Brand books are a great way of exploring a strategic space and discovering its creative possibilities. Ever since I was lucky enough to work on the Honda Book Of Dreams, I’ve created a number of them for various clients. (Mostly car makers, I now notice.) Without fail, they have helped everyone get excited and inspired by a particular brand direction. I think the reason clients like them so much is that they don’t contain any ‘ads’, so they’re not under pressure to ‘approve’ its contents. (Which isn’t to say that the ideas can’t eventually get turned into ads, or strategies, or behaviour.) But they have to be more than just a history book. Every page has to have an idea; thought; truth; surprise; story or insight, all directly playing off an overall creative direction.

Richard Russel