Youth culture and brands have always had a convoluted relationship both influencing and feeding off each other alike. The term “gepflegt krass” is German slang used mainly by youth culture for awesome or cool. "Gepflegt: KRASS" takes youth culture and the visual culture of brands as a starting point to investigate this complex correlation and incisively analyses the multifaceted dynamic of branding culture. This large format publication is critical, challenging and at the same time a theoretical expedition into the world of branding, penetrating a topic that is widely researched yet difficult to keep abreast of due to its ceaseless development. Presented in an exciting collage with manifold layers of text and photography pervading each page, "Gepflegt: KRASS" defines the visual identities of luxury brands and examines the attraction and fascination youth culture have with them. It presents real cultural studies with quotes from pop stars and celebrities as well as slogans and excerpts from literature. Questions are raised such as how to define, create and communicate value and how brands construct our self-perception – they are then taken out of their context and put back into a new context providing ample analysis. This academic publication documents the unique research project Brands&Branding - Topologies of Contemporary Brand Culture carried out by the respected Institut für Theorie der Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich which explores the multi-faceted layers and interrelationships between youth culture, subcultures and brands.