Brand Atlas: Branding Intelligence Made Visible

Read it in a half hour. Refer to it forever.

Are you a big–picture person? Just want a quick overview of the most critical and relevant brand topics? If you answered yes, Brand Atlas is for you.

More than fifty brand topics are defined. Each one with a call to action and insightful quotes from thought leaders and brand visionaries. Compelling diagrams illuminate concepts, processes, and tools.

Alina Wheeler′s first bestselling book, Designing Brand Identity, was a road map to implementation of the entire branding process, from research through launch. Alina Wheeler and Joel Katz created Brand Atlas for a new generation of time–crunched brand builders who need immediate, clear and actionable ideas.

Praise for Designing Brand Identity, an essential guide for the whole branding team, by Alina Wheeler:

"Writers have The Elements of Style. Managers have The Effective Executive. Chairpeople have Robert′s Rules of Order. And now brand builders have Designing Brand Identity."
Marty Neumeier, Director of Transformation, Liquid Agency, author of The Designful Company

"Designing Brand Identity is the most comprehensive, easy to understand resource for the whole branding team, advising on all aspects of implementation and best practices."
Dan Calista, Founder and CEO, Vynamic

"The absolute best, most comprehensive, most successful, and most effective book to use as a reference when creating a brand and brand identity."
San Francisco Book Review (January 25, 2010)

1 Dynamics 10

Brand Landscape

Global Sourcing 12

Speed 14

Design Thinking 16

Word of Mouth 18

Conversation 20

Interconnected 22

Open Source 24

Social Networks 26

Experience 28

Passion 30

Transparency 32

The Cloud 34

Sustainability 36

Mobility 38

Crowdsourcing 40

Free 42

Placemaking 44

Choice 46

2 Intelligence 48

Brand Basics

Brand as Identity 50

Vision 52

Needs and Desire 54

Touchpoints 56

Purpose 58

Spirit and Soul 60

Perception 62

Authenticity 64

Positioning 66

Stakeholders 68

Big Idea 70

Brand as Asset 72

Brand Extensions 74

Brand Alignment 76

Brand Architecture 78

Recognition 80

Trademarks 82

3 Drive 84

Brand Management

Names 84

Good and Different 86

Branding 90

Simplicity 92

Culture 94

Collaboration 96

Time Management 98

80/20 100

Competencies 102

Insight 104

Focus 106

Customer Service 108

Customer–centric 110

Growth 112

Metrics 114

Fight or Flight 116

Onliness Exercise 118

Perceptual Mapping 120

SWOT Exercise 122

Flow 124

4 Details 126

Brand Questions 128

Project Management 130

Brand Decisions 131

Branding Process 132

Big Idea Process 133

Bibliography 134

Credits 137

Index 138

Gratitude 141

Authors Reflections 142

Diagram Matrix 143

About the Authors 144

Alina Wheeler is a branding consultant and author of Designing Brand Identity (Wiley), the bestselling global resource for businesses and nonprofits. Her business is managing perception; her service is strategic imagination and her passion is brand. She was advisory council member for The Dictionary of Brand, edited by Marty Neumeier, along with Seth Godin, Al Ries, and Tom Kelley.

Joel Katz is an information designer and a global authority on the visualization of complex information. He lectures internationally and is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome (2003). A graduate of Yale College and the Yale School of Art in graphic design, he teaches information design at The University of the Arts and Philadelphia University.