The Brand Union is behind the cover: Brands & Branding

If you're walking down the streets of downtown Johannesburg or through the tiled walkways of the V&A waterfront, it's evident that brands are very much a part of our everyday lives. We engage with a multitude of brands in so many different ways and on so many different levels. Brands are truly knitted into the fabric of our modern world. We are part of a brand eco-system and, like any other eco-system, we are mutually dependent on each other for our very survival.

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This simple insight fueled the design for the 2012 Brands & Branding cover, inspiring us to create our brand cityscape.

The one thing that 2012's cover won't be able to depict is our holistic view on brands. As beautiful and effective as a well-crafted logo can be, we believe that your identity is only one element of a brand. We believe that the brands that really manage to stand out in this brand cityscape are the brands with a defined, single-minded sense of purpose.

Once you have cracked this single-minded purpose, the rest of the brand experience should domino effect from there.

The Brand Union is a full-service global brand agency, and part of the WPP Group. They are 500 people in 24 offices, united by experience and attitude.

At the frontier of branding and design, breaking new ground is a necessity, creativity a prerequisite. The Brand Union's capabilities span brand creation, positioning, architecture, design, customer experience and environmental design.