Quickies: 10 Readable Branding Books

I’m a skimmer. I love books that I can read in a day. Give me short and to the point– a list, a few illustrations and I’m good.  Here are 10 quick reads that no branding library (or Kindle) should be without.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries

Though the book was written in 1999, most of the 22 Laws still ring true today. Written by Al Ries and his daughter Laura, the 22 Laws is considered to some as the ‘Bible’ of branding. The newest edition is paired with The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding.

Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team by Alina Wheeler

This is the third edition of Alina Wheeler’s original Designing Brand Identity. Filled with processes, tips and tools the book cuts right to it without the fluff and the grandstanding. It’s a great resource for marketers, designers, brand strategists and mangers and chocked full of case studies and examples.

The Brand Gap: Expanded Edition + Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands by Marty Neumeier

Where do I begin? I must say that Mr. Neumeier is one of my favorites as he understands how little time people actually have. The ‘whiteboard’ style condenses his thoughts into incredibly succinct points and meaningful illustrations. Take five hours and read these two and you’ll come away with an in-depth understanding of what it means to differentiate today.

A New Brand World: Eight Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership in the 21st Century by Scott Bedbury

Bedbury establishes eight principles that successful brands follow. Another organized read, A New Brand World is mostly focused on Bedbury’s days with Nike and Starbucks’ and the inside scoop on what helped propel the two to super brands.  If you’ve ever wondered what happened during the early days, read this one for sure.

Building Design Strategy: Using Design to Achieve Key Business Objectives by Thomas Lockwood and Thomas Walton

Building Design Strategy talks about the value of design in business.  If you need to prove to your CEO that redesigning the website is paramount to your company’s success, give her this book.

BrandSimple by Allen Adamson

As Managing Director of Landor, Adamson knows his stuff. Another process-oriented read, BrandSimple teaches readers how simple is better. Adamson reduces all the hype, the brand manuals, the internal campaigns and the marketing down to one simple idea. Also, check out BrandDigital, an overview of what some of the industry’s movers and shakers are doing with digital.

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charline Li + Josh Bernoff

THE book on social media. Just read it.

Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands by Jeff Fisher

Readers get a look inside the challenges of rebranding.  Strategy, creative and problems included.

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

No list is complete without the Cow. Purple Cow makes marketers make a choice- be invisible or be remarkable. What side do you want to be on?

Brand From The Inside Out: Eight Essentials to Emotionally Connect Your Employees to Your Business by Libby Sartain and Mark Shumann

In Brand from the Inside, Libby Sartain and Mark Schumann share their insights on internal branding. Get your ‘most valuable asset’ to deliver on your brand promise. A $10 million branding campaign goes down the toilet if the kid at the counter is a jerk.

Interested in hearing what your favorites are–drop us a comment below with your top 3.