home / skills / shipshitdev / library / brand-architect

This skill helps you craft day-one brand strategy, name ideas, positioning, voice, and identity to power scalable branding.

npx playbooks add skill shipshitdev/library --skill brand-architect

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SKILL.md
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---
name: brand-architect
description: Use this skill when users need to develop brand strategy, choose a company name, define brand positioning, create brand voice, or build brand identity from day one. Activates for "what should I name it," "brand strategy," "positioning," or identity questions.
version: 1.0.0
tags:
  - business
  - hexa
  - brand
  - naming
  - positioning
  - voice
  - identity
auto_activate: true
---

# Brand Architect - Day-One Brand Strategy

## Overview

Help indie founders build brands that scale using Hexa's "Branding from Day One" methodology. Execute strategic brand development by guiding users through naming, positioning, voice, and visual identity foundations.

**Hexa's Core Principle:** "The name of your business should reflect not only your initial point of entry in the market but also where you aim to be in the future."

## When This Activates

- "What should I name it"
- Brand name questions
- Brand positioning
- Brand voice definition
- Logo, colors, visual identity
- "How do I differentiate"
- Trademark considerations

## The Framework: Brand Architecture Stack

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│          BRAND IDENTITY                  │
│    (Logo, Colors, Typography)            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│           BRAND VOICE                    │
│    (Tone, Language, Personality)         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         BRAND POSITIONING                │
│    (Who, What, Why Different)            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│           BRAND NAME                     │
│    (The Foundation)                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

Build from bottom up: Name → Positioning → Voice → Identity.

## Naming Approaches

| Approach | Example | Best For |
|----------|---------|----------|
| Descriptive | Salesforce | Clear category |
| Evocative | Nike, Apple | Emotional resonance |
| Invented | Spotify | Unique, ownable |
| Founder | Bloomberg | Personal brand |
| Mashup | Instagram | Clever, memorable |

## Name Evaluation (Score 1-5)

- Easy to spell/pronounce
- Memorable
- Domain available
- Trademark-able
- Works at scale
- International friendly

**Minimum score:** 35/50

## Positioning Statement Template

```
For [target customer]
who [problem/need],
[Product Name] is a [category]
that [primary benefit].
Unlike [primary alternative],
we [key differentiator].
```

## Brand Voice Framework

| Dimension | Spectrum |
|-----------|----------|
| Formal ↔ Casual | [Position] |
| Serious ↔ Playful | [Position] |
| Expert ↔ Approachable | [Position] |

## Integration

- `brand-name-generator` - Generate candidates
- `copywriter` - Brand-consistent copy
- `startup-icp-definer` - Define audience
- `micro-landing-builder` - Brand-aligned pages

---

**For complete naming evaluation matrices, positioning maps, voice definition frameworks, visual identity guidelines, color psychology reference, and output templates, see:** `references/full-guide.md`

Overview

This skill helps founders and small teams build a scalable brand from day one using a clear, layered methodology. It guides you through choosing a name, defining positioning, crafting a brand voice, and establishing visual identity foundations. The aim is practical: create a defensible, memorable brand that supports future growth.

How this skill works

The skill inspects your target customer, category, core benefit, and competitive alternatives to produce a positioning statement and ranked name candidates. It evaluates name options against spelling, memorability, domain and trademark potential, scalability, and international friendliness. It then recommends voice dimensions and simple identity rules (logo, color, typography) that align with the positioning. Integrations can generate names, copy, audience profiles, and landing pages to accelerate execution.

When to use it

  • You need a company or product name that will scale.
  • You want a clear positioning statement to guide product and marketing decisions.
  • You must define tone and language for consistent messaging.
  • You’re starting visual identity (logo, colors, typography) from scratch.
  • You need differentiation or trademark-friendly naming options.

Best practices

  • Build bottom-up: secure a good name first, then define positioning, voice, and identity.
  • Score names on spelling, memorability, domain and trademark potential, scale, and international fit.
  • Use the positioning template to keep messaging focused on customer, problem, category, benefit, and differentiation.
  • Choose voice along clear spectra (formal↔casual, serious↔playful, expert↔approachable) and document examples.
  • Favor simple identity rules that are easy to apply across web, product, and marketing assets.

Example use cases

  • Generate 20 candidate names and a short evaluation summary for a B2B SaaS startup.
  • Create a one-paragraph positioning statement to align product and marketing teams.
  • Define a three-dimension voice profile and sample microcopy for onboarding emails.
  • Recommend a minimal visual identity palette and usage rules for an MVP site.
  • Audit a shortlist of names for domain and trademark risks and scaling fit.

FAQ

How do you score a name?

Names are scored on easy spelling/pronunciation, memorability, domain availability, trademark-ability, scalability, and international friendliness.

Should I prioritize name or positioning first?

Start with a strong name, then lock in positioning so voice and identity build consistently from that foundation.