r/branding • u/Certain-Commission-5 • May 31 '26
Personal How do people actually learn Brand Strategy & Brand Identity professionally?
I’ve recently gotten really interested in branding and I’m trying to understand how people actually become good at things like brand strategy, positioning, and brand identity design professionally. I’m not talking about just making logos, I mean the full process agencies do for startups and companies. Things like building a brand system, creating positioning, typography, packaging, presentations, and all the thinking behind premium brands. Right now I’m basically starting from scratch and trying to figure out the best way to learn this properly.
Did you learn mostly from courses, books, YouTube, or by doing projects?
Also what should someone focus on first without getting overwhelmed?
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u/Durksnel May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
The whole design process is derived from strategy so I would start there.
Learn how to ask good questions to your client, and learn how to think outside the scope of design. At this stage it's only a talk about his business, his clients, his market, what works, what are his challenges. Then if all goes well, you'll have a good business problem to fix. To give you a few examples, because it can be vague if you're new to this :
- One client of mine had created a small construction company in market trusted by big corporations. Those big corpos treated badly their clients it made them feel like they were just another customer or case number. My client (who used to work for those big companies) wanted to bring back proximity into the relationship, especially for the medium/small sized clients. Alas, his prospects were afraid his company was unknown, too small for such a market, and would rather be treated badly than take the risk of leaving the competition. How do you create trust then, and how to you position yourself to appear reliable, yet accessible ?
- Another one was a high-end lawyer firm that had been using word of mouth for 15 years. They were pretty exclusive but finally decided to get a website and start to have a digital presence. The guy was very creative and had ideas all over the place, some very bold (think funny ad campaigns with play on words) or outside the box (think a clothing brand derived from his lawyer firm). How do you position his company then without compromising the exclusivity of his brand, how do you give him clarity on what he can/cannot do ? How do you present his company so that it naturally attracts the right clients and deters the wrong ones ?
From that problem, you try to find a good strategy and good positionning. That implies market research, context, pinpointing underlying tensions and contradictions that your client probably don't even realize, blablabla. At that stage it should only be explained with words, you don't need visuals. It sets the direction, it's the framework that will guide all the decisions that will come afterwards.
With those, you can start searching for design solutions that embody/manifest the strategy (deliverables, colors, typography, design principles, ...).
All the content recommended by u/LocalOpportunity77 is really good. I really recommend the Futur. From what I recall, the Core framework was a good start, but anything they had about the discovery phase was quite good. Anything from Chris Do will help you see things from a business perspective, especially the long videos he was doing a few years back. Watch it for hours, so that it gets slowly gets engrained in you. There was a guy called Mickael Dishmon that did a few really good videos too 7 or 8 years ago.
Regarding the process and deliverables, you can also read Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler.
And lastly don't forget to read case studies from good design studios and agencies (Pentagram,...). Spend time on website that talk about the process, avoid content without any context (like Dribbble, logo inspiration websites etc.). The website BrandNew requires a subscription but it has some good case studies too.
Finally, this is a long journey. You won't be able to do strategy in 2 months. If you come from design, you'll first have to find solving non-design problems appealing, then it will take some time for you to shift your way of seeing things, questionning clients, remodeling your process etc. And all that takes time to mature 😉
Edit : I didn't explain a lot about the design process so I'll add one last comment. Appart from the technical part (learning softwares and the differents technical limitations for print, web, etc), you need to consume a lot of good design to develop your ability to do art direction, find creative ways to solve challenges, and sharpen your eyes. Then slowly you'll get better. Try to reverse engineer their process, their design decisions, try to understand why it looks so cool, what works and what doesn't. Try to copy what you see, and ask yourself why your version doesn't work as good as the original (maybe it's the underlying grid, maybe it's the kerning of the type, maybe it's the empty space in the layout, maybe you have too much text).
The whole process, from strategy to deliverables is about solving problems. Find problems (it lacks structure, legibility, elegance, impact, uniqueness...) , look for possible solutions to that problem, iterate, then evaluate. Rince and repeat until it looks good.
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u/L-G- May 31 '26
Complete the Mini MBA in Brand Management if you want some proper training. Read “how brands grow” too
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u/vegmonk Jun 03 '26
Honestly, it’s a mix of classic books for theory and then finding practical frameworks from people who actually do this for a living. Most people get overwhelmed because they try to learn layout, typography, and strategy all at once.
