What if we build the world of a brand before we design its logo? The people it serves, the way it speaks, and the experiences it creates would give us something specific to design around.
By world, I mean the things that make the brand recognizable across different situations. That includes its photography, typography, colors, words, and the way its products or services fit into someone’s life. The logo belongs to all of that.
Archetypes and story plots give us a way to start making those decisions. They help describe the character of the brand and the kind of experience someone might have with it, so we can connect the design to an idea that goes beyond the mark.
01 · CHARACTER AND STORY
Where these ideas come from
The twelve brand archetypes in my Brand Narrative Guide come from Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson’s The Hero and the Outlaw, published in 2001. Their framework applies archetypes to an organization’s identity and values. An archetype describes a recognizable motivation, such as the Creator’s desire to make something or the Explorer’s desire for discovery.
Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots looks at recurring structures in stories. Those plots give us a way to think about what happens over time: a challenge is faced, a goal is pursued, or someone’s circumstances change. The brand applications on this site are my interpretations of these frameworks.
The guide also includes Mystery and Slice of Life as additions to its working set. They’re established forms of storytelling outside Booker’s seven-part list; they aren’t new plots that I invented.
How character affects the design
The guide covers the Innocent, Everyman, Hero, Caregiver, Explorer, Outlaw, Lover, Creator, Jester, Sage, Magician, and Ruler. A useful starting point is to look at what a brand actually does, then ask which motivations help explain it. A name on a worksheet gives us very little until we can connect it to behavior.
Hero: Under Armour
Under Armour’s Rule Yourself campaign repeats Stephen Curry across a basketball court, turning hours of practice into one image. That’s what makes it a useful Hero example: achievement comes from doing the work. The active photography and direct headline give the identity a sense of effort before we even notice the logo.
Everyman: IKEA
IKEA’s Proudly Second Best campaign puts a parent and child ahead of the furniture it’s selling. The room feels lived in, and the product has a useful place in it. That everyday familiarity is what connects it to the Everyman. For a brand with a similar purpose, ordinary settings and understandable language help people see where they fit.
IKEA — Proudly Second Best — bedroom. IKEA / Ogilvy.
Innocent: Dove
Dove’s The Face of 10 shows a child enjoying face paint beside a message about the pressure to look younger at ten. The image protects something simple: being allowed to be a child. I connect that to the Innocent’s optimism and sincerity, although the concern for children also fits the Caregiver. The unguarded expression and straightforward layout carry the idea.
Dove — The Face of 10, 2024. Dove / Unilever.
Caregiver: TOMS
TOMS’s 2020 campaign celebrates 100 million pairs of shoes given through its One for One program. Care is part of the offer here, and the posters make that contribution visible alongside the product. It’s a useful Caregiver example because the message gives people a reason to care about the business beyond the shoes. This is a historical campaign; TOMS’s giving model has since changed.
TOMS — 100 Million Pairs — OOH campaign, 2020. TOMS; design direction by Amber Podratz.
Outlaw: Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson’s tattoo photograph makes the brand part of someone’s identity. Its shield is inked into the back of the rider’s head, with almost nothing else competing for attention. I read the defiance and personal commitment through the Outlaw. The stripped-back photograph lets the symbol carry a meaning that a polished product shot would struggle to explain.
Explorer: The North Face
The North Face’s Power of Nature campaign gives most of the image to the forest. The name and mark sit within a setting that makes the invitation to go outside feel immediate. That connection to discovery is why I read it through the Explorer. The environment does much of the work of defining the brand’s world.
Lover: CHANEL N°5
CHANEL’s N°5 campaign places the fragrance close to Margot Robbie, with red clothing, warm skin tones, and a bottle that dominates the frame. The product is presented as something to desire. That attention to attraction and intimacy makes this a Lover example. Color, proximity, and the way the product is held all contribute to the same feeling.
Sage: National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas report puts its name over an underwater scene. It gives the research a place and a subject we can see. I connect this to the Sage because the publication turns exploration into knowledge that can be shared. Clear titles and recognizable photography help an audience understand what the work is about.
Magician: Apple
Apple’s Vision Pro product page shows someone wearing a device that places digital content into the space around them. That change in how a person experiences technology makes it a useful Magician example. The product is unusual, but the quiet photograph and familiar Apple identity make the possibility easier to picture.
Apple — Apple Vision Pro — official product hero. Apple; screenshot of its original product page.
Ruler: Rolex
This Rolex Day-Date close-up lets the crown, lettering, and watchmaking details fill the image. There’s little to distract from the object and the name attached to it. I read the emphasis on standards and established authority through the Ruler. The spacing and precision of the presentation help communicate that confidence.
Rolex — Day-Date — dial close-up. Rolex; image hosted by Harits 1870.
Jester: Oatly
Oatly’s Ditch Milk mural turns a milk bottle on its side and fills it with an oversized instruction. It’s a joke you can understand while walking past. That irreverence makes it a useful Jester example, even though its challenge to dairy also has an Outlaw quality. The drawing and lettering let the brand sound like itself at the scale of a wall.
