Local design firm duo authors book on brand identity

Brand design is not easy.  According to Kevin Budelmann and Yang Kim, co-founders of Grand Rapids-based People Design, there is no one way to proceed, but it is not entirely random either. There is a process and criteria that good designers can follow.  

Budelmann, president, and Kim, the firm's VP and creative director, are optimistic that with the recent publication of their book, Brand Identity Essentials, "that a designer or marketing professional will have a much more cohesive framework in thinking about design and problem solving."

Taking eighteen months of development, their book is the fourth in Rockport Publisher's "Essentials" series.  Featuring mini-case studies, their book outlines and demonstrates basic logo and branding design guidelines and rules through 100 principles.

Budelmann and Kim point out the previous books in the series tended to be very specialized and they hope their contribution will appeal to a much broader audience including designers, marketers, students and educators.

To be part of the Essential series, Rockport has existing criteria that Budelmann and Kim had to meet -- "it had to be current, global and original."  To meet those standards, the duo accepted over 3000 submissions and 5000 pieces of logo design and brand identity to curate for inclusion in the book.

Besides collecting the images and stories, they then needed to "synthesize and organize" all the information to lead up to publication.  In some cases, they also had to create original pieces to demonstrate certain design principles, such as the branding importance now being attached to the development of icons for corporate Twitter accounts.

The book has just been released and is available through all major distribution channels.  Reflecting on his experience in the design industry, Budelmann concludes, "It would have made my life easier if I had this book."

For more information on the book and how to order it, you can visit their website.

Source: Kevin Budelmann and Yang Kim
Writer: John Rumery