Showing posts with label ebook reader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ebook reader. Show all posts

The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design Review

The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design
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The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design ReviewThis is an expanded edition of a book first published in 2003. In it, Neumeier develops in greater depth several basic ideas about how to bridge a gap between business strategy and design. My own experience suggests that on occasion, there may be a conflict or misalignment rather than a "gap." Or the business strategy is inappropriate. Or the design concepts are wrong-headed. Or the execution fails. Whatever, Neumeier correctly notes that "A lot of people talk about it. Yet very few people understand it. Even fewer know how to manage it. Still, everyone wants it. What is it? Branding. of course -- arguably the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet." What Neumeier offers is a "30,000-foot view of brand: what it is (and isn't), why it works (and doesn't), and most importantly, how to bridge the gap between logic and magic to build a sustainable competitive advantage." Of course, that assumes that both logic and magic are present and combined...or at least within close proximity of each other.
As others have already indicated, Neumeier provides a primer ("the least amount of information necessary") rather than a textbook. His coverage is not definitive, nor intended to be. He has a crisp writing style, complemented by "the shorthand of the conference room" (i.e. illustrations, diagrams, and summaries). Some describe his book an "easy read" but I do not. When reading short and snappy books such as this one, I have learned that certain insights resemble depth charges or time capsules: they have a delayed but eventually significant impact. For example, Neumeier explains why "Three Little Questions" can bring a high-level marketing meeting to a screeching halt:
1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. Why does it matter?
I also want to express my admiration of the book's design features. They create an appropriate visual context within which Neumeier examines each of five "Disciplines": differentiation, collaboration, innovation, validation, and cultivation. Expect no head-snapping revelations. For many of those who read this book, its greatest value will will be derived from reiteration of certain core concepts which Neumeier reviews with uncommon clarity and concision. Check out the "Take-Home Lessons" (pages 149-157) which include
"A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It's not what you say it is. It's what THEY say it is."
"Differentiation has evolved from a focus on `what it is,' to `what it does,' to 'how you'll feel,' to `who you are.' While features, benefits, and price are still important to people, experiences and personal identity are even more important."
"How do you know when an idea is innovative? When it scares the hell out of you."
Readers having relatively less experience with the branding process will especially appreciate the provision of an expanded (220-word) "Brand Glossary." Neumeier also includes a "Recommended Reading" section in which he briefly comments on each source. When reading business books, I much prefer annotated bibliographies such as Neumeier's to mere lists. For whatever reasons, many provide neither.The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design OverviewTHE BRAND GAP is the first book to present a unified theory of brand-building. Whereas most books on branding are weighted toward either a strategic or creative approach, this book shows how both ways of thinking can unite to produce a "charismatic brand"—a brand that customers feel is essential to their lives. In an entertaining two-hour read you'll learn:• the new definition of brand• the five essential disciplines of brand-building• how branding is changing the dynamics of competition• the three most powerful questions to ask about any brand• why collaboration is the key to brand-building• how design determines a customer's experience• how to test brand concepts quickly and cheaply• the importance of managing brands from the inside• 220-word brand glossaryFrom the back cover:Not since McLuhan's THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE has a book compressed so many ideas into so few pages. Using the visual language of the boardroom, Neumeier presents the first unified theory of branding—a set of five disciplines to help companies bridge the gap between brand strategy and customer experience. Those with a grasp of branding will be inspired by the new perspectives they find here, and those who would like to understand it better will suddenly "get it." This deceptively simple book offers everyone in the company access to "the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet."

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George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream Review

George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream
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George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream ReviewReason for Reading: I received a review copy in the mail and while I hadn't requested it; it was a gorgeous looking book and I'm always up for a good vampire story.
I have not read the original novel which this graphic has been adapted from nor have I actually read anything by the author, George R.R. Martin, so this was new territory for me. A unique story set in 1857 along the Mississippi River during the heyday of the huge passenger steamboats. A down-on-his-luck, though widely respected captain, is met by a stranger who offers him a deal he cannot pass up. The man will give him the money to build the finest ship on the river, in exchange the man and a few of his friends will live on board and though they may be odd and will keep strange hours Captain Marsh is not to question them and while he will not interfere with the running of the boat he will occasionally give orders to dock and again he is not to be questioned. Captain Marsh agrees. Little does he know what he has got himself into!
This is a great vampire story. We have one small group of "good" vampires whose leader has managed to find a cure for the "red thirst", thus allowing them to live decent lives by night. There is also a much larger group which revels in its killing and slaughter, wanting to take over the world, keeping humans as their cattle. When the two groups find each other, it is a long fight between the Alpha's of each group with Captain Marsh caught in the middle.
I found this to be a page turner. Captain Marsh is an intriguing character, one who values honesty and loyalty. The art is beautiful, dark and even sensuous at times. This book is very much 18+ though, there are incredibly violent and gory scenes aplenty, along with full frontal female nudity, and some simply disturbing scenes, language oddly enough though, is mild. A fun, creepy horror story.George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream OverviewFrom George R.R. Martin, author of the New York Times best-selling novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, comes a moonlit tale of feuding vampire clans, death, and debauchery in the bayou! Set in 1857 along the muddy Mississippi, FEVRE DREAM introduces Abner Marsh, a remarkably ugly man who longs to captain the fastest steamboat on the river. When a pale, mysterious gentleman named Joshua – who keeps strange hours and stranger friends – approaches him with an offer of partnership, Abner's dreams appear to come true… though he may have unleashed a nightmare on the unsuspecting shores! Adapted by Hugo-nominated author Daniel Abraham and artist Rafa Lopez, this graphic novel stays faithful to Martin's original dark vision, immersing the reader in the tortures and joys of vampire society. Includes an original introduction by the legendary author!

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