3. Brand Canvas
Story 📖 Symbols ✅ Strategy ♖
✎
Name
👤
Persona
✍
Typography
💡
Awareness
➢
Positioning
Statement
🎨
Color
Palette
🏷
Sale
✌
Promise
🎬
Storyboard
✪
Logo
🚚
Delivery
☺
Personality
📷
Imagery
💬
Use
or
Post-Delivery
4. Brand Canvas
Story 📖 Symbols ✅ Strategy ♖
✎
Name
Your business or product’s name 👤
Persona
✍
Typography
The arrangement of type (typeface,
size, line length, spacing, etc.) that
best helps convey your brand’s story
💡
Awareness
The channels, methods and
materials you will use to help your
target customer become aware of
your brand
➢
Positioning
Statement
For (target customers)
Who are dissatisfied with (current
alternatives),
Our product is a (new product category)
That provides (key problem solving
capability), Unlike (alternative)
We have assembled (key whole product
features).
A descriptive summary of your target
customer
(expanded version of customer
segment in Innovator’s Canvas)
🎨
Color
Palette
The 2-5 colors that represent your
brand personality and help
communicate your brand story to
your target customers
🏷
Sale
The channels, methods and
materials in which your brand will
present itself at time of sale
✌
Promise
The bumper sticker for your brand
(2-5 words)
🎬
Storyboard
✪
Logo
The primary symbol used to embody
and communicate the brand
🚚
Delivery
How your branding and brand
promise will be incorporated at the
time of delivery
☺
Personality
6 Words that describe your brand
personality, voice and values
The heart and soul of your brand –
the story of how your solution helps
your target customer achieve their
deepest held aspirations.
📷
Imagery
Example images and guidelines used
to ensure the images used in
conjunction with your brand are
consistent with the brand story
💬
Use
or
Post-Delivery
The ways in which your customers
will interact with and share your
brand with others
5. Brand Name Worksheet
Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5:
List names of your competitors
Word or words that
encompass the most
important thing your
product is here to
change?
(verbs, nouns, adjectives
or combinations)
Word or word
combinations that could
best convey what your
product does?
Of those, which is the
most original or
recognizable?
Of those, which can be
trademarked?
6. Brand Positioning Statement
Product A
POSITIONING MAP
High Cost
Poor
Quality
High
Quality
Low Cost
BACKGROUND
Positioning Statements Answer these three questions:
1. Which space are you trying to occupy?
2. What is the main aspiration that you are trying to satisfy?
3. Who else is there competing with you?
POSITIONING STATEMENT
For…(target customer)
Who…(statement of the need or opportunity)
The…(product name) is a (product category)
That…(key benefit, compelling reason to buy)
Unlike…(primary competitive alternative)
Our product…(statement of primary differentiation)
Write your positioning statement here:
7. Brand Promise
BACKGROUND
Brand promises summarize in a catchy, memorable, inviting way
what it is that this company does that’s special. It’s a bumper
sticker for your brand.
EXAMPLES
BRAND PROMISE
Write it here
9. Customer Persona Template
Full Name
A quote that captures the essence of
this personas personality
Location: City, state
Age: 1-100
Work: Job title
Family: Married, kids, etc.
Customer Segment: Type
Bio
The bio should be a short paragraph to describe the user journey. It should include some of their history
leading up to a current use case. It may be helpful to incorporate information listed across the template
and add pertinent details that may have been left out. Highlight factors of the user's personal and of
professional life that make this user an ideal customer of your product.
Aspirations
• The goals this user hopes to achieve.
• A life goal to be reached.
• Or an experience to be felt.
Job(s) to be done
• Their to do list
Pains and Gains
• The primary pains he/she feels when getting the job done today
• The gains they've already identified as desirable to make getting the job done easier
Brands
A collection or list of the user's favorite
brands.
