While I’ve fallen out of my habit of writing reviews, I still try to read books whenever I can. Aside from the typical fiction and nonfiction books, I lean in into my interest in design, branding and advertising. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this is still an interesting read if you like case studies, design and businesses.
Identity Designed: The Definitive Guide to Visual Branding
by David Airey
get it here
BOOK SUMMARY
Ideal for students of design, independent designers, and entrepreneurs who want to expand their understanding of effective design in business, Identity Designed is the definitive guide to visual branding.
Written by best-selling writer and renowned designer David Airey, Identity Designed formalizes the process and the benefits of brand identity design and includes a substantial collection of high-caliber projects from a variety of the world’s most talented design studios.
You’ll see the history and importance of branding, a contemporary assessment of best practices, and how there’s always more than one way to exceed client expectations. You’ll also learn a range of methods for conducting research, defining strategy, generating ideas, developing touchpoints, implementing style guides, and futureproofing your designs. Each identity case study is followed by a recap of key points.
The book includes projects by Lantern, Base, Pharus, OCD, Rice Creative, Foreign Policy, Underline Studio, Fedoriv, Freytag Anderson, Bedow, Robot Food, Together Design, Believe in, Jack Renwick Studio, ico Design, and Lundgren+Lindqvist.
Identity Designed is a must-have, not only for designers, but also for entrepreneurs who want to improve their work with a greater understanding of how good design is good business
BOOK REVIEW
*A review copy was provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Incredible. Brilliant case studies from design agencies, using great storytelling to explain their thought processes, business operations, decisions and lessons learnt.
I started this not knowing what to expect, but I came out having some ideas and knowledge of how to run a design business and what mistakes to avoid. It showed me insight into how some companies ran, and also provided some details on payment, contracts and terms and conditions, things I’ll need to know should I get into freelancing or running an agency in the future.
While I may never work in or with these agencies, I’ve gained a huge respect for them and how they work. Lantern for explaining how they’ve designed their terms and conditions so we’ll know what to watch out for, Base for involving multiple departments in a meeting, checking in with their employees and building empathy, Pharus for shifting and reframing the way I see pro bono clients as a chance to explore in creativity without any financial worries… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
However, somewhere halfway through the many case studies/interviews, it gets a little expected. The projects and outcomes are different, of course, But it generally overlaps, with little slivers of new perspectives. Still, it’s recommended that you read each one since they each have their interesting points.
SKAVANSIEUR 