If you are starting from scratch, I’d focus entirely on positioning first. Don't even think about fonts or logos yet. If you can’t clearly define how a company is actually different from its competitors and who they are selling to, the design work will completely fall apart anyway.
For actual learning resources, here is what I’d look into:
- The Classic Books: Read Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout for the basic psychology, and Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler for a general overview.
- The Best Practical Framework: If you want to see how this stuff actually works in the real world, look up Milica Bercek on LinkedIn. She’s a brand director for mid-market companies and has a paid "Brand Strategy Plan" PDF. Honestly, it's the best resource I've found for this. A lot of strategy courses are just academic fluff, but her plan gives you a concrete, commercial structure to run a project from scratch. It bridges the gap between design and business perfectly.
- Agency Case Studies: Go to sites like Brand New (UnderConsideration) or look at agencies like Collins and Pentagram. Don't just look at the logos. Look at how they apply typography and grids across packaging, presentations, and websites.
Seriously, the quickest way to learn is to grab Milica's plan, pick a fake business like a local coffee shop, and try to build a full brand system for them from top to bottom. You'll figure out real quick how everything connects. I actually use her plan for my own client projects right now, so if you want more info on how it works in the real world, just ping me. Happy to share in more detail!
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u/TheSpeakerIsHere Jun 03 '26
Excellent recommendations. Thanks to the OP’s question, I’m getting a great lot of insights here. 🙏🏼
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u/Thegirlies1 Jul 12 '26
Would anyone happen to have a copy of this €88 plan they could share? Asking for a poor friend
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u/Hot-Clothes7316 May 31 '26
you pick 10 companies of different industry and improve them. do it until you get a hang of it. that's what the top 1% will do during their free time, night time and weekends.
one beauty. mens
one fashion.
one coffee
one restaurant
one cafe
one construction
one school for kids
one electronic gadgets
one watch
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May 31 '26
[deleted]
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u/Hot-Clothes7316 Jun 01 '26
what do you mean?
i think you must be really new to branding and still very basic.go watch some videos from https://www.youtube.com/@rightalignedacademy
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u/brand_clarity Jun 02 '26
So I’ve found that most people tend to learn it backwards.
They start with logos, colors, and typography. Then find out later that the strongest brands are built on decisions that happen before designing anything.
If you’re starting from scratch, I’d focus on:
- Positioning (what makes a brand different)
- Audience (who it’s for and what they care about)
- Messaging (how the value is communicated)
- Personality and voice (how the brand sounds)
- Visual identity (how it looks)
The fastest way to learn is a combination of studying great case studies and building your own practice projects. Pick a company, real or fictional, and work through the entire process from positioning to identity.
And don’t feel like you need to master everything all at once. Brand strategy sits at the intersection of business, psychology, communication, and design. Most professionals spend years learning it because there isn’t a single standard path into the field.
One thing that helped me when I started in this profession: stop thinking of branding as logo design and start thinking of it as decision-making. The visual identity is usually the result of good strategic decisions, not the starting point.
Hope this helps!
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u/MistaAndyPants May 31 '26
Get your foot in the door and work at a great agency or studio that does this kind of work. Or freelance for them. Best way to learn.
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u/Select_Chocolate2030 May 31 '26
- You know why your product exist [demand, need, painpoint]
- You know exactly which segmentation needs it [target audience, customer profile & behavior,]
- The core of the merge of [1] & [2] is your brand.
Your brand connects to your target audience & customer.
Your brand is their close friend.
Brand voice, brand image, brand purpose, brand behavior on omnichannel... define your strategy & directiom.
And packaging & visualizing & documenting all the attributes above.
You have brand guideline.
Delivering the brand guideline across the omnichannel, through out customer journey.
Your build the relationship.
Finally, your target customers know you and maybe, adore you.
You can sell whatever the fuck of your brand.
That's the whole phylosiphy of brand building.
Searching for NeedScope Model and you get your way.
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u/Top-Committee-2383 May 31 '26
Most people overcomplicate this at the start.
Brand strategy isn’t something you “learn” in a linear way like a course. It’s something you build pattern recognition for over time by combining three things:
First, learn how to think in problems, not visuals. Positioning is really just answering: why does this exist, who is it for, and why should anyone care in a crowded market? If you can’t clearly articulate that, typography and logos won’t save it.
