Top Branding books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Branding books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Branding

Understanding the concepts of Branding starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Hello, My Name Is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick

In this entertaining and engaging book, ace naming consultant Alexandra Watkins explains how anyone—even noncreative types—can create memorable and buzz-worthy brand names. No degree in linguistics required. The heart of the book is Watkins's proven SMILE and SCRATCH Test—two acronyms for what makes or breaks a name.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Contagious: Why Things Catch On

In Contagious, Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission. Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos.

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Branding: In Five and a Half Steps

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.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know

How Brands Grow: what marketers don't know is based on decades of research that has progressively uncovered scientific laws about buying and brand performance. This book is the first to present these laws in context, and explore their meaning and marketing applications.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Identity Designed: 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.

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Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

This book, “Building a Brand Story: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen,” by Donald Miller, is a gem summing up college semesters worth of information on story-telling and construction into actionable steps for the reader and business owner to apply in a fundamental way that is easy to digest. This alone proves the book to be invaluable, yet additionally it provides peace of mind tha…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional Branding Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Branding, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

The Hero and the Outlaw

A brand’s meaning―how it resonates in the public heart and mind―is a company’s most valuable competitive advantage. Yet, few companies really know how brand meaning works, how to manage it, and how to use brand meaning strategically. Written by best-selling author Carol S. Pearson (The Hero Within) and branding guru Margaret Mark, this groundbreaking book provides the illusive and compelling a…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Building Strong Brands

The process of building a strong or famous brand involves critical thinking and analysis of all aspects of the brand to help deliver on the overall goal of the organisation. Brand positioning ensures that the brand is on the minds and hearts of consumers/customers all the time, and this can be done in many ways.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

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I’m a marketing strategist, brand consultant, and Fractional CMO with 10+ years of experience helping startups, entrepreneurs, and growing businesses turn ideas into impact. I work hands-on with founders and small teams to clarify their brand, build high-converting strategies, and create marketing systems that drive real results. Whether you're refining …

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I’m an experienced mentor with a unique career history, successfully navigating 15 distinct roles across various companies and industries—from basement startups to Fortune 500s—mastering the art of career change, life transitions, and "personal reinvention". ⭐️ My mentorship style: Through mentorship, I strive to help others move through pivotal moments of …

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Do you feel overlooked? Do you believe you could perform at a higher level if you were given the opportunity? And yet, you are surrounded by incompetent managers who have been promoted above their capabilities? Nothing frustrates me more than this situation. To think they're not seeing your potential, that …

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Hi! I am a technology (EdTech) founder with a background as an award-winning UI/UX and visual designer with experience working at Fortune 500 companies and top creative agencies. Following a decade-long corporate career, I took on an entrepreneurial path and founded Path Unbound, a UI/UX design school dedicated to training …

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Hi, I'm Reen! I am currently an ambassador for Google Women Techmakers, with a professional focus in data analytics, social media strategy, and branding. I am pursuing my studies at MIT and have completed my previous education at Oxford. My experience includes working at McKinsey and conducting case studies for …

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With over 12 years of experience leading the digital delivery of billion-dollar construction projects, I specialize in bridging the gap between engineering, architecture, and technology. I’ve managed large Digital Delivery Teams, overseeing thousands of BIM, GIS, and CAD deliverables to support design, construction, and handover to facility management. Graduating as …

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