Creator: LEGO
LEGO names imagination and creativity among its brand values. That makes the act of making a useful point of reference for the Creator. In this Rebuild the World artwork, blue bricks spell ‘PINK.’ The contradiction asks us to imagine something beyond what’s in front of us. Even a simple set of parts can give the audience room to make its own meaning.
These are readings of the brands and campaigns, rather than official labels they’ve assigned themselves. An archetype doesn’t pick a font or a color for us. It helps us explain why a particular choice fits the behavior we want the identity to express.
02 · SEVEN PLOTS IN THE WILD
A plot adds a sequence of events to the character. The examples below show how brands use challenges, change, and imagined worlds in their communication. Some follow a plot closely; others illustrate only part of its structure.
1. Overcoming the Monster — Nike
Overcoming the Monster follows a confrontation with a threat. Nike often presents the challenge as something an athlete has to face, including the fear of getting started. Its “Why Do It?” campaign encourages young athletes to try even when success isn’t certain.
That gives the Hero a story to participate in. For an identity built around this idea, I’d want to show the effort and the obstacle clearly, with images and messages that make the next action understandable.
Image: Nike, Inc. Campaign source.
2. Rags to Riches — Starbucks
Rags to Riches follows someone whose capabilities and circumstances develop through opportunity and setbacks. Starbucks is a looser connection: the example here shows an everyday cup presented with craft and ceremony. Its World of Coffee photo essay shows how tasting, preparation, and presentation contribute to that experience.
This image suggests how design can change the perceived value of something familiar. A fuller Rags to Riches story would also need evidence of development over time; elevated styling by itself doesn’t establish the plot.
Photo: Starbucks Coffee Company. Photo essay.
3. The Quest — Patagonia
The Quest follows the pursuit of a goal through obstacles and help along the way. Patagonia’s Colin Haley climbing story follows the route, the conditions, and the decisions involved in reaching a difficult summit.
The Explorer character and the Quest work together here. A brand using this approach could show routes, equipment, and decisions so the audience understands the process and what the product contributes to it.
Photo: Colin Haley, via Patagonia. Climbing story.
4. Voyage and Return — Disney
Voyage and Return involves entering an unfamiliar world and coming home changed by the experience. Disney’s Adventure World offers a physical version of entering a film’s setting. The park image illustrates that immersion, though it doesn’t show the complete return-and-change structure.
This connects with the Magician’s use of imagination and transformation. Architecture, signs, sound, and small environmental details can extend an identity into an experience people can move through; the logo becomes one recognizable part of that setting.
Image: The Walt Disney Company. Park story.
5. Comedy — Old Spice
Booker’s Comedy resolves confusion or crossed purposes into a more harmonious outcome. Humor is the connection in Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” film, rather than that full plot structure. The scene keeps changing while Isaiah Mustafa talks directly to the viewer and the product stays part of the joke.
This is a useful distinction when pairing the Jester with Comedy. The character can suggest a playful voice and unexpected imagery, but the story still needs its own sequence of events.
Campaign: Old Spice / Procter & Gamble; creative: Wieden+Kennedy. Campaign image.
6. Tragedy — truth
Tragedy follows choices and warning signs toward a destructive outcome. Truth Initiative’s “Toxic Therapy from Your Vape” campaign uses dark humor to show a vape giving harmful advice. The connection I’m making is its focus on harm and consequences, rather than a complete tragic plot.
For design, the practical issue is how to make the consequence clear. A cautionary campaign needs evidence and a proportionate message; an ominous palette alone gives the audience little to act on.
Image: Truth Initiative; campaign creative: Mojo Supermarket. Campaign story.
7. Rebirth — Headspace
Rebirth describes release from a limiting state and the possibility of a renewed life. Headspace’s app and care screens connect meditation and mental health support with the possibility of change. They illustrate the service’s promise, rather than documenting a particular person’s complete Rebirth story.
The friendly illustrations and simple layouts show how an identity can make support approachable. For a similar brand, the Caregiver could help guide the language and interactions, while Rebirth shapes how a story about meaningful change unfolds.
Image: Headspace. Brand and care story.
03 · FROM THE WORLD TO THE LOGO
Character and plot give us a direction to test in the design. The next step is to choose what the audience will actually see and use: the words on a page, the images, the type, and the materials the identity appears on.
Take an Explorer identity with a Quest story. Field photography and maps might make sense if the brand helps people navigate unfamiliar places. For an educational service, the same combination could call for examples of work in progress and a clear way to see what comes next. The offer and audience change the design.
That’s where the Style Log can help with visual references. Minimalism might help make instructions easier to follow, while quiet luxury offers examples of space and restraint. A style still needs to serve the content; a plot can support several visual directions.
Building the logo from that world
Once those choices are taking shape, we can look for symbols and forms that belong to them. The logo might draw from the work the company does, a familiar object in its audience’s life, or a specific part of its story. There’s no need to put every idea into the mark.
With Church Website Hero, the audience and service helped inform a mark combining a browser loading icon, an arrow, and the hero in the company’s name. The style guide and applications then gave us a way to see how that mark worked across the business. It’s one example of connecting a logo with the context around it.
A website header, a business card, and a small icon each ask something different of the identity. Putting the design into those settings lets us judge whether the type is readable, the imagery feels connected, and the logo still works at the size someone will actually encounter it.
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