The best branding books have stayed at the top of design publishing for a long time, and for good reason. Using their knowledge of design, they show that how a company looks can be just as important as what it sells or does.

Many of the best books on branding are also treasures in their own right. Skimming through a well-designed book, like one of our favorite graphic design books, can help designers think up new ideas.

Branding is now in the public eye, as evidenced by the sometimes heated debate that ensues when controversial rebrands are made. You can read some of the best books on branding even if you don't work in the field.

For more ideas on how to use color in your branding, check out our guide to seven of the best branding books.

The best branding books

Branding: In Five and a Half Steps

Author: Michael Johnson

This huge book by modern design legend Michael Johnson is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the science of branding. A lot of the best branding from around the world is covered in this book. Dr. Johnson explains iconic logos, ads, campaigns, and brand rebrands in Branding: In Five and a Half Steps with precision. He does this by cutting right to the heart of them. He tells priceless stories from his own campaigns, like Shelter UK and the Science Museum, and explains the theory and the alchemical art of creative thinking behind them.

Johnson is a great writer. His enthusiasm is contagious, and the book has a good story. Every page is full of carefully chosen examples, and in a field that can be prone to pseudoscience and hyperbole, Johnson reassures us that the art of storytelling and empathy that underpin great branding are still important. In this book, he explains things in a clear, jargon-busting way, and he has a lot of good advice. It's a must-have for both newbies and professionals.

Identity Designed: The Definitive Guide to Visual Branding

Author: David Airey

David Airey is a well-known branding designer, but in this book, Identity Designed: The Definitive Guide to Visual Branding, he lets other people talk about their own projects instead of his own. Branding books live or die based on the quality of the projects they show and the honesty of the people who worked on them. With years of experience in the field, Airey is a great judge of killer campaigns and great people. He shows sixteen projects by well-known world-wide agencies like Freytag Anderson and Together Design in order to show how creative people can solve problems. Presented in a way that looks like a coffee table book of brand porn, but this doesn't skimp on content because it covers every step of the designer-client process, making this a must-have for any serious brand designer.

Book of Branding: a guide to creating brand identity for startups and beyond

Author: Radim Malinic 

While running the small London-based agency Brand Nu, Radim Malinic has made a good living writing books. In this book, you'll learn everything you need to know about running a branding studio, from copyright laws and how to present your work to your clients to how to deal with disappointments. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to start their own business like Malinic did.

In this book, Malinic writes in a way that is easy to read. Even though he only talks about his own work in the case studies, his enthusiasm and passion make this a thorough but easy read. Malinic is a great person to talk to about brand design because he has a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit that helped him carve out a unique place in the industry. He also has a great way of explaining the nitty-gritty details and hard work that go into branding boutique studios. Vol. 2 of Malinic's Book of Ideas is also a beautiful book on branding. It seamlessly blends his unique graphic style with insights into the creative world.

Creating a Brand Identity: A Guide for Designers

Author: Catharine Slade-Brooking

Designers will learn everything they need to know about creating brand identity from consumer psychology to how to make and deliver campaigns. Creating a Brand Identity: A Guide for Designers is full of useful information. In this book, Slade-Brooking, the author, is a senior lecturer on BA Graphic Communication at the University for the Creative Arts. This means that the attention to detail in this book is very high. There are exercises and tips boxes all over the pages of the book, which is organized in an appealing and educational way. To start, it asks, "Why do we brand?" Then, it gives advice on how to look at your competitors' markets and figure out what they're doing. As a book about design, Brand Identity has art direction that is both sophisticated and intelligent. There are a lot of visual references and examples that are right on the money.

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

Author: Alina Wheeler

If you're looking for a book on branding, this is probably the best one out there. Paula Scher, who is famous for her work, says so. This huge book is now in its fifth edition, and it goes into great detail about everything from brand architecture to how to manage your assets. The concepts and explanations are shown in full, step-by-step detail. The more than 40 case studies, from Coca-Cola to Mozilla, show that smart branding design can be a powerful marketing tool. Every page of the book is filled with interesting information or a thought-provoking quote that shows how branding is a mix of science and art.

Brand New: The Shape of Brands to Come

Author: Wally Olins 

One of the best books about branding and globalization ever written is called Brand New: The Shape of Brands to Come by Wally Olins. It's a fascinating look at how globalization has changed branding and how technology has changed how people buy things. As someone who has worked with some of the world's biggest companies and brands, Olins has learned a lot. He uses this knowledge to advocate for high moral standards and ethical solutions. The first chapter is an unflinching attack on the "new authenticity" that has dominated marketing for the last 10 years, and it's very bad. In the next part, Olins looks at how to understand the zeitgeist and question the "Big Brand's" responsibilities. People who don't live up to his high standards will be shamed by him. An advertiser who is in love with the beauty of meaningful design is behind the call-to-arms for a more compassionate business. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about branding strategy.

Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

Author: Donald Miller

Daniel Miller, the author of this book, has a lot of experience with the subject of how to make your brand successful through narrative, or story-telling. Miller is the CEO of StoryBrand and the man behind the podcast and online conferences with the same name. He thinks that brands should be looked at through the lens of story. This best-selling book is very much in line with what he says. It talks about how important it is to talk about a brand in a clear and effective way.

Help you think more clearly about what your brand does and why, and how it's different from other brands. That's the goal of the book. Miller comes up with a seven-step plan that talks about the main "story points" that people like the most and talks about why people buy things. You can learn a lot from this book, even if you don't take Miller's online courses. There are a lot of interesting ideas in this book, even if you don't go that way.

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