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Psychology-Driven Brand Design. Creating and Refining Remarkable Brand Identities.
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Take a dive into the world of brand archetypes — an invaluable tool for startup and established businesses alike.
Just like a person, your company’s brand has a unique personality, and how people connect with your brand has a huge impact on whether or not they want to do business with you. So what can you do to harness the full power of your brand’s personality?
The cute kid, the dreamer, the optimist, the do-gooder. What do they all have in common? They are manifestations of the Innocent brand archetype, used by corporations to speak to two often unmet needs in our fast-paced, hectic lives – simplicity and happiness.
The Caregiver brand archetype can be summed up in two words: compassionate and self-sacrificing. Picture the empathetic nurse or the helpful concierge, and you will see how the Caregiver archetype is a personality fit for brands which aim to nurture or serve others, from healthcare, to nonprofit, to hospitality industries.
What is truth? If you are the Sage brand archetype, this is the question that keeps you up at night. A perfectionist by nature, the Sage won’t settle for ambiguity and is on a mission to analyze everything to find the right answer and share it with others. News outlets, museums, and universities fall under the Sage archetype.
Seemingly oxymoronic by nature, the Creator archetype desires freedom while at the same time deeply motivated by control. Hanging in this delicate balance, we find visionary and innovative brands that value imagination and self-expression, particularly in the fields of the arts, design, marketing, and technology.
Intimacy and connection — no man is an island. People want to feel special and Lover brands exist to meet this need. In this journey we call life, what’s love got to do with it? Everything.
The courageous triumph over adversity is the defining characteristic of the Hero archetype. Finding deep satisfaction, exhilaration, and purpose in this feat, the Hero archetype displays great tenacity to achieve it, with a “never give up” attitude. We’ve all been inspired — or saved — by a hero… where would we be without them?
Transformation, change, renewal, metamorphosis, magic. No matter how you say it, the Magician archetype leaves others standing in amazement. Characterized by curiosity and foundational knowledge, the Magician finds solutions in science or the supernatural to create something from nothing — or turn a mess into a miracle.
Finding oneself — self-realization through discovery — is the ultimate goal of the Explorer. In our Western culture, the Explorer archetype is an undercurrent running through all of society. Brands that spring forth from this current are those that speak to the need for freedom, adventure, and independence.
It seems one of the highest compliments bestowed upon a celebrity is that the superstar “is so down to earth!” The comfort and appeal of knowing that something or someone who is larger than life is actually “just one of us” is the pull of the Everyman archetype, and brands who are relatable in this way will go a long way in capturing the hearts of their consumers.
Who doesn’t like to have fun?! The role of the Jester archetype is to bring everybody together to play and appreciate the joy in life. As the ultimate entertainer, the Jester is able to make people feel good — a feeling that any brand would like to have associated with it.
Just think where we’d be without structure and order in our lives. While power, control, and authority may be easy to abuse, chaos still needs to be managed. Brands that are able to provide the world with the security and stability we all desire are the ones that earn the title of Ruler.
We all have a wild side, and the Outlaw brand archetype taps into our deep desire for nonconformity, to the point of rebellion. The Outlaw throws aside societal norms and seeks to destroy, if only to build things up again the way they should be. Viva la revolución!
“The greater joy and positive personal transformations we create, the greater the amount of energy we will have to help others, and the greater positive energetic imprint we will leave in this world as our legacy.”
“We try to help as many families and kids as possible. We want to be a voice for children and families…We are always out spreading the word about the need that exists for children in foster care.”
“Lovers thrive on authenticity and genuine human connections, and that is our strength. When we talk to others about ourselves or our businesses, our passion and dedication shine through and draw people to us.”
You’ve been introduced to brand archetypes and are trying to determine which one you are, yet you see more than one archetype that your business could align with. How can this be? What gives?
The brand personality quiz is a great starting point for determining your brand archetype. However, since it’s you taking the quiz, that means your results are sometimes skewed to your “insider” perspective or your personal whims. To confirm your results for your brand, you need to go a step further.
The brand archetype quiz gives you your top three results. Inevitably, it will be some combination of your what, how, and why. How do you make sense of this?
So this is a pretty frequent question, because, well, do the math, right? There are only 12 brand archetypes and…. hundreds (thousands?) of others in your industry. So, how do you differentiate from your competitors who may also be the same archetype as you?
Whether you’re a solopreneur or a CEO, you may have wondered at some point where the line is between your personal brand and the business you represent. How do you separate the two?
