Differentiation Without Feature Fights
Differentiation Without Feature Fights. If your brand feels fuzzy to you, it’s fog to your audience. Let’s make it obvious and repeatable.
Words move markets when they mirror customer reality. Start where their risk lives.
Steps
- Document decisions in one page — People use what they can read in two minutes.
- State the promise in plain words — Avoid poetry; say the outcome a buyer can point to later.
- Design constraints before concepts — Constraints produce coherence; they are not creative jail.
- List three proof points — Social, data, demos. Proof turns belief into trust.
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: 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: 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.
Toolkit
- Palette tokens — CSS variables / design tokens for color and spacing across apps.
- 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: CSS variables / design tokens for color and spacing across apps. 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
- Guides nobody reads — One page first. Depth later. Adoption beats length.
- Collecting adjectives — Translate adjectives into constraints (type size, palette count, tone limits).
- Feature soup — Group features by outcomes buyers feel; features support, outcomes sell.
- Logo first — Write positioning before pixels; a logo is a receipt for choices.
Fix: One page first. Depth later. Adoption beats length. Add it to your operating checklist so teams don’t drift next sprint.
Related Articles
- Logo Systems vs. One‑Off Marks — Playbook #2
- Story Structures That Sell — Guide #2
- Differentiation Without Feature Fights — Guide #2
- Jobs To Be Done for Marketers — Guide #2
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