Resources on this page
Use the links below to skip to the most relevant branding resources for you.
- Books about brand strategy
- Branding podcasts
- Brand strategy courses
- Branding blogs, websites, and magazines
Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning How Brands Are Built receives a commission if you make a purchase through the links, at no cost to you. Please read our disclaimer for more information.
Brand strategy resources
Books about brand strategy
| Cover | Title | Author | Audiobook | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaker on Branding | David Aaker | – | – |
| Building Strong Brands | David Aaker | – | – |
| The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier | – | Yes |
| Zag | Marty Neumeier | Yes | – |
| Brand Handbook | Wally Olins | – | – |
| Positioning | Al Ries and Jack Trout | – | Yes |
| Designing Brand Identity, sixth edition | Alina Wheeler and Rob Meyerson | – | – |
| How Brands Grow | Byron Sharp | Yes | Yes |
| Eating the Big Fish | Adam Morgan | Yes | Yes |
| Building a StoryBrand | Donald Miller | Yes | Yes |
In addition to the books listed above, check out the following lists:
- Books recommended by branding experts on How Brands Are Built (not all directly related to branding)
- Brand strategy audiobooks on Audible
- Summaries of brand strategy books on Blinkist
Branding podcasts
| Artwork | Name | Provider | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hitting the Mark | Fabian Geyrhalter | Conversations with founders and investors about the intersection of brand clarity and startup success with your host, brand strategist and author Fabian Geyrhalter. |
 | How Brands Are Built | How Brands Are Built | Branding professionals get into the details of what they do and how they do it. In each episode, Rob Meyerson, a San Francisco-based brand strategist, interviews other strategists, designers, writers, namers, and researchers to help you understand how brands are really built. |
| JUST Branding | JUST Creative & Matt Davies | The JUST Branding Podcast, hosted by Jacob Cass & Matt Davies, is the only podcast dedicated to helping designers & entrepreneurs grow brands. Each episode goes deep into the details of the brand building process, with professional insights, actionable tips and resources to help you build better brands. |
| Let's talk branding | Stef Hamerlinck | Stef Hamerlinck is your host in this weekly show where I interview industry leaders in branding, design, and strategy. Get inspired and become a more valuable designer. Learn how to solve bigger problems. |
| On Brand with Nick Westergaard | Nick Westergaard | On Brand is a podcast about the art and science of brand building. Each week host Nick Westergaard of Brand Driven Digital interviews thought leaders or those working for innovative brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Maker’s Mark, the Minnesota Vikings, The Onion, Salesforce, and Whole Foods. |
In addition to the list above, check out this more complete list of podcasts about branding, which is sometimes updated with new podcasts or when podcasts stop creating new episodes.
Brand strategy courses
Skillshare has almost 400 courses tagged with “brand strategy” (see them all here). I haven’t gone through them yet, but will post favorites and reviews as soon as possible. Other places to look for courses include Udemy, Coursera, and Domestika.
More details coming soon.
Branding blogs, websites, and magazines
| Logo/image | Blog/site | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brand New | Subscription required |
| Branding Strategy Insider | |
| Logo Design Love | |
| Transform Magazine | |
| The Drum | |
| BP&O | |
| Dieline | Focuses on package design |
| Design Week | |
| Ad Age |
Brand naming resources
Books about brand naming
To see a (slightly) longer list of books about naming, check this list, which is updated whenever a new book is published. Note that only a few of the books on this list are “how to” books. If you’re looking for a quick, simple “how to name my company” or “how to name my product,” you could also check out the free ebooks from How Brands Are Built or naming guides from respected naming agencies.
Brand naming courses
My Domestika course, “Fundamentals of Memorable Brand Naming,” is available now. Domestika has at least three other courses on brand naming, although mostly in Spanish. One of them is Naming: The Art of Name Creation, which I reviewed on the blog.
Skillshare has over 20 courses tagged with “brand naming” (see them all here). I haven’t gone through them yet, but will post favorites and reviews as soon as possible.
Other places to look for courses include Udemy and Coursera.
More details coming soon.
Brand naming tools, websites
Check out this long list of online tools and software used by professional namers.
Podcasting resources
Some fellow podcasters have asked what gear I’m using. So, while this isn’t a blog about podcasting, I’m happy to share the following resources for podcasters. All the gear below is stuff that I really use and highly recommend. Feel free to reach out if you have questions or want to know more about any of these items.
Podcasting gear and tools
| Image | Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone: Blue Yeti USB mic | I've been using this mic since the beginning of season two. I bought it as part of a Yeticaster kit, which includes the microphone, a shockmount, and a desktop boom arm. It's a great setup. I also picked up this inexpensive pop filter. (For season one, I used a Blue Snowball I'd had for years.) |
| Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M30x | I've been very happy with these, and the price tag (a little over $50) feels reasonable compared to a lot of the other podcasting gear out there. Also, I have this cool headphone mount on the underside of my desk. |
| Remote recording: Ecamm Call Recorder for Skype | Even before COVID-19, I was recording interviews via Skype using this simple piece of software. |
| Recording and editing: Adobe Audition | |
| Transcriptions: Rev | Rev offers accurate, inexpensive transcriptions. I use it for podcast episodes as well as brand strategy projects (to transcribe one-on-one interviews). Use this link to get $10 off your first order. |
| Podcast stats and analytics: Chartable | For some strange reason, Apple Podcasts won’t notify you or even let you see when your podcast receives a review from outside your home country. Chartable solves for that, and also provides some metrics on how your show and individual episodes are ranking in relevant countries and category. |
How Brands Are Built credits
At the end of every episode of the podcast, I list some credits for the show. Here’s that list, along with links and some additional details.
- Logo and original podcast artwork: Joel Schierloh
- Additional design work: Lacey Honda
- Web development: Matias Garrido
- Editing assistance: Castos Productions
- Theme music: Isha Erskine Project
How Brands Are Built is a production of Heirloom Agency LLC.
Other business resources
Here are some other websites, apps, and tools I use to run my business, which includes both How Brands Are Built and my brand consultancy, Heirloom. If you have questions about any of these resources for business owners and freelancers, get in touch any time.
Finance, marketing, and website tools
| Image | Tool | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense tracking: Expensify | Finance | Expensify has a great app for scanning receipts while you're on business trips. |
| Invoicing/payments: Stripe | Finance | |
| Accounting: Xero | Finance | |
| Business insurance: Hiscox | Insurance | If you're running a business—even as a freelancer—you really should be insured. Plus, some clients may required it. Hiscox makes it easy. |
| Contracts/legal matters: Rocket Lawyer | Legal | Legal advice is one of those things you don't need often, but when you need it, you really need it. I also use Rocket Lawyer to create/review contracts with clients. |
| Social media: Buffer | Marketing | |
| Domains: Namecheap | Website | I've used a few sites to buy domains, but Namecheap is one of my favorites. I've also used GoDaddy and Ionos. |
| Web design: Squarespace | Website | The original version of this site was created on Squarespace. It's since been recreated (by Matias Garrido) on Wordpress. |
| Website platform: Wordpress | Website | |
| Book summaries: Blinkist | Other | Blinkist lets you read or listen to summaries of branding or other business books. Check out this list of branding book summaries on Blinkist. |
| Proofreading: Grammarly | Other | I also use Grammarly's plagiarism tool to see whether submitted blog posts have already been posted elsewhere. |
| Password manager: LastPass | Other | I put it off for a long time, but have finally come around to the benefits of a password manager. LastPass has saved me a ton of time and frustration. |
| Web development, etc.: Upwork | Other | I've used Upwork to find web developers, social media experts, podcast editors, and more. |
