12 Graphic Design Books to Build a Brand

Graphic designers have much to say about building a brand. Here is a list of graphic design books on brand-building, from essential typography for logos to holistic works on creating and executing brand uniqueness.

Graphic Design Books

Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler

Designing Brand Identity

“Designing Brand Identity” is a practical guide for building a brand, from research to strategy to design execution. This resource for implementing a brand system contains 50 case studies, over 700 illustrations of brand touchpoints, and more than 100 branding subjects, checklists, tools, and diagrams.

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Logo by Michael Evamy

Logo

“Logo” is a branding bible containing over 1,600 symbols and logotypes. Review logos from a range of companies, including household names such as Disney, Apple, and Starbucks, and the work of design masters Paul Rand and Saul Bass. Explore forms of identity design as they evolve.

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Branding: In Five and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

Branding: In Five and a Half Steps

“Branding” is a step-by-step visual guide for building a brand — exploring the strategies and design components of brand identity. Michael Johnson breaks a brand down to its basics to understand why we select one product over another. The book identifies the initial question a brand answers and explores the hidden elements in creating a successful brand.

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Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton

Thinking with Type

“Thinking with Type” by Ellen Lupton is a guide to using typography in visual communication, covering all essentials, including typefaces and type families, kerning, and tracking. Learn how to align and shape letters, words, and paragraphs.

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The Graphic Design Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters by Steven Heller and Gail Anderson

The Graphic Design Idea Book

“The Graphic Design Idea Book” is an introduction to the fundamental elements and professional techniques of graphic design. Review the work of acclaimed designers to explore form, narrative, color, type, image, ornament, simplicity, and humor.

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Interaction of Color by Josef Albers

Interaction of Color

“Interaction of Color,” by Josef Albers, is a classic text on the principles of color theory. First published in 1963, this anniversary edition presents an expanded selection of color studies alongside Albers’s original text, demonstrating color relativity, intensity, temperature, vibrating and vanishing boundaries, and the illusion of transparency and reversed grounds.

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Logo Design Love by David Airey

Logo Design Love

“Logo Design Love” shows how to develop an iconic brand identity from start to finish, using client case studies from renowned designers and studios, including Moving Brands and Pentagram. Get practical tips for creating logos that last and best practices for extending a logo into a brand identity system.

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The Visual History of Type: A survey of 320 typefaces by Paul McNeil

The Visual History of Type,

“The Visual History of Type” is a survey of the major typefaces since the advent of printing with movable type in the fifteenth century. Arranged chronologically, it contains more than 320 typefaces displayed in their original designs. A brief history and description of key characteristics support each entry.

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How to by Michael Bierut

How to

“How to” is a study by Michael Bierut, a partner in the New York office of the international design consultancy Pentagram. “How to” examines more than three dozen projects from start to finish, including projects for prominent clients such as Mastercard, the Poetry Foundation, and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Get insights into the creative process, working with clients, and the challenges of producing innovative work.

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Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming by Ellen Lupton, Jennifer Cole Phillips

Graphic Design Thinking

“Graphic Design Thinking” demystifies the creative process in graphic design, including techniques to stimulate fresh thinking, supported by visual demonstrations and case studies. Learn to define the problem, invent ideas, and create form. “Graphic Design Thinking” is for anyone who wants to apply inventive thought patterns to everyday creative challenges in the design process.

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Graphic Design Rules by Sean Adams, Peter Dawson, John Foster, and Tony Seddon

Graphic Design Rules

“Graphic Design Rules” is a collection of 365 dos and don’ts for incorporating graphic design into a project or small business. “Graphic Design Rules” is for novice and experienced designers, offering practical tips and lessons.

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Graphic Design for Art, Fashion, Film, Architecture, Photography, Product Design and Everything in Between by Andy Cooke

Graphic Design for Art…

“Graphic Design for Art…” explores collaborations among graphic designers from varied industries. Each example illustrates the significance of the designer’s role in making a campaign marketable and successful. Review insights from clients and designers on the inner workings of the design process.