THOUGHT LEADERSHIP is often seen as the hallmark of expertise. For many expertise-based enterprises, this thought leadership culminates in books. Often, the process of summarizing a company’s expert systems into book form helps enhances the market value of their brand. It adds to the global discussion and also attracts a new echelon of supporters. The production and distribution of books is a core branding skill (hence the name BrandBook!)
BRANDING AND BOOKS are two aspects of the same drive for ‘excellence made useful to the wider world.’ As a container for information the book must be a portal between writer and reader. Ebooks are an excellent solution for speed and interactivity. Printed books carry the aura of cultural significance, intimacy, and beauty—now more than ever. Finding the perfect container for creative content is one of our most important—and enjoyable—missions.
Author: GEORGE HIRTHLER
Publisher: RINGWORKS PRESS
Title: THE IDEALIST: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BARON PIERRE DE COUBERTIN, REIMAGINED
CONTEXT: To most citizens of the world, the Olympics are a sporting event. To athletes, it is a goal, the highest dream. To sponsoring organizations, the Olympics are big business, a high visibility avenue to a global audience. Yet in its origins and its vision, Olympism is a movement for world friendship and peace through sport. Author George Hirthler is one of the Olympic movement’s most eloquent advocates. He spent several decades working as writer and strategist; he also developed a deep admiration for Pierre de Coubertin, the Olympic ‘Rennovateur’. Though The Idealist is a historical novel about Coubertin’s life, it is scrupulously researched and accurate in its rich narrative details. It is both a paean to a heroic individual and a clarion call to Olympians to remember and carry forward the high minded ideals of their founder.
DESIGN THINKING: This is a lengthy and absorbing work of prose, part manifesto, part romance. The container is of great importance—ceremonial as well as functional. The publication and distribution plan includes three editions: trade paperback, trade hardcover, as well as a deluxe signed and numbered limited edition. The handsome slipcase and custom binding adds an important imprimatur to the presentation of the Coubertin story.
IMPACT: The Idealist received resounding endorsements from many former Olympic champions and organizers, including former Los Angeles Olympic chairman Peter Ueberroth, Ambassador Andrew Young, Atlanta Olympic CEO Billy Payne, and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
Author: LUCINDA BUNNEN
Publisher: LAMAR DODD ART CENTER
Title: TRAILS, TALES AND TRANSFORMATIONS
ISBN-13: 978-0963671714
DESIGN THINKING: A catalog of a retrospective exhibition of one of the south’s most influential photographers, this book surveys 4 decades of creative exploration. Its form is also creative: it is actually three books within a single package: the narrative sections are included in two signatures bound into the inside front and back flaps, while the main book block contains only photography, leaving the viewer free to connect on a purely visual level. The book also includes an innovative combination of slip case and shipping carton- a folding wrap of archival corrugated with film laminated graphics and a velcro closure.
IMPACT: Though already Bunnen was already widely known and respected, the appearance of Trails, Tales and Transformations catapulted her to national visibility. The photographer’s national exhibition schedule grew dramatically, and she was named by Modern Photography magazine as one of he 20 most influential people in photography.
Author: HARRIETT SANFORD
Publisher: NATIONAL BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL
Title: AND BID THEM SING
CONTEXT: This limited edition publication celebrates the extraordinary growth and success of the National Black Arts Festival. Founded in 1987, it has delighted audiences with music, dance, performance art, visual art, poetry and crafts. The festival has included Maya Angelou, Wynton Marsalis, Amiri Baraka, Avery Brooks, Nancy Wilson, Spike Lee, Ousmane Sembéne, Pearl Cleage, Carrie Mae Weems, Radcliffe Bailey, Sonia Sanchez, and literally thousands of other artists from the African diaspora around the globe.
DESIGN THINKING: Pure celebration. The design of the pages and of the binding draws inspiration from the artist’s book movement, utilizing hand made and non-traditional materials for exciting tactile effects. It utilizes pages of varying size and shape to create surprising and exciting visual sequences.
IMPACT: The book was given to donors, influencers, founders and organizers whose efforts made the NABF such an enduring success.
Author: DR. DON E. SALIERS
Publisher: NORTH GEORGIA UMC CONFERENCE
Title: FILLED WITH LIGHT
ISBN-13: 978-0615236094
DESIGN THINKING: Dr. Saliers, a prominent church historian, documents the period of 1927-2007 in the life of one of the most vibrant and activist churches in the Southern US. The book’s theme “a lantern on a hill” elaborates on a theme of “inward faith and outward works”. The author shows how the art, architecture and music of the sacred spaces builds a strong community of faith, which in turn is expressed in the wider world. The book begins with detailed review of the scriptural stained glass in the sanctuary and then parallels growth of facilities, congregation and community outreach. The book design utilizes information graphic techniques to demonstrate the growth of facilities from a single room to an 8 building campus fueled the growth of a vibrant congregation.
IMPACT: Published at the outset of an ambitious major capital campaign, Filled With Light gave the congregation a narrative of its multi-generational history, its numerous accomplishments, and its destiny. The campaign was successful and provided the funds to add facilities for education and outreach.
INFOGRAPHICS: The book uses visual diagrams to help make the connection between artwork and scripture. These make for both quicker comprehension and added meaning to the worship spaces.
Author: CHIP SIMONE
Publisher: MERCER UNIVERSITY PRESS
Title: ON COMMON GROUND
CONTEXT: On Common Ground is a collection of one hundred portraits gathered over the course of a single year in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. It is a wordless celebration of diversity and inclusion. Published in 1996, it is widely recognized as an early and eloquent voice for a more tolerant society.
DESIGN THINKING: The photographs in the book are so persuasive, the design of the book itself is very understated; a book version of a gallery experience. It uses advanced stochastic techniques and quadradot techniques to render the full tonal range of the original sliver gelatin prints.
IMPACT: Though the photographer’s work had appeared in magazines and group shows, On Common Ground was Simone’s first appearance in book form. It solidified his reputation and paved the way for an additional 2 books, two major museum exhibitions, and commercial gallery exhibitions in New York and Paris. The book was also instrumental in developing an influential career as photographic curator, auteur, and teacher.
