identity: A Guide for Designers:

by Catharine Slade-Brooking

Creating a Brand Identity goes behind the scenes to explore the creative processes involved in designing a successful brand identity, one of the most fascinating and complex challenges in graphic design.

This bestselling book is ideal for students, professionals and agencies working in the fields of:

• Graphic Design
• Branding
• Brand Management
• Advertising
• Marketing
• Communications

Authored by design and branding expert, Catharine Slade–Brooking, Creating a Brand Identity includes exercises and examples that highlight the key activities undertaken by graphic designers to create successful brand identities, including:

• Defining the audience
• Analysing competitors
• Creating mood boards
• Naming brands
• Logo design
• Client presentations
• Rebranding
• Launching a new brand identity

Case studies throughout the book are illustrated with brand identities from a diverse range of industries including digital media, fashion, advertising, product design, packaging, retail and more.

The book uses images of professional design concepts, brand case studies and diagrams throughout to illustrate the text. Flow–charts are also used extensively to highlight the step–by–step methodology applied by industry professionals to create a brand.

The content of the book has been derived from Catharine Slade–Brooking own experience of entering the world of branding as a graduate and having to learn the hard way, 'on the job'. This, in turn, enabled the author to develop teaching materials for undergraduate and postgraduate students on the BA Graphic Communication course at the University of the Creative Arts, where Slade–Brooking is a lecturer. The book has been recommended across a wide range of university courses, from graphic design school to animation, digital media, textiles and interior design. It includes a full glossary of brand terminology and a list of recommended further reading.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Business, Art Design, Reference, Art

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 2016

Reviews

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this the definitive guide to branding? No. But is it a fairly decent account of the considerations and practical processes involved in the development of a brand identity? Sure.

I should start by saying that I am not an industry professional. I qualified in Graphic Design (but never achieved a degree, even) and have read this book solely as a person who holds an interest in the field.

There are many books out there about branding and perhaps this one will have escaped your notice as a result. Ultimately, I don't think you're missing out on anything ground-breaking by not picking this book up. However, I will say that it's a fairly sturdy introduction to the subject and worth a read if you are a first year Graphics student (college, not uni) who is contemplating a future in either branding or advertising more generally.

The book is split into two areas of focus - the theory and history of branding (thereby providing context) and the development of a practical understanding of the subject. It gives an overview of branding basics (e.g.: what it is, how it works, it's place in modern consumer society etc.), but it is suuuuper brief in it's covering of this and almost every other aspect of the topic that it addresses. That is why this book can only realistically be considered as an introduction to the subject and nothing more.

Amongst the many topics it [briefly] explores are:
- The impact of social media, the so-called 'humanising' of brands as a result of their direct access to the customer via such platforms, and the key consideration of how we consume information in the modern world/digital age
- The need for a brand to become beloved in order to endure
- Introduction to relevant terminology (which is likely to be of greater interest to someone looking to enter the field than it is to an average Joe like me)
- Discussion around different branding devices (eg: logos etc) - including an interesting (but, again, brief) exploration into sensory focussed elements of an overarching campaign
- The importance of reflecting a brand's philosophy within the branding toolkit
- How brands might fail
- The importance of brand ethics
- The design process itself (including an account of the 'standardised' branding design process)
- The client's role in the design process

The inclusion of case studies was undoubtedly useful within a book such as this - highlighting key elements of a given brand strategy and detailing practical considerations for a design team. However. I think it would have been much more useful for the author to have followed the design process for a single brand from the point of inception to its comprehensive realisation when seeking to exemplify points. In my opinion this would have been much more demonstrative and provided the reader with a clear design process to follow, with clear reference to the different considerations required when developing a successful brand.

The sections regarding demographics and research methodologies were particularly helpful, and the book included several useful exercises and multiple 'Tips and Tricks' sections that will undoubtedly be insightful for beginners; but for anyone who has studied the subject beyond college level, the content will likely act as a refresher at best and a waste of time at worst.

A tangible effort was made to cater to the visually-minded (who will surely make up a large part of the readership for a book like this). For example, case studies are featured on black pages to help differentiate them from the wider text. As someone so inclined, I definitely appreciated this.

The case studies themselves are decent examples of the points made and they go into enough depth to be useful guidelines.

I question whether this book actually appeals to the entirety of the audience it’s aimed towards (noted as lecturers, industry professionals and students in the introduction), but as a starting point for a total newbie it certainly provided an informed overview of the subject area.

