branding

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:

1. Scope: New brand, audit, or alignment
2. Touchpoints: Website, social, product UI, directories, content
3. 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	Google
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