Neumeier defines brand as a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or organization -- not a logo, not a tagline, not a visual identity. The "gap" is the distance between business strategy and customer experience, and the book argues that design thinking is the bridge.
At just 200 pages with large illustrations, it reads in under two hours. But the density of useful ideas per page is remarkable. The five disciplines of branding (Differentiate, Collaborate, Innovate, Validate, Cultivate) provide a complete framework for brand management.
- A brand is not what you say it is. It is what they say it is.
- The three questions for differentiation: Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter?
- Focus on being the "only" -- the only company that does X for Y.
- Brand names should be distinctive, brief, appropriate, easy to spell, and satisfying to say.
- Branding is a process, not a project. It requires continuous cultivation.
"The only" test is my favorite branding diagnostic. If a client can't fill in "We are the only ___ that ___," the positioning needs work. I also use Neumeier's definition of brand (gut feeling, not logo) to reset client expectations at the start of every project.