← Resources Hub// brand archetypesBrand Archetypes
Explore the twelve universal brand archetypes that help define a brand’s personality and connect emotionally with its audience.
- 12 archetypes
- 4 motivations
- 8 questions to find yours
Take the quiz →01 · The MapFour motivations, twelve personalities.
Every brand is driven by a basic human desire. Tap an archetype to see how it thinks, what it fears and how it speaks.
FreedomYearn for paradise
MasteryLeave a mark on the world
BelongingConnect with others
StabilityProvide structure to the world
Innocent
“Free to be you and me.”
- Desire
- To be happy and safe.
- Fear
- Doing something wrong and being punished.
- Strategy
- Keep things simple, honest and good.
- Gift
- Optimism and faith.
- Trap
- Can feel naive or too sweet.
- Examples
- Dove · Coca-Cola · Innocent Drinks
Palette · tap to copy How it talksHello, sunshine. Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Sage
“The truth will set you free.”
- Desire
- To understand the world.
- Fear
- Being misled or ignorant.
- Strategy
- Seek knowledge and share it clearly.
- Gift
- Wisdom and clarity.
- Trap
- Can feel cold, slow or preachy.
- Examples
- Google · TED · BBC
Palette · tap to copy How it talksUnderstand more. Decide better.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Explorer
“Don’t fence me in.”
- Desire
- Freedom to discover who you are.
- Fear
- Being trapped, conformity, emptiness.
- Strategy
- Journey, seek out new experiences.
- Gift
- Autonomy and authenticity.
- Trap
- Can feel restless or hard to pin down.
- Examples
- Patagonia · The North Face · Jeep
Palette · tap to copy How it talksThe map ends here. Your trip doesn’t.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Outlaw
“Rules are made to be broken.”
- Desire
- Revenge or revolution.
- Fear
- Being powerless or ordinary.
- Strategy
- Disrupt, destroy or shock.
- Gift
- Radical freedom.
- Trap
- Can push people away.
- Examples
- Harley-Davidson · Diesel · Liquid Death
Palette · tap to copy How it talksNot for everyone. Good.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Magician
“I make things happen.”
- Desire
- To understand how the universe works.
- Fear
- Unintended negative consequences.
- Strategy
- Develop a vision and live by it.
- Gift
- Turning the ordinary into wonder.
- Trap
- Can feel manipulative or vague.
- Examples
- Disney · Dyson · Absolut
Voice- visionary
- mystical
- charismatic
Palette · tap to copy How it talksWatch what happens next.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Hero
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
- Desire
- To prove worth through courage.
- Fear
- Weakness, vulnerability, giving up.
- Strategy
- Become strong and competent.
- Gift
- Courage and determination.
- Trap
- Can feel arrogant or exhausting.
- Examples
- Nike · Gatorade · FedEx
Voice- confident
- direct
- motivating
Palette · tap to copy How it talksYour best is still ahead. Let’s go.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Lover
“You’re the only one.”
- Desire
- Intimacy and experience.
- Fear
- Being alone or unwanted.
- Strategy
- Become more attractive, physically and emotionally.
- Gift
- Passion and appreciation.
- Trap
- Can feel shallow or exclusive.
- Examples
- Chanel · Godiva · Häagen-Dazs
Palette · tap to copy How it talksMade to be savored, slowly.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Jester
“You only live once.”
- Desire
- To live in the moment with full enjoyment.
- Fear
- Being bored or boring.
- Strategy
- Play, make jokes, be funny.
- Gift
- Joy and lightness.
- Trap
- Can feel silly when things are serious.
- Examples
- Old Spice · M&M’s · Duolingo
Palette · tap to copy How it talksYou found us. Snacks are imaginary but the fun is real.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Everyman
“All people are created equal.”
- Desire
- To connect and belong.
- Fear
- Being left out or standing out.
- Strategy
- Be down to earth and relatable.
- Gift
- Realism and empathy.
- Trap
- Can blend in and be forgotten.
- Examples
- IKEA · Target · Levi’s
Palette · tap to copy How it talksGood stuff, fair prices, no fuss.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Caregiver
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Desire
- To protect and care for others.
- Fear
- Selfishness and ingratitude.
- Strategy
- Do things for others.
- Gift
- Compassion and generosity.
- Trap
- Can feel overprotective.
- Examples
- Johnson & Johnson · UNICEF · Volvo
Palette · tap to copy How it talksWe’re here for you, every step of the way.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Ruler
“Power isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”
- Desire
- Control and order.
- Fear
- Chaos, being overthrown.
- Strategy
- Exercise leadership and set the standard.
- Gift
- Responsibility and leadership.
- Trap
- Can feel distant or authoritarian.
- Examples
- Rolex · Mercedes-Benz · Microsoft
Palette · tap to copy How it talksThe standard, redefined.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →
Creator
“If you can imagine it, it can be done.”
- Desire
- To create things of enduring value.
- Fear
- A mediocre vision or execution.
- Strategy
- Develop artistic control and skill.
- Gift
- Creativity and imagination.
- Trap
- Perfectionism; never shipping.
- Examples
- LEGO · Adobe · Crayola
Voice- inventive
- expressive
- inspiring
Palette · tap to copy How it talksStart with a blank page. Leave with something yours.
Compare it in the Voice Lab →02 · Voice Lab
Same message, two personalities.
03 · QuizWhich archetype is your brand?
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