To build a successful business, you have to manage a lot of moving parts. Everything from logo design to marketing contributes to your brand’s success.
But, what if your brand’s success comes from something deeper? Something that describes its very identity?
For those who don’t know, I am talking about brand archetypes.
What Are Brand Archetypes?
A brand archetype is a way of presenting a brand, its values and messages as a persona to make it more relatable and recognizable with consumers that share the same values.
How Do Brand Archetypes Inform Brand Positioning?
Your business should find its own brand archetype and align itself with it for these two reasons:
Differentiation: Archetypes and personalities can convey and provide multiple possibilities for standing out in the crowd of competitors because they are unique and memorable.
Connection: Archetypes create a deeper connection with your audience because they show a human side of the brand.
By differentiating itself from the rest and connecting with the audience on an emotional and psychological level, your brand will be able to position your products or services in a unique way.
My two favorites are the Magician & Outlaw archetypes and here’s why.
The Magician
The Magician brands make dreams come true and they use ways that appear mystical to make that happen. They promise a transformative journey and magical moments.
In their branding strategy, The Magician brands rely on their transformative abilities to appeal to a wider array of personas.
The Magician brand voice is:
- Mystical
- Reassuring
- Brand messaging revolves about making dreams come true.
These brands are driven by:
- Transformation
- Vision
- Belief
- Discovery
- Developing a vision to live by
They reject:
- Stagnation
- Consequences
- Doubt
The Outlaw
The brand archetype of an Outlaw is slightly anarchistic and displays a desire for evolution. The brands that use this archetype can sum up their philosophy as “Rules are made to be broken.”
These brands avoid conformity and regulation and embrace the freedom of choice. The Rebel brand exhibits a slight dose of anger at its core.
The Outlaw’s branding strategy is proving to the outlaw consumer that you share their worldview. They resonate with their audience by rejecting conformity and the status quo, empowering and encouraging revolution, and using grit and attitude in their tone.
I believe that a brand’s success is due to its identity and positioning. This is accomplished by presenting your brand consistently and aligning your values with your target audience. Statistics show that once this is accomplished, the brand and/or company gains a 23% rise in revenue and 71% of loyal consumers.
You should also incorporate these guidelines into your logo design.
Let’s look at the Magician & Outlaw Archetypes.
When designing a logo for the magician archetype:
You want to showcase the transformation, vision, belief, and discovery traits.
A great example of a brand that embraces the Magician archetype is Disney. Disney is the embodiment of The Magician archetype, bringing mystery, intrigue, and magic into the real world.
With the outlaw archetype, you want to showcase the desire for evolution and change. Demonstrate the freedom of choice and avoid predictability.
A great example of a brand that embraces the outlaw archetype is Harley Davidson.
The motorcycle company creates vehicles that are associated with all of The Outlaw traits of independence, freedom, and following their own rules. As one of the most focused archetypal brands, Harley Davidson appeals to the inner outlaws in their target audience.
