mkurman --|---------| | Brand purpose | Why the brand exists beyond profit; one sentence | | Brand values | 4–5 core values; what you stand for; differentiators | | Target audience | Who you serve; ICP; jobs to be done | | Positioning | For [customer] who [need], our [product] is a [category] that [benefit]. Unlike [competitor], we [differentiator] because [reasons] | | Differentiation | Why you, not alternatives; concrete, not vague |
Brand Storytelling
Origin Story
- What: Journey, founding, milestones, personal experiences that shaped the company
- Why: Emotional connection; 58% of customers buy based on company values
- Elements: Who founded it; why created; challenges overcome; vision; how it evolved
Hero's Journey (Customer as Hero)
| Element | Content |
|---|---|
| Hero | Your customer; their needs, wants, context |
| Problem | What they face; how they solve it now |
| Inciting insight | Reframing that creates urgency |
| Brand's role | Guide, tool, or partner—not hero; how you enable resolution |
| Transformation | What better future looks like; proof (case studies, testimonials) |
Brand Narrative Arc
- Protagonist: Customer facing a challenge
- Stakes: What happens if nothing changes
- Proof: Data, case studies, testimonials
- CTA: Place call to action in the story; provoke action
Brand Archetypes (12 Types)
| Archetype | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Innovative, imaginative | Adobe |
| Caregiver | Nurturing, supportive | Johnson & Johnson |
| Ruler | Authoritative, premium | Mercedes-Benz |
| Innocent | Simple, optimistic | Coca-Cola |
| Sage | Wise, knowledgeable | |
| Explorer | Adventurous, independent | Patagonia |
| Outlaw | Rebellious, disruptive | Harley-Davidson |
| Magician | Transformative, visionary | Disney |
| Hero | Courageous, determined | Nike |
| Lover | Passionate, sensual | Chanel |
| Jester | Playful, fun | M&M's |
| Everyman | Relatable, down-to-earth | IKEA |
Align archetype to customer personality; strengthens storytelling.
Brand Voice & Tone
| Element | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Voice | Brand personality; consistent across touchpoints | Professional / Friendly / Technical / Bold |
| Tone | How you say it; adapts to context | Confident but not arrogant; helpful; concise |
| Avoid | Buzzwords, terms to never use | "streamline," "revolutionize," "synergy" |
| Preferred | Terms to use consistently | "audit" not "analysis"; "customer" not "user" |
Product marketing context Section 8: Document voice, tone, avoid, preferred terms. See project-context template.
Brand Visual Identity (Strategy Layer)
| Element | Strategy | Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Primary, secondary, CTA; industry mapping | brand-visual-generator |
| Typography | Display + body; hierarchy; pairing | brand-visual-generator |
| Logo | Variants, clear space, minimum size | logo-generator |
| Imagery | Tone, subject matter, visual mood | Brand guidelines |
| Consistency | Same identity across web, social, product | All touchpoints |
For full visual specs (fonts, HEX, spacing), see brand-visual-generator. For logo placement and implementation, see logo-generator.
Brand Guidelines Structure
Single source of truth. Include:
- Purpose & values: Why you exist; what you stand for
- Positioning: One-liner; differentiation
- Story: Origin story; hero's journey summary
- Voice & tone: Voice, tone, avoid, preferred
- Logo: Usage rules, clear space, variants (light/dark)
- Colors: Primary, secondary, CTA (HEX, RGB, CMYK)
- Typography: Font families, hierarchy, sizing
- Imagery: Photography tone; iconography style
Visual Specification Delivery (Design Tokens)
When the user needs actionable specs (not only strategy)—for web, slides, or print—produce a token table the team can paste into a design system, media kit, or slide master. Align with brand-visual-generator for full web/CSS detail.
| Token category | What to document | Example fields |
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Named roles + values for light/dark if applicable | Primary #______, text primary #______, background #______, accent 1–3, CTA, border, error/success |
| Typography | Family, weight, size scale, line-height | Display / H1–H3 / body / caption; web-safe or system fallbacks |
| Spacing | Base unit and scale | e.g. 8px base; section gaps; logo clear space in em or px |
| Non-text accents | Charts, shapes, dividers | Rotate accent colors; avoid arbitrary one-off hues outside palette |
Applying tokens across surfaces
- Web / product: CSS variables or design tokens; see brand-visual-generator.
- Slides (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote): Set slide master background + default title/body fonts from token table; map theme colors to primary/secondary/background/text; reuse one accent per deck section where possible.
- Documents (Word, Google Docs, PDF): Define paragraph styles (Title, Heading 1–3, Normal, Caption) with fonts and colors from tokens; set default page background if brand uses off-white.
If the user pastes an existing brand PDF or bullet list, extract and normalize into this token table before suggesting implementation.
Output Format
- Brand strategy (purpose, values, positioning, differentiation)
- Story (origin story, hero's journey, narrative arc)
- Voice & tone (voice, tone, avoid, preferred)
- Archetype (if applicable)
- Visual (high-level; defer to brand-visual-generator for web specs)
- Design token table (colors, type scale, spacing) when deliverable must be implementation-ready
- Slide/document notes (master fonts, theme colors) when touchpoints include decks or docs
- Context template for project-context Sections 8, 12
Related Skills
- about-page-generator: About page implements brand story, mission, values
- homepage-generator: Homepage implements value prop, differentiation, brand voice
- logo-generator: Logo placement, implementation; branding defines logo rules
- brand-visual-generator: Typography, colors, spacing; branding defines visual strategy
- media-kit-page-generator: Media kit hosts brand guidelines
- directory-submission: Directory copy uses brand voice; Section 8 Brand & Voice
- title-tag, meta-description: Metadata uses brand voice
- integrated-marketing: Brand awareness across PESO
- domain-selection: Domain choice (Brand/PMD/EMD, TLD); do before or with branding when choosing domain
- domain-architecture: Domain structure implements brand architecture (Branded House vs House of Brands)
- rebranding-strategy: Rebrand execution; domain change, 301, announcement