Contemporary Brand Identity: Using Verbal and Visual Branding
A course by Michael JohnsonDesigner and Creative Director
A course by Michael Johnson, Designer and Creative Director
Learn how to combine words and design to create a unique brand identity that speaks to multiple audiences
A great brand identity comes from matching great solutions to the right problem. With so many competitors in today’s market, understanding all the elements it takes to build a strong brand is key to its success. Michael Johnson is the founder of branding consultancy Johnson Banks, renowned worldwide for original and clever branding strategies for clients like The University of Cambridge, UNICEF, and Duolingo.
In this course, Michael guides you through his original branding tactics, backed by over thirty years of experience to create your strategic branding concept from start to finish. Learn the power of words in strengthening a brand's strategy and narrative to create a unique brand manifesto. Create an effective visual concept inspired by your written elements to then develop a powerful design toolkit.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 14 downloads
What Will We Do in This Course?
4 minutes, 21 seconds
Understanding Where Someone ‘Sits’ in a Market
8 minutes, 13 seconds
What They Do, Who They Do It for, What Makes Them Different
7 minutes, 1 second
The Bit at the Core - The "Why"
6 minutes, 1 second
Adding a Brand Manifesto
5 minutes, 41 seconds
The Process of Creating Brand Identities
15 minutes, 35 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet Michael, hear about his career’s odd twists and turns before starting his branding consultancy company thirty years ago. Explore his influences across design, advertising, business, and communication, and see how they still shape his branding ideas today.
Understand what verbal branding means in today’s market and see examples of how the right words can inspire better visual ideas. Do some market research and analyze where some brands sit on their market map. Then, learn how to contextualize market mapping and see how it can positively impact a branding project.
Start defining your brand by answering its core questions. Explore compelling ways to answer each question then define its core purpose – its ‘why’. Then see how a brand manifesto adds even more power to your verbal branding before you begin writing your own.
Look at how research, writing, and thinking can develop and inspire an original brand identity. Explore Michael’s design process, watch him juggle multiple design solutions selecting the best 3 to 5 ideas. Then learn how to use criteria and strategically present a range of options to clients.
Explore how to push an idea as far as it can go to ensure it performs across multiple channels. Learn the importance of paying attention to detail when crafting your brand toolkit with some examples from Michael’s clients. Finish the course by learning how to ensure your toolkit stands the test of time.
What is this course's project?
Develop a brand’s manifesto and a design toolkit using verbal and visual concepts for a new or existing brand.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone who would like to explore the strategic side of branding and for creatives who want to broaden their understanding of contemporary brand identity.
Requirements and materials
Some background knowledge in design would be useful but not essential. You’ll just need thinking skills to draft your verbal brand and basic design skills to develop a visual brand identity.
As for materials, you need a computer and the digital design software of your choice.
Reviews
- 7 days ago
Michael Johnson's course is full of insights about processes, and actual cases from his company Johnson Banks. It's a great overview, but I was slightly missing the connection between the steps of the process and how the individual projects evolved based on the clients' feedback or the studio's exploration.
- 22 days ago
Excelente curso, realmente tiene recursos muy valiosos y abre una gran ventana creativa. Más que un curso es una serie de metodologías funcionales muy efectivas.
- 1 month ago
It's just great to learn from your work process. I often find it hard to decide on a course of action. Her course has helped me make decisions more intuitively. Thank you!
- 1 month ago
Este curso es de Michael Johnson. MICHAEL JOHNSON. Nada más que agregar. 100/10 ★
- 2 months ago
Even you use Ai, you cannot create a valuable brand identity without this course. This course is suitable for aspiring brand strategist who want to increase their value and service
Michael is an Honorary Professor at Glasgow School of Art and is a guest speaker at many renowned design events like Typo Berlin and Pecha Kucha. He has won many iconic design prizes, including seven yellow and one black pencil from D&AD. He has also published several books such as Problem Solved, Branding In Five and a Half Steps, and Now Try Something Weirder.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- What Will We Do in This Course?
- U2
Understanding Verbal Branding, Markets and Sectors
- What Do We Mean by Verbal Branding?
- Understanding Where Someone ‘Sits’ in a Market
- Applying This to Your Project
- U3
Defining a Verbal Brand
- What They Do, Who They Do It for, What Makes Them Different
- The Bit at the Core - The "Why"
- Adding a Brand Manifesto
- U4
Turning the Verbal Into Visual
- The Many Ways That a Verbal Brand Can Influence the Visual
- The Process of Creating Brand Identities
- Editing What You Have, Developing the Best and Sharing With Your Client
- U5
Getting the Most Out of an Approved Idea
- Making the Most Of a Good Idea
- Making Sure You Have the Toolkit in Place
- FP
Final project
- Contemporary Brand Identity: Using Verbal and Visual Branding
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FAQs
You will learn how to combine verbal and visual elements to create impactful brand identities, use market mapping to identify brand opportunities, develop brand narratives, design logo layouts, and craft cohesive toolkits for consistent brand communication.
This is an intermediate-level course. Some familiarity with design or branding concepts is recommended, but motivated learners with basic design knowledge can still benefit.
You will need access to graphic design software such as Adobe Illustrator or equivalent, and basic materials for sketching ideas. A computer and internet connection are required.
Yes, the course integrates both verbal and visual branding, teaching you how to combine words, tone of voice, and imagery to create memorable brand identities.
Market mapping visually analyzes competitors and market positions, helping you identify gaps, differentiate brands, and discover new opportunities for brand positioning.
Yes, the course covers logo design, creating typographic puns, and designing unique brand devices that blend type and image for maximum impact.
A brand manifesto defines a brand’s core purpose and values. The course teaches structured techniques to draft compelling manifestos for brands or projects.