11 Branding Resources to Boost Your Brilliance

From riveting documentaries to eye-opening podcasts, technology has allowed us to have an infinite amount of inspiring and enlightening resources at our fingertips. And just like any other field, the branding world is full of experts who are eager to share their wisdom.

We narrowed down a list of our favorite branding resources, which teach important lessons like how to design a memorable logo and what it means to create the perfect product. So sit back and relax, because if you read, watch and listen to these 11 branding resources, you’ll be well on your way to a higher tier of brilliance.

1. Brand Bible: The Complete Guide to Building, Designing, and Sustaining Brands

Format: Book

Author: Debbie Millman

Why it’s Brilliant: Often overlooked as a beginner’s guide, this branding book is actually an essential resource for branding and design fundamentals. Debbie Millman, who is also the president at Sterling Brands, provides an intuitive, well-designed overview of modern design and how it functions in our daily lives.

2. Burt’s Buzz

Format: Documentary Film

Director: Jody Shapiro

Why it’s brilliant: You may be familiar with the minty, incredibly refreshing feel of Burt’s Bees lip balm. However, chances are you don’t know much about Burt Shavitz – the entrepreneur who unintentionally started the Burt’s Bees empire. From his beginnings in beekeeping to his reclusive existence, this film examines one of the 21st century’s best brand success stories.

3. Unconscious Branding: How Neuroscience Can Empower (and Inspire) Marketing

Format: Book

Author: Douglas Van Praet

Why it’s brilliant: In Unconscious Branding, Douglas Van Praet takes the most fascinating theories in cognitive science and applies them to marketing, advertising, and consumer behavior. He meticulously unravels the habits of the human brain to demonstrate how brands can influence these habits to achieve great marketing.

4. The Naked Brand

Format: Documentary Film

Director: Sherng-Lee Huang & Jeff Rosenblum

Why it’s brilliant: If you’ve ever wondered how the world’s biggest brands can balance ethics with profit, this is the perfect documentary for you. The Naked Brand explores new advancements in technology which allow everyday citizens to hold large corporations accountable for pollution and corruption. This is a truly insightful look into how big brands can use their power to do good in the world.

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

Format: Book

Author: Andrea Watkins

Why it’s brilliant: In this entertaining book, naming consultant Andrea Watkins explores what all of the best brand names have in common. With humor and wit, Watkins boldly calls out what she thinks are the worst brand names in the world – and what other brands can learn from them.

6. How to Get Your Ideas to Spread

Format: TED Talk

Speaker: Seth Godin

Why it’s brilliant: From sliced bread to purple cows, Seth Godin covers many bizarre topics in this enlightening TED talk. He uses these topics to frame his point that radical ideas are often the best ideas – if you want to succeed, you have to create something remarkable.

7. What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand Building Principles That Separate the Rest from the Best

Format: Book

Author: Denise Lee Yohn

Why it’s brilliant: How do brands like Nike, Apple and Zappos become industry leaders? Using her 25 years of experience working with brands like Sony and Burger King, Denise Lee Yohn explains what it takes to make your brand unforgettable.

8. Ways To (Usefully) Lose Control Of Your Brand

Format: TED Talk

Speaker: Tim Leberecht

Why it’s brilliant: Thanks to social media, it’s now nearly impossible to control what the world is saying about your brand. Tim Leberecht helps brands conquer this giant obstacle by proving that losing control of your brand can be a great event – as long as you know how to take advantage of it.

9. Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities

Format: Book

Author: David Airey

Why it’s brilliant: This book is a must-have guide for every designer. With case studies, sketches, how-to’s and tips on designing the perfect logo, Logo Design Love is guaranteed to inspire you. Airey also includes examples of his own design processes, offering applicable, real-world tips you won’t find anywhere else.

10. Choice, Happiness, and Spaghetti Sauce

Format: TED Talk

Speaker: Malcolm Gladwell

Why it’s brilliant: This TED Talk goes behind the scenes at Prego, detailing how Howard Moskowitz brought one sauce brand back from the dead through effective market research and targeting. Malcolm Gladwell uses this example to demonstrate how the food industry embraces the diversity of the human population to create products that deliver happiness to consumers.

11. Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Format: Documentary Film

Director: David Gelb

Why it’s brilliant: While not explicitly intended to teach a story about branding, this sushi documentary provides an excellent insight into what it means to create a superior, world-renowned product. Jiro’s restaurant only has ten seats – but his lifelong quest to create the perfect product has brought him global recognition.