Category Design for Mortals — Deep Dive #2
Category Design for Mortals — Deep Dive #2. If your brand feels fuzzy to you, it’s fog to your audience. Let’s make it obvious and repeatable.
Personas are forecasts, not fiction. Use jobs, pains, and proof—never stereotypes.
Steps
- Design constraints before concepts — Constraints produce coherence; they are not creative jail.
- Document decisions in one page — People use what they can read in two minutes.
- List three proof points — Social, data, demos. Proof turns belief into trust.
- State the promise in plain words — Avoid poetry; say the outcome a buyer can point to later.
- Define the audience and their stakes — Name who loses what if nothing changes; real stakes sharpen choices.
Why this matters: Constraints produce coherence; they are not creative jail. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Why this matters: People use what they can read in two minutes. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Why this matters: Social, data, demos. Proof turns belief into trust. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Why this matters: Avoid poetry; say the outcome a buyer can point to later. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Why this matters: Name who loses what if nothing changes; real stakes sharpen choices. In branding, consistency is a function of decisions captured and reused.
Toolkit
- Messaging blocks — Headline • subhead • bullets • CTA mapped to page sections.
- Voice ladder — From formal to playful with examples for each channel.
- Positioning line — For [audience] who struggle with [problem], we deliver [outcome], proven by [proof].
How to use it: Headline • subhead • bullets • CTA mapped to page sections. Save the final in a shared doc; link from tickets so execution matches intent.
How to use it: From formal to playful with examples for each channel. Save the final in a shared doc; link from tickets so execution matches intent.
How to use it: For [audience] who struggle with [problem], we deliver [outcome], proven by [proof]. Save the final in a shared doc; link from tickets so execution matches intent.
Example
A fintech tightened palette tokens and shipping velocity rose because designers stopped re‑deciding shades.
Common Pitfalls & Fixes
- Collecting adjectives — Translate adjectives into constraints (type size, palette count, tone limits).
- Guides nobody reads — One page first. Depth later. Adoption beats length.
- Logo first — Write positioning before pixels; a logo is a receipt for choices.
- Feature soup — Group features by outcomes buyers feel; features support, outcomes sell.
Related Articles
- Logo Systems vs. One‑Off Marks
- Finding Your Brand Voice — Playbook #2
- Brand Guidelines in One Page
- Logo Systems vs. One‑Off Marks — Case Files #2
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