As a layman, I learned a thing or two from it but I can perceive its limitations. Don't go into this expecting it to be the branding design bible, but consider it a solid introduction. It was by no means intimidating to read and it was well researched, though there were definitely areas where it could have been improved. If you have an interest in the topic, you'll probably find it interesting. Simple as that, really.


Reading challenges:
- Popsugar 2021: 10/50
- Prompt: A book about a subject you are passionate about

[Raghdah AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading it and exploring the designing strategies for creating a brand identity. Although it discussed the tangible and intangible aspects of creating a brand, it gave more attention to the tangible elements or the visual identity of branding, though it has pointed out how the creation of brands needs to include a purpose, a message, a promise and several objectives which would guide designers through the designing process. This book is mainly for graphic designers as it involves a comprehensive discussion of the design process, such as how to get inspired, start sketching, create several designs and so on. Nevertheless, it can give marketers an opportunity to be educated about the important role of graphic designers in the overall branding strategy. It has also mentioned how market research is essential in order to create a successful brand identity, which can be effectively communicated to customers. To sum up, it's recommended for both marketers and graphic designers, as both teams need to be involved in the process of establishing a brand identity. One final suggestion, it's a guidance book so you might not read all the chapters, only the ones the are related to your part/role in the team/department.

[White Cat reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very good and useful to have it on your bookshelf if you are a brand designer. The steps and method described in the book are quite helpful.

[Omotola Alade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read if you're working as a brand identity designer or strategist.

[Seham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book never leaves my bag.

[Rich B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A designer-led view of what goes on in the creation of new brands.

It’s full of interesting examples, is a fairly easy read, and hits all the main points you would expect. If you don’t know this subject well, it’s a good introduction to processes and terms used to design brand identities.

However, it’s not quite perfect, as it’s a little light in a few key areas. For example, some of the marketing theories shared are only touched on briefly and don’t acknowledge other deeper ways to tackle some of the marketing challenges. It also feels very consumer product-focused, with fewer examples from services or B2B. These don’t necessarily spoil the read, but they’re gaps that you might need to look elsewhere to fill if you want to go deeper into those.

There’s also the occasional overuse of industry jargon and complex sentences where it could have been kept clearer and sharper (e.g. lots of “in order to” rather than just saying “to”). But that’s just a pedantic writing thing as the writing mostly flows OK.

On the plus side, there are plenty of insights and contemporary examples, the process sections are clear and helpful, and I got some new ideas and learning out of it, even though I’m familiar with this topic (though more from a marketing than a design point of view).

I also liked the very useful glossary and recommended reading section at the back too.

Worth reading both for beginners and those with some existing familiarity with this topic. An enjoyable read.

[Liên Hoa Phạm · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thoughts so far Page 49:
"I LOVEEEEEE THIS BOOKKK. I'm currently only on page 49 but i already feel like i learnt and was able to absorb SO MUCH fun knowledge. They never taught me about Brand identity this systematically in my 4 year in my design school (or uni) in Vietnam (sobs)... I'm doing my graduation project but i kept thinking Why didn't i read this book earlier?"

General Review:
The book is organized logically; it covers an adequate range about brand identity from Brand Identity History, How to Research and Specific Case Studies. I specially enjoy the first few chapters where it offers me a general view on Brand Identity.

However, the latter chapters aren't for me. It also doesn't go in depth about a Design Process, which i want. (It just mentions very general things like: Ok, here's some pictures of Sketches...)

In conclusion, a fun read!! 4.5/5

[Кристина · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives an overview of the brand design. Each of the points mentioned is not addressed in detail but is supported with examples. It can be easily applied in a practical sense. As an industry professional I’d recommend it to the people at the beginning as an inspiration read for further research.

[Veronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very general

[Lupas Alexandru · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research part was pretty interesting. I would recommend it to someone who is an entry-level designer. :)

[Catarina ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit too general for me

[Hannah Leimkuhler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid and straightforward information about creating a brand identity from beginning to end

[Sindija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide for designers!

[Brie Masalunga · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those looking for a book that will guide you in creating a brand strategy, this book has it all! The steps are detailed and has a lot of case studies and examples. The writing structure is a bit difficult to understand though. The sentences are too long that you lose the sense along the way. However, if you look past that, this book is a good choice in building a good brand strategy foundation.

[Vũ Huy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is basic and full of information. For those who is doing design with little knowledge about marketing or business strategies, this book would help :D