Get your Early Stage Company Polished & Ready for Launch
Find your brand archetype to up-level your positioning, messaging & visual design.
It only takes 3 minutes
Step 1
Take the Quiz
Discover how deep customer motivations can drive brand & product development
Step 2
See Concrete Examples
View content and design examples from successful brands that use archetypes
Step 3
Apply Your Archetype
Use our archetype-specific guidance and templates to market your company
Be Yourself & Stop Copying Other Brands
Simplify your Marketing Efforts
Market your organization in socially responsible ways. Recognize your strengths and their appeal to customer motivations:
- Belonging
- Stability
- Freedom
- Transformation
Stand Out from the Competition
Unveil a new perspective for positioning your organization without a huge learning curve.
Get Matched to a Design Kit
Confidently present a polished image for your launch, pitch meeting or website redesign.
Align Your Team
Evaluate your organization’s collective strengths by comparing results from the archetype quiz. Unify your efforts to market with confidence and deliver on your promises.
- Resolve brand inconsistencies
- Create focused communications
- Escape loops of over-analysis
“Going through the series of questions in this quiz really helped me to start thinking about my visual branding and the tone of my content. It was also empowering and validating for me as a business owner to clarify what I have to offer, and to feel more confident in the value of what I have to offer the world.”
Shelby Copeland, Founder, Force of Nature Movement
Archetypes aren’t a new concept, but they are often misunderstood, poorly represented and undervalued in business.
This psychology-based framework for mapping customer motivations to build meaningful brands was popularized by Carol S. Pearson and Margaret Mark in 2001. The world’s most iconic brands, like Nike, Apple and Coke, use these principles to drive consistency in their marketing. We figured, if it works for them, why can’t it work for simpler organizations?
Since 2015, Lean Design for Startups has adapted and tested our own methodology for connecting customer desires with the passionate pursuits of early stage B2B founders. To help startups increase their chance of success, we provide assessments to identify and focus their strengths, and then match them with on-demand visual design and brand strategy resources to scale their brand economically.
What are Archetypes?
Archetypes are characters that are familiar to us on a primal level. Any story you’ve heard, or movies you’ve watched, all contain characters that you intuitively know to trust or despise, laugh at or feel inspired by, to revere or adore.
Writers use the characteristic traits of twelve archetypes to round out their cast, add dramatic tension, and quickly introduce new characters in a memorable way. This same tactic can give companies a competitive edge.
Archetypes’ Value for Early Stage Companies
When early stage companies orient their communications and offerings around a single archetype, they will see drastic improvements in their ability to connect with their audience. Rather than anchoring their message on product or service quality alone, they can deliver additional meaning, like a sense of belonging, or camaraderie to overcome difficult challenges.
Many companies intuitively follow archetypal principles to build their brands without even realizing it. Those that stick with it tend to be exponentially more successful in creating products and cultures that resonate with people long-term.
The Twelve Brand Archetypes
Which of these archetypes will help your organization resonate with your target audience? Take the Quiz >
Order
Archetypes known for bringing stability and control
Sovereign
Traditional, organized and a model of proper behavior. Associated with dignity, benevolence and serenity.
Caregiver
Famously unselfish, willing to help out at a moment’s notice. Devoted to caring for others. Skilled, competent multi-tasker.
Creator
Highly imaginative and a gifted communicator. Driven to create meaning in an otherwise chaotic environment.
Individual Fulfillment
Archetypes known for promoting independence, growth and self-actualization
Sage
Motivated to maintain autonomy and seek truth above all else. Dedicated to cognitive fulfillment and intellectualism.
Innocent
Optimistic, natural, and unvarnished. Able to embody a sense of renewal or unity, conjuring nostalgia or simplicity.
Explorer
In constant pursuit of independence to escape boredom or the feeling of entrapment. Delighted by discovery.
Change
Archetypes that stand for freedom, are unafraid of risk, and are driven to achieve
Innovator
Dynamic visionary and a catalyst for change. Highly intelligent and curious about how things work.
Hero
Dutiful, and able to overcome great obstacles in service to others. Admired for stamina and self-sacrificial attitude.
Rebel
An instigator of social change, and the voice for the voiceless. Comfortable challenging the status quo.
Belonging
Archetypes that are motivated by relationships and fostering a connection with others
Citizen
Driven by a sense of personal integrity. Deeply rooted and responsible in your community, focusing on equality.
Lover
Passionate, devoted, and resonant with sensory experiences. Beauty and affection are held in high regard.
Jester
Wicked smart. Known for humor and breaking societal norms. Influencer with a unique perspective. Gifted joy-bringer.