Brand Voice

A brand’s voice is like any other branding element. Just as your bakery, newsletter, or studio might use a logo, consistent colors, and structured typography, so too might your brand speak in a recognizable voice in your promotional materials and in the product, itself.

IKEA periodically slips enthusiastic Swedish words into its lingo, while Nike leans on inspiring, motivating, sports-related language.

Strong brand voices can stand alone, and there’s a good chance you’d recognize many of these voices without any other accompanying elements. These voices help reinforce the brand’s overall identity and contribute to its purpose, and the stronger the voice, the more jarring it can be if it’s ever off (if Nike started speaking like IKEA, or vice-versa).

Though it can sometimes feel strange to think in these terms, especially for personal projects where the voice often emerges organically (and thus sounds like us), having a unique and consistent brand voice can make even simple, personal communications a lot more effective and pleasant.

This won’t always be possible or necessary, but one of the simplest ways to develop and maintain this kind of voice for whatever you’re making and sharing is to think in terms of archetypes.

For my software company, Truly Simple Tools, I aim to be the trustworthy, local mechanic that politely but directly tells you what you need to know. For my MKE Meetups newsletter, I try to evoke the person in the school lunch room who invites you to come sit at their table, and maybe even saves you a spot.