Branding: In Five and a Half Steps

The ultimate step-by-step, visual guide to creating a successful brand

Michael Johnson is one of the world's leading graphic designers and brand consultants. His studio, johnson banks, is responsible for the rebranding of many notable clients, including Virgin Atlantic, Think London, BFI, Christian Aid, and MORE TH>N, and he has garnered a plethora of awards in the process.

In Branding, Johnson strips everyday brands down to their basic components, with case studies that enable us to understand why we select one product or service over another and allow us to comprehend how seemingly subtle influences can affect key life decisions. The first part of the book shows how the birth of a brand begins not with finding a solution but rather with identifying the correct question the missing gap in the market to which an answer is needed. Johnson proceeds to unveil hidden elements involved in creating a successful brand from the strapline that gives the brand a narrative and a purpose to clever uses of typography that unite design and language.

With more than 1,000 illustrations showcasing the world's most successful corporate identities, as well as generic templates enabling you to create your own brand or ad with ease, Branding explores every step of the development process required to create the simplest and most immediately compelling brands.

About the Author:

Michael Johnson set up the creative design studio 'johnson banks' in 1992. Since then, he has received eight ‘pencil’ awards from D&AD, thirteen Design Week awards and four NYADC ‘cube’ awards, among many others. Johnson has been cited as one of the most notable British designers by the Guardian and the Independent, and has been featured in Design Week’s ‘Hot 50’ list of prominent figures in design on three separate occasions. He is also the author of Problem Solved.