What’s inside
- Positioning line — “For [who], [brand] is the [category] that [difference].”
- Three adjectives with their opposites, to stop drift: “calm, not sleepy”.
- Palette with roles — base, text, primary, accent, with rough proportions (60 / 25 / 10 / 5).
- Type pairing — a heading face and a body face, with one sample line.
- Photo direction — light, framing, subjects, what never appears.
- Do / don’t pairs — four side-by-side examples.
- Touchpoints — where the brand shows up first: site, packaging, social avatar.
When to use it (and when not)
Use it when starting a brand, naming a product line, or refreshing a look that grew by accident. It is also a solid brief for a designer: you hand over decisions, not a vague feeling.
It is not a final identity system. Logos, spacing rules and accessibility checks on color contrast come later. For a one-off project look, a regular moodboard is quicker.
How to use it
- Write the positioning line first. If you cannot, the board will not fix that.
- Pick three adjectives and write their “not” next to each.
- Collect references by category: 4–6 for color, 3–4 for type, 6–8 for photography.
- Choose the palette and assign a role and proportion to each color.
- Mock two touchpoints quickly — a social avatar and a product label — to test the choices.
- Write the do / don’t pairs from what failed in the mocks.
- Review after a week. Brand choices made in one sitting often look different on day seven.
How Needt fills it in
Build the board in Needt Boards: hex swatches for the palette, images for type and photo references, notes for the positioning line and do / don’t pairs. Link it to your brand project and keep the written guide in a Doc next to it. Share the board with a designer as a link.
A brand sprint is a lot of small tasks with a deadline. Ask:
Plan the brand sprint for the Shop: references, palette, two touchpoint mocks and a review, finished by Nov 6. Mocks need high energy.
Needt adds the tasks with estimates and places them in free time; the review lands a week after the mocks if you ask for it.
A worked example
Alex’s print shop. Positioning: “For people furnishing a first home, Alex Prints makes small-run art prints that feel handmade, not mass-produced.”
| Color | Role | Share |
|---|---|---|
| #F3EEE6 | Base, backgrounds | 60% |
| #23262B | Text | 25% |
| #B03A2E | Primary, buttons and labels | 10% |
| #D9A441 | Accent, sale tags only | 5% |
