I borrowed this book from a friend this past summer and not since college have I read something that made so much sense and was so great to read. The Brand Gap: How To Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design, by Marty Neumeier, is very comforting to the ears of someone who has to take direction from clients who really have no clue what their brand is about. It can also be a very insightful read if you are on the business side of the relationship and you are the client making all the decisions. Either way, you need to go get this book and read it. It doesn’t take long. Half the book is imagery and most of the type is set in 12 pt. or something ridiculous like that, so it’s super fast. The reason I liked the book so much is Neumeier breaks down what it means to brand your company. He does it in such a basic, simple manner, you begin to wonder why it is so hard for marketing execs and brand managers to understand what it is they are trying to say. Unfortunately, from my perspective, it has had more success for people on the creative side than on the client side. Regardless, reading this will give you ammunition for that next client presentation because you will understand their brand better than they do.
