Category Design for Mortals — Guide #2
Category Design for Mortals — Guide #2. If your brand feels fuzzy to you, it’s fog to your audience. Let’s make it obvious and repeatable.
Content that works trades novelty for usefulness repeated consistently.
Steps
- Design constraints before concepts — Constraints produce coherence; they are not creative jail.
- List three proof points — Social, data, demos. Proof turns belief into trust.
- Document decisions in one page — People use what they can read in two minutes.
- Define the audience and their stakes — Name who loses what if nothing changes; real stakes sharpen choices.
- State the promise in plain words — Avoid poetry; say the outcome a buyer can point to later.
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: Social, data, demos. Proof turns belief into trust. 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: Name who loses what if nothing changes; real stakes sharpen choices. 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.
Toolkit
- Positioning line — For [audience] who struggle with [problem], we deliver [outcome], proven by [proof].
- Voice ladder — From formal to playful with examples for each channel.
- Palette tokens — CSS variables / design tokens for color and spacing across apps.
- Messaging blocks — Headline • subhead • bullets • CTA mapped to page sections.
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.
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: CSS variables / design tokens for color and spacing across apps. Save the final in a shared doc; link from tickets so execution matches intent.
Related Articles
- Value Proposition That Converts
- Naming: Memorable Without Being Cute
- UX Writing That Sounds Like You — Deep Dive #2
- Proof: Social, Data, and Demos — Case Files #2
← Previous: Differentiation Without Feature Fights — Deep Dive #2 Next: Story Structures That Sell — Guide #2 →
Related Articles
- Brand Guidelines in One Page — Field Notes #2
- UX Writing That Sounds Like You
- Proof: Social, Data, and Demos — Case Files #2
- Brand Positioning That Sticks — Guide #2
← Previous: Differentiation Without Feature Fights — Guide #2 Next: Story Structures That Sell — Pro Tips #2 →