Insight certainty 4/5 debate potential 3/5

Requiring a 500-page brand book signals an overly complicated brand identity

Jessica Hische · How to see like a designer: The hidden power of typography and logos | Jessica Hische · Oct 20, 2024 · at 41:43

Lettering artist and brand designer Jessica Hische discusses brand identity systems and brand book complexity with Lenny Rachitsky.

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“I am of the mind that you shouldn't need like a 500 page brand book in order to direct the, how the brand is used moving forward. And that if you do, the brand might be quite complicated, you know, or there might be even just parts of the logo that make it difficult to work with.”

quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →

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