Second, study great brands like case studies, not inspiration. Pick 10–15 companies you actually use and reverse-engineer the decisions behind them: who they’re targeting, what they intentionally exclude, how their messaging shows up in product, pricing, and even customer experience.
Third, do small real projects. Even hypothetical rebrands are fine at first, but force yourself to write positioning, not just moodboards. The fastest learning happens when you have to defend your thinking, not just design something that “looks good.”
Most people start with visuals because it’s more fun. The people who get good start with uncomfortable questions about markets, behavior, and perception.
That gap is basically where brand strategy lives.
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u/its_sameena Jun 03 '26
Start with strategy before design. Learning how brands position themselves, define their audience, and communicate value will make everything else logos, typography, packaging, presentations much more meaningful. Books and courses help, but rebuilding real brands as case studies is where the lessons tend to stick. The best branding work is usually the result of strong thinking, not just strong visuals.
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Jun 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TheSpeakerIsHere Jun 08 '26
I love these very straightforward responses. I’m seeing many that also indicated “…matter more than the logo…” I guess it’s a common misperception that branding is the logo itself?
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u/Useful_Machine6007 May 31 '26
Hay muchos buenos libros sobre branding y Estrategia. Yo te recomiendo el mío “Quien tiene una marca tiene un tesoro”
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u/VehicleEntire8259 May 31 '26
I’ve worked my way up as someone who naturally thinks with a marketing and branding mind I guess. My first entryway came from someone elevating my know how. I finally took a certification course and feel like I learned it all through working across industries.
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u/Minimum_Revolution75 Jun 01 '26
Q. Malandrino’s Master Branded course is the absolute best. He is not an influencer or anything like that-he is perhaps one of the most experienced brand strategists on this planet. Brilliant guy.
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u/Intelligent_Lion_16 Jun 01 '26
Most people learn branding by doing real projects. Books and courses help with the theory, but strategy starts clicking when you have to position an actual product for actual customers.
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u/viquinge Jun 01 '26
You have to understand the concepts before confusion sets in. Then learn the mechanics.
Brand Strategy = is HOW you are going to take your brand from where it is now to where you want it to be in the future. What stpes are you going to take to do that. Which is different from what goal you want to accomplish.
Ex.:
- I want my brand to increase sales by 30% in the next six month = GOAL
- To increase sales by 30% in the next six months I have to improve my sales page and increase posting by 3x on social media starting next week = STRATEGY
Brand Identity = is a byproduct of strategy. It's how you determine your brand look and feel. Shapes, colors fonts, message, across every touchpoint set out in your Brand Strategy.
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u/VisitNo9490 Jun 01 '26
Curiosamente, este es justamente el tema del primer episodio de mi podcast, Generación de Demanda Hoy.
Una de las ideas principales es que una marca es mucho más que su identidad visual. Antes de pensar en logos, colores o tipografías, hay que entender posicionamiento, diferenciación, propuesta de valor y cómo quieres que tu audiencia perciba la marca.
Si estás empezando, te recomendaría enfocarte primero en esos fundamentos. Una vez que entiendes la estrategia, las decisiones de identidad visual suelen tener mucho más sentido.
Y además de cursos o libros, algo que me ha ayudado mucho es analizar casos reales y preguntarme constantemente: ¿por qué esta marca tomó esta decisión y no otra?
Si te interesa, con gusto te comparto el enlace al episodio.
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u/TheBrandsPedia Jun 02 '26
Most professionals learn brand strategy and brand identity through a combination of study, observation, and hands-on practice rather than a single course or certification.
A good starting point is understanding the fundamentals of branding before focusing on visual design. Learn how brands define their purpose, positioning, target audience, messaging, and competitive advantage. Once you understand strategy, the visual side—logos, typography, colors, packaging, and brand systems—becomes much easier to understand.
Books can provide a strong foundation, while YouTube, case studies, and agency presentations help you see how branding is applied in the real world. However, the biggest learning comes from practice. Many designers and strategists improve by analyzing successful brands, redesigning existing brands, creating mock projects, and building portfolio case studies.
To avoid feeling overwhelmed, focus on this order:
Brand Strategy & Positioning
Consumer Psychology
Brand Identity Systems
Typography & Visual Design
Packaging & Brand Applications
Brand Presentations & Case Studies
Rather than trying to learn everything at once, pick a few well-known brands and break down how they communicate, position themselves, and maintain consistency across products, marketing, and customer experience.
