branding

What this skill does

# 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**: Ty