Personality
Introvert Extrovert
Analytical Creative
Conservative Liberal
Passive Active
What and How They Buy
• The main ways they solve the problem today
• The primary channel and method they use to buy the solution
Motivations
Incentive
Fear
Achievement
Growth
Channels
Traditional Ads
Online & Social Media
Referral
Direct Marketing & PR
10. Brand Storyboard
Current
State
ONCE UPON A TIME…
(Personas)
HE/SHE ALWAYS…
(Main tasks)
BUT ALWAYS HAD A PROBLEM…
(Main issue)
HE/SHE TRIED TO SOLVE IT…
(Competing solutions)
Future
State
BUT HE/SHE WISHED THAT…
(Potential solutions)
UNTIL ONE DAY…
(Brand exposure)
UNLIKE HIS/HER SOLUTION…
(Brand differentiator)
HIS/HER WISH CAME TRUE: TO…
(Customer’s aspiration)
11. Brand Color Personality Matrix
Message each color conveys
Your brand’s personality traits
Trait 1 Trait 2 Trait 3 Trait 4 Trait 5 Trait 6
RED
EXCITING FIERY BOLD LOVE
AGGRESSIVE ACTIVE DESIRE
ORANGE
CREATIVE DELICIOUS ENTHUSIASM
EXCITING SUCCESS COURAGE
YELLOW
ENERGY FRESH HAPPY
OPTIMISTIC CONFIDENT FUN
GREEN
PEACEFUL HEALTHY CALM
NATURAL FRIENDLY LIFE WEALTH
BLUE
TRUSTWORTHY DEPENDABLE
STRONG YOUNG FAITH POWER
PURPLE
CREATIVE REGAL FLAMBOYANT
SMART MYSTERY SPIRITUAL
BLACK
BALANCED CALM LUXURIOUS
SENSIBLE CLASSY FORMAL
BROWN
NATURAL RUGGED DEPENDABLE
EARTHY CASUAL GENUINE
14. SolarCity Brand Canvas
Story 📖 Symbols ✅ Strategy ♖
✎
Name
SolarCity 👤
Persona
✍
Typography
💡
Awareness
Digital Ads, Retail partners, Malls,
canvassing
➢
Positioning
Statement
For homeowners with high energy
bills, SolarCity is the leading solar
power provider in the US. Unlike
fossil fuel our power is both
affordable and sustainable.
Holly
Lives in Southern California
Owns their home
HHI: $80-150k
Energy bills over $150/mo
Wants to conserve energy to protect
the environment
Loves Apple products
🎨
Color
Palette
🏷
Sale
Salesperson’s shirt, Brochure,
Agreement
✌
Promise
Power Forever 🎬
Storyboard
✪
Logo
🚚
Delivery
Branded truck, branded technicians
shirt, welcome packet, yard sign
☺
Personality
Clean, Efficient, Happy, Modern,
Practical, Responsible
Holly pays her electric bill every month for
$150/mo. She feels like she can’t get ahead
financially even with her high HHI. She tried
saving money by not running the AC but that
just left her uncomfortable. She wished she
could be comfortable, save money and curb
global warming. That’s when SolarCity Direct
knocked on her door and offered solar for less
than she pays Edison and that helps her stay
comfortable and protect the environment. She
signed up and feels great about her savings,
comfort and environmental contribution.
📷
Imagery
💬
Use
or
Post-Delivery
Smartphone App, monthly bill,
monthly email, Ambassador program
(referrals)
15. Brand Name Worksheet
Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5:
List names of your competitors
Word or words that
encompass the most
important thing your
product is here to
change?
(verbs, nouns, adjectives
or combinations)
Word or word
combinations that could
best convey what your
product does?
Of those, which is the
most original or
recognizable?
Of those, which can be
trademarked?
