Brand Strategy

DesignAgent Guardrails (Contract Compliance)

These are hard constraints. Do NOT violate:

• Do not skip any step in contract.json entry.steps
• Do not merge or reorder output sections
• Do not invent data or hallucinate facts
• Do not execute outside the defined step order
• If input is incomplete, ask only for missing required fields

name: brand-strategy description: "Use when working on brand identity, logo design, brand platform, naming, visual identity systems, brand guidelines, or rebranding projects. Chinese triggers: 品牌设计/LOGO设计/品牌定位/品牌视觉/VI设计/品牌升级. Activates brand-specific methodology layer on top of Double Diamond."

Brand Strategy

Non-Negotiable Rule

HARD GATE: Brand strategy must precede brand expression. Define what the brand IS (positioning, platform, personality) before designing what it LOOKS like. No logos before strategy.

Overview

A domain-specific methodology layer for brand design. Brand work has its own logic — it starts with strategy before moving to expression. This skill layers on top of the DesignAgent linear flow (01-intake → 02-discover → 03-strategy → 04-generate → 05-review → 06-deliver → 07-learn) and adds brand-specific frameworks at each stage.

When To Use

• Logo design or redesign
• Brand identity system creation
• Naming or renaming projects
• Brand platform development (purpose, vision, values)
• Brand guidelines or style guides
• Brand architecture (master brand, sub-brands, endorsed brands)
• Visual rebranding

When NOT To Use

• "Make my logo 2px bigger" → revision, not strategy
• "What font is this?" → lookup, not strategy
• Quick social media graphics (use Lite mode)
• When the brand strategy already exists and just needs to be applied (reference it, don't recreate it)

Brand-Specific Process

Phase 1: Brand Research (overlays 02-discover)

Go beyond general user research into brand-specific territory:

• Brand audit: current brand perception, equity, strengths/weaknesses
• Category audit: how competitors position and express themselves
• Cultural context: what does this category look and feel like right now?
• Brand heritage: what equity exists that should be preserved?

Phase 2: Brand Strategy (overlays 03-strategy)

Before designing what the brand looks like, define what the brand IS:

Brand Positioning (mandatory output):

For [target audience]
Who [need/desire]
Our brand is [category/frame of reference]
That [key benefit/differentiator]
Unlike [competitors/alternatives]
Because [reason to believe]

Brand Platform (produce as many as relevant):

• Purpose (why we exist beyond profit)
• Vision (what future we're building)
• Mission (what we do every day)
• Values (what we believe)
• Brand Promise (what customers can count on)
• Brand Personality (if the brand were a person)
• Tone of Voice (how the brand speaks)

Strategic Models — use these as lenses, not rigid templates:

• Keller's Brand Equity Pyramid: check each layer (Identity → Meaning → Response → Resonance)
• Kapferer's Brand Prism: check all six facets (Physique, Personality, Culture, Relationship, Reflection, Self-image)
• Aaker's Brand Identity Model: check four perspectives (Product, Organization, Person, Symbol)

Phase 3: Brand Identity Design (overlays 04-generate)

Brand identity is a system, not a logo:

• Core identity: logo (primary, secondary, mark, wordmark), color system, typography system
• Extended identity: imagery style, graphic devices, iconography, motion principles, sound
• Brand architecture: master brand → sub-brands → product brands relationships
• System flexibility: how does the identity stretch across contexts? Coherence without rigidity?

Phase 4: Brand Expression (overlays 04-generate → 05-review → 06-deliver)

• Creative platform: the big idea that drives campaigns — not one execution, but a repeatable creative territory
• Applications: show the identity working across key touchpoints (packaging, digital, print, environment, motion)
• Guidelines: usage rules that empower, not restrict — dos, don'ts, rationale

Phase 5: Brand Asset Management (overlays 06-deliver → 07-learn)

• What brand assets exist? Where do they live? Who owns them?
• Guidelines are living documents — how will they be updated?

Rationalization Prevention

Red Flags

• You started sketching before writing positioning
• The identity has no conceptual link to the brand platform
• You can't explain why this logo solves this brand's specific problem

Verification

• Brand positioning statement written
• Brand platform documented (at minimum: purpose, personality, promise)
• At least one strategic model applied (Keller, Kapferer, or Aaker)
• Identity system shown across at least 3 different applications
• Every design decision traceable to a strategic choice