Claude for Branding
Working with Claude
Positioning, identity, voice, naming, and brand worlds in language Claude can act on.
Juan M. Cornejo
Notes, no. 08
Positioning, identity, voice, naming, and brand worlds in language Claude can act on. From discovery prompts to system definitions that hold up under iteration.
1Claude for Branding
Part 01
Branding work is only as good as the inputs. State these before asking Claude for names, copy, or directions.
Branding work is only as good as the inputs. State these before asking Claude for names, copy, or directions.
Who you're for, and who you're not for. A brand that's for everyone resonates with no one.
The space you play in and who else is there. Sets the conventions to follow or break.
New brand, rebrand, or extension. Each needs different inputs and freedom.
The belief or point of view behind the business. The root of everything downstream.
Be explicit: names, tagline options, a positioning statement, a voice guide, a brand brief.
Part 02
The thinking layer, before a single color or font. Name these and Claude builds on a foundation, not a mood.
The thinking layer, before a single color or font. Name these and Claude builds on a foundation, not a mood.
The space you own in the customer's mind, relative to alternatives. The strategic core.
The concrete benefit you promise, in the customer's terms, not your features.
Mission = why you exist now; vision = the future you're working toward.
3 to 5 core attributes everything ladders up to. The brand's load-bearing walls.
A personality pattern (Sage, Rebel, Creator, Caregiver…) that gives the brand a consistent character.
The reason to choose you over the obvious alternative. Sharp, defensible, true.
The one thing customers can always count on you for.
A vivid portrait of who you serve, needs, frustrations, language.
Part 03
How the brand sounds and what it says. Words do as much branding as visuals, often more.
How the brand sounds and what it says. Words do as much branding as visuals, often more.
The brand or product name. Specify the style: descriptive, abstract, coined, evocative, plus must-avoids.
A short, memorable line capturing the promise. Tagline = enduring; slogan = campaign.
Primary message, supporting points, proof. So everyone says the same things in priority order.
The standard "about us" paragraph reused in press, footers, and bios.
What you do, for whom, why it matters, in one breath.
How product/feature names relate to the master brand (branded house vs house of brands).
Part 04
The look. Name the parts precisely and Claude can brief, critique, or generate each one.
The look. Name the parts precisely and Claude can brief, critique, or generate each one.
Logo = the mark; wordmark = name set as type; lockup = the fixed arrangement of mark + name.
Primary, secondary, and accent colors with intended roles and a meaning.
A display/heading face plus a body face, with a scale and pairing rationale.
The visual world: photography style, illustration, texture, mood.
A consistent icon style and recurring graphic devices that signal the brand.
A described visual territory before any pixels, adjectives, references, anti-references.
The rulebook: logo usage, spacing, color values, type, do's and don'ts.
Where the brand lives: site, deck, social, packaging, email. Test the system on real surfaces.
Part 05
Voice is constant; tone flexes by context. Give Claude adjectives and anti-adjectives, the contrast is what steers.
One page of a brand brief, in words only: colour, type and texture, what to avoid, and one closing line. Its opening sentence is left out of this plate.
Voice is constant; tone flexes by context. Give Claude adjectives and anti-adjectives, the contrast is what steers.
3 to 4 adjectives defining how the brand always sounds.
What you're explicitly NOT. Often clearer than what you are.
How the voice adapts: error messages vs marketing vs onboarding.
Concrete before/after examples, the most useful part of any voice guide.
Words you use and words you ban. Keeps copy consistent across writers.
Sentence length, formality, and complexity that match the audience.
Part 06
The verbs that direct Claude on brand work.
One name explored in many forms. The first row differs in kind, the rows below only in detail.
The verbs that direct Claude on brand work.
Cast wide for names, taglines, or directions. Ask for distinct territories, not near-duplicates.
Evaluate existing brand assets for consistency, clarity, and differentiation.
Pressure a name or claim: meanings, trademarks, other languages, how it ages.
Turn positioning into concrete copy, names, or visual direction.
Capture decisions into reusable guidelines so the brand stays consistent.
Have Claude react as your target persona to gut-check a name or message.
Elsewhere
another notebook Claude for Design
Claude for Research
Claude for Design