SunEdison Sunrun Solar Energy Solar Rooftop Solar Cities Solar City
Vivint Solar Direct Energy Energy Sun Solar Sun Solar
Ygrene RGS Energy Rooftop Residential Solar
Solcius Cities Solar Cities
Sun
Residential
Commercial
18. Brand Color Personality Matrix - Solarcity
Message each color conveys
Your brand’s personality traits
Clean Efficient Happy Modern Practical Responsible
RED
EXCITING FIERY BOLD LOVE
AGGRESSIVE ACTIVE DESIRE
ORANGE
CREATIVE DELICIOUS ENTHUSIASM
EXCITING SUCCESS COURAGE
YELLOW
ENERGY FRESH HAPPY
OPTIMISTIC CONFIDENT FUN X
GREEN
PEACEFUL HEALTHY CALM
NATURAL FRIENDLY LIFE WEALTH X X
BLUE
TRUSTWORTHY DEPENDABLE
STRONG YOUNG FAITH POWER X
PURPLE
CREATIVE REGAL FLAMBOYANT
SMART MYSTERY SPIRITUAL
BLACK
BALANCED CALM LUXURIOUS
SENSIBLE CLASSY FORMAL X
BROWN
NATURAL RUGGED DEPENDABLE
EARTHY CASUAL GENUINE
19. Brand Storyboard - Solarcity
Current
State
ONCE UPON A TIME…
(Personas)
HE/SHE ALWAYS…
(Main tasks)
BUT ALWAYS HAD A PROBLEM…
(Main issue)
HE/SHE TRIED TO SOLVE IT…
(Competing solutions)
Holly
Pays her Southern California Edison bill every
month costing her around $150/mo
She feels like she can’t get ahead financially
even though her and her husband have a
combined income over $100k
By not running the AC as much during the
summer but that led to discomfort
Future
State
BUT HE/SHE WISHED THAT…
(Potential solutions)
UNTIL ONE DAY…
(Brand exposure)
UNLIKE HIS/HER SOLUTION…
(Brand differentiator)
HIS/HER WISH CAME TRUE: TO…
(Customer’s aspiration)
She could just be comfortable and save money
and help protect the environment.
SolarCity’s direct sales force knocked on her
door
SolarCity’s was both sustainable and less
expensive than Southern California Edison
She was both comfortable in her home, saving
money and helping to protect the environment
and stop global warming
20. Customer Persona Example - SolarCity
Holly Riley
A working mom of 2 who wants to
leave the world a better place for her
kids
Location: Riverside, CA
Age: 39
Work: PR Manager
Family: Married, 2 kids, 1 dog
Customer Segment: Conscientious
Bio
Holly is a 39 year old PR manager for a local PR firm. She grew up in New Jersey until her parents
moved to Southern California when she was 16. She loved the weather and the culture in Southern
California so much that she decided to stay there and start a family. She’s married to her boyfriend from
college, James, and together they have 2 kids, Jacob (3) and Susan (8).
Aspirations
• To provide a stable and happy life for her 2 young children
• To live naturally by eating “whole foods” and being healthy
• To contribute in her own way toward making the planet more sustainable and a better place for her
kids
Job(s) to be done
• Pay electric bill
• Excel at work as a PR manager
Pains and Gains
• She’s pained every month when paying the electric bill. Partly because of the high cost but mostly
because she knows it’s not a sustainable source of power. She knows she’s contributing to global
warming when buying power from Edison.
• She wishes she could live comfortably (i.e. use as much power as she wants) and help improve the
environment. Saving money on top of that would be a big plus.
Brands
A collection or list of the user's favorite
brands.
Personality
Introvert Extrovert
Analytical Creative
Conservative Liberal
Passive Active
What and How They Buy
• She sticks to brands that are tried and true and proven.
• She bought a Prius because even though it uses gas she knows it will work and it’s highly efficient.
• She buys Apple products because she uses them in her creative field
• She shops at Whole Foods because she knows she won’t get GMO’s or gluten or all that “toxic” stuff
when shopping there.
Motivations
Incentive
Fear
Achievement
Growth
Channels
Traditional Ads
Online & Social Media
Referral
Direct Marketing & PR