Brandscapes: Architecture in the Experience Economy (Hardcover)

by Anna Klingmann (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The principle behind this book is that buildings aren't just buildings, but rather iconic symbols that reflect who we are as people, cities and economies-in that sense, they represent a "brand" of sorts. Carrying that logic several steps short of its logical conclusion, architect and writer Klingmann looks at the "brandscapes" that cityscapes have become: "As a strategic tool for eliciting a relevant experience, architecture has an immediate impact on social relations and economic transactions... What counts in a building is not so much how it looks but how it comes to life for people." The problem with these and other statements throughout is that they come off as either vague or self-evident (perhaps as a result of her immersion in the subject-she's the founder of a New York agency "for architecture and brand building"). There is no doubt that Klingmann has passion and knowledge to spare, and that the general idea behind the book is valid, but esoteric, faux-academic writing ("The equation of Experience = Drama + Diversity + Detail can be discerned in the Parthenon almost as clearly as it can in contemporary commercial structures") too often substitutes for well-developed argument and clear-headed analysis. 100 illus.
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Review
“Brandscapes is the first architecture book that takes the Experience Economy as its premise to show architects—and by extension designers, engineers, and indeed all experience stagers—how to create places that are authentic, meaningful, and engaging. If placemaking means anything to you, read Anna Klingman's far-reaching book and apply its path-breaking principles.” —B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore, coauthors, The Experience Economy and Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want

"Brandscapes bravely argues for a public architecture to re-create delight, challenging designers to bring together the wow factor of consumer culture and people's desire to belong. Klingmann makes us realize that good architecture can be both commercial and thematic—and forces us to rethink the legacy of modernism for an unstable age."
—Sharon Zukin, author, The Cultures of Cities

"As Anna Klingmann shows in this well-researched, and well-written book, brand and experience management are at the forefront of contemporary architectural theory and practice. Indeed, viewing buildings and architects as brands that provide experiences can provide a new and fresh perspective for the entire field of architecture. This insightful book provides a much-needed critical perspective on this emerging trend."
—Bernd Schmitt, author, Experiential Marketing and Customer Experience Management

"Heir to the heraldry of ancient kingdoms, today's experience economies attempt to link the caprice of themed environments with thoroughly rationalized market strategies. As various strata of space making become increasingly reliant on psychic signaling as symbolic capital, the architecture profession indulges in another of its perennial crises about authenticity and meaning that never existed. Klingmann's Brandscapes allows us to eavesdrop on this soul-searching, but she also whispers, in aside, 'Where's the tragedy?' Indeed, she argues that commodified desire may only give designers more precise and penetrating control over business plans and urban politics now under the affable spell of brand longing."
—Keller Easterling, Associate Professor, Yale University School of Architecture

"In the endlessly recombinant formats spawned by globalization, the meaning of architecture is forced to negotiate a slippery territory between identity, representation, and branding. With a rigorously jaundiced eye, Anna Klingmann unpacks this new place, offering a fascinating tour of both its perils and its possibilities."
—Michael Sorkin

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 378 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (September 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262113031
• ISBN-13: 978-0262113038
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #530,249 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent !, September 15, 2007

By	Joong Won Lee "Joongwon" (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

The topic of this book is extremely entertaining. As any reader can
imagine from the title, it's about landscapes as byproduct of branding.
Well known recent projects in the US (few Europe) by star architects are
analyzed in the context of city branding, museum branding, and corporate
branding.

Branding has been out there for long time, but what's particularly
interesting in recent phenomena (gist of this book) is that the
architecture (or formation of its process) is used as a vehicle to
branding. Klingmann was able to pull together diverse discipline groups
and abundant resources to make that claim.

Another major voice in the book is about "Experience Economy." Basically,
how product developers and brand strategists have evolved their nature of
products and point of advertisement into consumer based satisfaction.
That in mind, Klingmann pulls together solid evidence of the
architectural role.

Good books tend to be either extremely informative or imaginative.
Reading the book, I had pleasure of doing the latter. Branding, in my
mind, at the basic level comes down to "art of seduction" or "art of
persuasion", dealing the issues of contemporaneity. There are probably
gazillion different veils to seduce, Klingmann's book does not focus on
one particular way of seducing. The real strength of the book, hence is,
its open-endedness to imagination.

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening study on branding, April 27, 2009

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The mall where you shop, the coffee shop where you take your breaks, the museum that you visit - wherever you go, you are walking through a "brandscape," or branded world. Anna Klingmann describes this aesthetic experience in her eye-opening study of branding in all its forms, with a special focus on architecture. Offering a unique perspective, Klingmann breaks down the strategy behind well-known brands such as Disney, Apple and Starbucks. She also parses the experiences that brandmakers create everywhere from cruise ships to casinos to that "urban entertainment district" where you might have suffered your latest attack of brand overload. Klingmann's text meanders at times, yet her trenchant analysis is rewarding. getAbstract recommends this book to anyone seeking a perceptive analysis of branding strategies - with an unusual recognition of how architecture and landmarks serve to generate a brand image.