Favourite Design Books

The Brand Handbook by Wally Olins

A small, concise and perfectly formed guide to branding – written by the master of corporate identity Wally Olins. What is branding; why brands work and how? – are all fundamental questions that Olin’s addresses in a clear and easy-to-follow manner. An absolute must for anyone working in the creative industries, and an excellent starting point for students who want to understand what makes a great brand great.

Symbol by Pentagram partner Angus Hyland and freelance writer Steven Bateman.

Symbol is primarily a reference book featuring over 1300 symbols or icons belonging to existing brands. Some are very familiar, others less so – but all have been selected for their stand-alone strength, character or ingenuity.

As a reference tool Symbol collates a broad variety of successful examples in one book. But it goes further than that too. The book is organised by visual characteristics and removes any familiar, wider brand identity or context. As a collection of isolated pictograms you can really appreciate the stand-alone effectiveness, simplicity and impact of a great symbol.

Naive Graphics

A personal indulgence Naive is a beautiful book – a collection of illustrative works that explore ‘modernism and folklore in contemporary graphic design’. From poster art, book covers and textile prints, Naive showcases the work of some great new and emerging designers and illustrators whose contemporary work draws heavily from the modernist design of the 40’s-60’s.

Introducing: Visual Identities for Small Businesses

I’ve included this book because it’s a great reflection of where a dozen eggs sits in the market – and it’s a visual treat! There’s nothing more exciting than working with small businesses that are bursting at the seams with creativity. Often these are companies that sit within a creative sector themselves and who fully understand the importance of intelligent and effective branding. This book brings together a wide spectrum of corporate identities that have been designed for small businesses and which reflect the current trends in style, concept and material use. Yum!