Brand books are practically useless.

Let’s talk about the brand book.

You paid for a brand identity. You were told you needed more than just a logo. You were told you needed strategy. Cohesion. Consistency. A full, proper brand. You nodded. You agreed. You sent someone thousands of dollars.

And then you got it. The PDF. The sleek mockups. The beautiful fonts. The curated photography. The hex codes. The little notes about “using your logo responsibly” like you’re some kind of feral goblin who might stretch it flip it and reverse it, if not properly trained.

And for a few days? You felt great. You felt official. You posted a reveal. You imagined your future—everything looking cohesive, everything finally working.

Then you tried to use it.

And suddenly, that brand book? Yeah. It wasn’t so helpful anymore.

Because here’s the thing no one tells you: most brand books are made for designers, not for business owners. They’re made to show off the branding, not to help you actually _use_ it.

They speak in abstracts. In a language meant for designers to interpret and make their own.

Most brand books spend 60% of their energy telling you not to stretch the logo.

Then they throw a few fonts and colors at you.

Maybe a few photo examples.

Maybe a mockup of a business card.

And then… that’s it.

Congratulations. You’re branded.

What’s missing? Oh, nothing. Just:

• Like how to use this brand on Instagram.

• Or what to do when you don’t have professional photography.

• Or how to design a webinar slide, or a YouTube thumbnail, or an email header.

• Or how to resize anything, write anything, or adapt anything in a real-world, you’re-tired-and-it’s-Tuesday kind of way.

Instead, you’re left flipping through a PDF like:

“Cool… so I shouldn’t stretch the logo. Got it. That’s page three, four, and five. Page 10 says I should use imagery that feels warm and grounded. What does that mean? Do I search ‘warm grounded woman’ on Unsplash?”

You were told you needed more than a logo. And that’s true. But what you actually need is Rules and guidelines you can use and understand. Not a style guide that falls apart the second you try to make something with your face or a screenshot on it.

Here’s how I know: I’ve been hired twice by companies immediately after they got a brand book from an agency. Not because the brand was bad—but because no one on the team could figure out how to use it. One company had 60 employees. The other had over 300. Both had entire marketing departments. And still, they needed someone to come in and say, “Okay, but how do we actually make this work?”

Brand books are sold as “clarity tools.” But for most people, they’re just a very expensive way to feel even more confused—only now you feel guilty about it.

And listen—I’m not saying all brand books are scams. There are some incredible designers out there doing amazing work and providing real support and documentation. But they are the exception. And even when you do get a great brand book, it’s still just a starting point. It’s a snapshot of a brand system—not the actual system.

How often are you hearing that? That branding takes time, takes trial, takes adaptation, takes evolution, even after the brand book is delivered? I don’t see it. The brand book with a few templates is sold like a magic pill. But it isn’t. Never has been. Never will be.

And that’s why I created the IDGAF Framework.

Instead of selling you a rebrand and saying “good luck,” I’m going to walk you through building a Thoughtless Brand based on the branding you already have. A brand can actually use right now, even on your worst, messiest day. A brand that works with or without fancy photography. A brand that helps you get more WS and less Ls. One that gives you energy instead of draining it.

So yeah. For most of you? Brand books are practically useless.

Let’s build something better.