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.

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

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…

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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.

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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.

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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.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

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.

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

Book of Branding is an essential addition to the startup toolkit—a guide designed for entrepreneurs, founders, designers, brand creators and anyone seeking to decode the complicated world of brand identity design.

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.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

How to Launch a Brand

This book will guide you through the steps necessary to build a brand from the ground up. Most entrepreneurs, even seasoned brand managers, launch first and then work on slowly transforming the new offering into a brand.

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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