Strategies: Branding
Guides brand strategy: purpose, values, positioning, storytelling, voice, and visual identity. Companies with consistent branding see 23–33% revenue lift; people remember stories ~22× more than facts alone. Use this skill when defining a new brand, auditing consistency, or aligning messaging across touchpoints.
Keywords: brand strategy, brand guidelines, visual identity, storytelling, brand voice, design tokens, slide deck, corporate identity, style guide, positioning
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Scope
- Brand strategy: Purpose, values, positioning, differentiation, target audience
- Brand storytelling: Origin story, hero's journey, narrative arc, brand archetypes
- Brand voice & tone: Voice, tone, avoid terms, preferred wording
- Brand visual identity: Colors, typography, logo rules—strategy layer; implementation in brand-visual-generator, logo-generator
Initial Assessment
Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read Sections 2 (Positioning), 3 (Value Proposition), 8 (Brand & Voice), 12 (Visual Identity).
Identify:
- Scope: New brand, audit, or alignment
- Touchpoints: Website, social, product UI, directories, content
- Existing assets: Brand guide, logo, style guide
Brand Strategy Pillars
| Pillar | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 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