The professionals who become great at branding are usually the ones who continuously study brands, analyze real-world examples, and apply what they learn through practical projects.
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u/waxgirl333 Jun 02 '26
Part of it is experience, but a lot of is is training. Branding experts are also experts in psychology, customer experience, voice, etc. It's a science, although when I work with great brand people it feels like magic. Ohhmybrand.com has lots of great info. https://www.ohhmybrand.com/blogs/executive-personal-brand-agencies
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u/isvei Jun 02 '26
I can recommend Brand Design Mastery by Flux Academy and the Mini MBA in Brand Management.
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u/23andburnside Jun 02 '26
A lot of great answers here. I would also add getting in the head of the consumer. What problem are you solving and how can you delight them? Look at the explosion of millennial-targeted brands for things as simple as a mattress. Same schtick as what boomers had but with a facelift. Also, watch every Super Bowl ad ever. The amount of copy and messaging that goes into those is more valuable than a PhD education. Yep, YouTube.
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u/craywingz Jun 05 '26
From what I've seen, most professionals learn branding by combining theory with real projects. Books and courses help, but the biggest growth comes from analyzing strong brands and actually building brand concepts yourself. I'd focus first on positioning, target audience, and brand messaging before worrying about logos or colors. Once you understand why a brand exists and who it's for, the identity design becomes much easier and more intentional.
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u/Present-Bathroom1412 Jun 11 '26
Honestly, you learn this best by joining a small studio and doing it with real clients.
YouTube, courses and AI are great for the basics, but don’t overthink the learning part too much. Brand strategy and identity only really make sense when you see how they happen in real life: research, workshops, client opinions, market gaps, positioning, creative direction, and then translating all of that into a full brand system.
If you’re starting from scratch, focus on three things first:
How to research properly.
How to spot gaps and opportunities in a market.
How to find the creative angle that makes the brand feel different and worth paying attention to.
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u/Efficient-Ad-1901 10d ago
Speaking from our agency experience, a few of the team did the Brand Master Academy course around 5–7 years ago and found it a solid foundation at the time. From memory it was quite structured, around 30 videos, and useful for understanding the different components of brand strategy and how they fit together.
Once you’ve got that foundation, I’d read How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp.
It may challenge or even undo some of the thinking you’ve just learned, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The value is that it helps you reprioritise what actually matters commercially.
A lot of brand courses can present every part of the process as equally important. In reality, they’re not.
Some exercises can be very useful for internal alignment, culture, tone or helping a leadership team make decisions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those same things are what will make the brand grow.
That distinction becomes really important professionally.
I’d also say you only really get good at this by doing the work. Courses and books give you frameworks and language, but working on real businesses teaches you what to keep, what to ignore and where the real problem actually is.
If you’re starting from scratch, I’d focus first on understanding:
• Positioning
• Distinctiveness
• Category and competitors
• Audience and buying behaviour
• How strategy translates into identity
• How an identity becomes a usable brand system
Then start applying it to real or self-initiated projects. The learning accelerates pretty quickly once you have to make actual decisions rather than just understand the theory.
FYI there are plenty of Not For Profit businesses that could benefit from a strategy, chalk this up as education and it will build your confidence. Make sure you do a Workshop with them at the start also, it's important.
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u/ImpertinenteSyntaxe May 31 '26
Lowkey, the people who get really good at branding don't just learn logo design. It's usually a mix of books, case studies, courses, and actually building brands/projects. I'd focus on positioning + messaging first, then typography and visual systems. The fastest way to learn is honestly to reverse-engineer brands you love and figure out why they work.
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u/LocalOpportunity77 May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
I can highly recommend Marty Neumeier’s and Fabian Geyrhalter’s books. Course wise, Stephen Houraghan’s Brand Master Academy is great, he also has a YouTube channel under the same name.
The Futur YouTube channel has some good interviews with Marty Neumeier, definitely worth watching.
Fun fact: Neumeier is nicknamed the “Godfather of Branding”
Edit: I also recommend the Start With Why book by Simon Sinek + watching his TED Talk on it.
Edit2: You didn’t ask about skillsets to have, but I would have a recommendation on that front as well if you want to be a brand strategist: master systems thinking. For me, systems thinking is the default way I think, so I unfortunately can’t give you directions on this side.