Customer Reviews

Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands

5 star:		(8)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Length:: 0:29 Mins

In this book are 50 case studies on redesigning the corporate identity.

Each makeover is compared with the old image. The text explains the story behind the need for design and the concept of the design. It goes through things like what the logos are suppose to mean to the public, what the design elements signify and things like that. Pictures included examples of how the new design is applied over the company's promotional material, e.g. brochures, namecards, letterheads, websites, products, etc.

At the end of each case study is a quick tip from the designer on the project.

This book is useful for graphic designers and brand marketers.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Rare because so many graphic design books rely so heavily on "creampuff" projects--stuff for multi-billion dollar corporations and skateboard park coffee houses. The former have design budgets equal to the GNP of mid-sized countries, the latter award extra points for the pseudo-extreme.

In reality, most graphic designers work with clients who simply want a smart solution at a reasonable price. (I found out early on that most of my clients were not as interested in my quest for self expression as they were their own quest for remaining solvent.) Identity Crisis is a book about real organizations and realistic solutions.

Author Jeff Fisher is a designer who has been in the trenches (if don't believe me, check out his portfolio at jfisherlogomotives.com). In Identity Crisis he presents case studies of organizations with established identities that need refreshing. He tells us the story of each, shows a logo before and after, provides examples of how the new identity is implemented on brochures, web sites, packaging, and so on, and reveals interesting insights and project details about and by both client and designer.

If you are a graphic designer who has real-world clients--I suggest you add this book to your toolbox. If you are a business owner or marketer who wants to see how others make over and leverage their identity--Jeff Fisher's Identity Crisis is a good place to start.

This book is not only an impeccable resource for brand redesigns, but also a helpful tool for knowing exactly what to do when designing an identity for the first time. Shifting the focus from merely a showcase of the tangibles that were produced from the various campaigns, this title emphasizes the market research and overall branding strategy for the rebranding of the businesses. From considering public image and perception, to company structure, to company history, Identity Crisis! covers the full range of thought processes involved with identity design and rollout. A must-read for any identity designer, Identity Crisis! is a highly approachable title that appropriately covers the vastly important and, unfortunately, oft-ignored mental aspects and processes of logo and identity design.

Identity Crisis is great resource for designers and businesses alike on Identity/Branding with many inspiring examples of work from small and large design firms. I would recommend it to my clients, in helping them to understand what goes into creating an identity and brand recognition.

This is a great resource book for those designers who like to see how other designers think. (And how many renditions it takes to get to the end product.) Love the before and after examples. Sample work is shown large. Explanations are informative and interesting. Overall, a well-designed, designer resource.

Book came quickly and if it is second hand or slightly damaged I can't see where? Its a beautiful book and i'm glad I bought it.

I think that the ideas in this book are fantastic, and able to really capture the imagination of an artist trying to reinvent a graphic identity. That said, I didn't agree with everything Jeff said, but even his bad ideas were fuel for an idea or too, so I'd say, Great book for a coffee table, or as a starting point for a graphic project, not the most intellectually satisfying material available. Still great examples:

Page 39: Fagerholm & Jefferson Law Corporation, a simple, mostly-for-print deisgn takes this company into this century in a way that allows it to keep its very formal market image, and stay viable in a free-form web-oriented one.

Pg. 79: Sheridan's, has a lot of great ideas, a lot that aren't so great; I'd like to try this to build an Information Technology Identity with a focus on customized services...

Pg. 123: Portland State University, This one really sticks in my mind. It encorporates a lot of elements, but has a relaly nice feel. I'd like to discover how to build more identities like this one.

I was drawn to this book simply by it's cover (I was a former comic book junkie) and my eternal love of branding. I have been extremely happy with this book. It is easy to digest as each project (or "Crisis) is handled on a few pages, each describing what the client was looking for, various inspiration points, and other points.

Some pieces are a bit more memorable then others, but that's the biz in general.
The works in this book provide some great examples of how a company can make a nice update to it's brand.

The creative and inspiring redesigned identities are few and far between in this book. Some of the work is very average and some should be sent back for yet another redesign!

This is another one of those shallow books that shuffles a bunch of "case studies" together, but you won't learn much; it's a picture book with very limited written analysis. The examples are not great to begin with. The book is filled with examples of full bleed letterhead and envelopes (ecologically insensitive and economically ill-advised). We could probably all find some identities and assemble them into a book, and have better results.