Summary & key ideas Building Distinctive Brand Assets

Building Distinctive Brand Assets answers a question most brand books skip: how does a brand become recognisable at a glance? Jenni Romaniuk sets out how assets – colours, shapes, characters, sounds, taglines – are built, measured and maintained over years.

Building Distinctive Brand Assets summary: the key ideas

• Two things matter: fame and uniqueness. An asset only works if people link it to your brand, and to nobody else’s.
• Assets are built by repetition. Consistency over years beats novelty every season.
• Test before you change. Rebrands routinely destroy recognition that took a decade to build.

Why we keep it on the shelf: it puts a measurable basis under design decisions – and gives a clear argument against redesigning what already works.