Austin McGhie talks with GraphicDesign.com and expounds on the points of his new book: Brand is a Four Letter Word.

Q. What are the biggest mistakes designers make when undertaking a branding project?

A. First, as I say in the book, unless you’re a rancher, there’s no such thing as branding. You can’t just brand something. The idea should never be used as a verb. Brand is the prize. The outcome. It’s a noun. The actual work—the verb, if you will—is positioning.

The biggest mistake designers make is starting any design project without fully understanding that position. Great brands, like great people, have a strong, clear point of view. A world view that is theirs and theirs alone. Understand that POV. Feel it. Explore it.

Then, and only then, go to work.

To read more of this Q and A on how positioning affects marketing and design, click here.