We believe the following are excellent books about branding:

Ben & Jerry’s: The Inside Scoop. Fred Chico Lager. 1994.
How Ben & Jerry’s used differentiation to their advantage to build an incredibly strong brand.

The Brand Gap. Marty Neumeier. 2005.
Presents branding as a unified theory. Whereas most books on branding are weighted toward either a strategic or creative approach, this book shows how both ways of thinking can unite to produce a “charismatic brand”—a brand that customers feel is essential to their lives.

What is Branding? Matthew Healey. 2008.
What is Branding? is an accessible guide that makes sense of this complex subject. It explores the process of branding, and shares insights that can be applied to practical challenges.

Branding: From Brief to Finished Solution. Mono. 2002.
Unlike some of the other branding books, this one shows not only the solutions reached but the ones that were created within the process.

Branding for Nonprofits. DK Holland. 2006.
Nuggets of wisdom and guidance unique to the nonprofit sector.

A Designer's Research Manual. Jennifer Visocky & Ken O'Grady. 2009
Doing research can make all the difference between a great design and a good design. By engaging in competitive intelligence, customer profiling, color and trend forecasting, etc., designers are able to bring something to the table that reflects a commercial value for the client beyond a well-crafted logo or brochure.

Built To Last. Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras. 2004.
A series of case studies of unique companies that found unusual ways to set themselves apart.

Designing Brand Identity. Alina Wheeler. 2003.
A useful guide for processes, particularly the visual side of branding.

Good To Great. Jim Collins. 2001.
Though not a book specifically about branding, the companies covered within this book use branding to their distinct advantage.

The Essential Brand Book. Iain Ellwood. 2000.
Somewhat textbook-like but very useful for understanding the ins and outs of branding.

Wally Olins. On Brand. Wally Olins. 2003.
A somewhat opinionated yet highly acute perspective on branding and the industry thereof.

World Branding. Hiro Minamiyama. 2006.
Incredible case studies and areas of branding not discussed in depth elsewhere. A truly scientific approach.

slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. Nancy Duarte. 2008.
No matter where you are on the organizational ladder, the odds are high that you've delivered a high-stakes presentation to your peers, your boss, your customers, or the general public.

We also recommend any book by Seth Godin, an author of 11 bestsellers. Godin has been able to brand himself as a preeminent marketing figure for forward thinking in business marketing. We particularly enjoyed Unleashing the Ideavirus, Free Prize Inside!, The Big Red Fez and Purple Cow.