Blue

Blue is the color of water and sky, associated with serenity, stability, inspiration and wisdom.

It has a positive effect on our wellbeing, giving off a feeling of calm.

HISTORICALLY

• In Ancient Egypt;

• During the time of the Roman Empire,

• Chinese culture,

• In Japan

• In Africa

SPIRITUALITY
Blue symbolizes different things across spiritual traditions:

• Buddhism =

• Christianity =

• Hinduism =

• Islamic =

• Judaism =

MARKETING
Blue connotes stability, reliability and wisdom, so companies that depend on customer trust and loyalty .

Common phrases using blue include:

• The blues/feeling blue = depression sadness

This list just scratches the surface, but underscores the importance of really knowing your target audience. Its wise to understand cultural impacts of colors as we expand into an increasingly global society.

Green

Today’s post is inspired by the emerald green grass growing out my window today, brought to life by the first thunderstorm of the year. That iridescence makes the downpours and gloomy skies worthwhile.

Green is the color of nature, growth, renewal, prosperity, Ireland, ecology and money (in the US, at least). On the shadow side, green is associated jealousy and inexperience.

It has a positive effect on our wellbeing, giving off a feeling of calm and serenity. A walk in a green forest can reduce anxiety and ground us.

HISTORICALLY

• In Ancient Egypt; the god Osiris, king of the underworld, was depicted as green-skinned.

• During the time of the Roman Empire, people would soak items made of copper in wine, which caused a chemical reaction that resulted in a colored pigmentation referred to as verdigris

• Chinese culture, green corresponds to wood and represents the color of growth and development in the Five Elements ideology.

• In Japan on the 29th of April every year, they celebrate Greenery Day on the birthday of Emperor Shōwa.

• In Africa green symbolizes and fertility, the abundant and vibrant natural wealth of Africa

SPIRITUALITY
Green symbolizes different things across spiritual traditions:

• Buddhism = balance, youth, harmony, vigor and karma. Buddhists believe that by meditating on green, your jealousy will turn into wisdom.

• Christianity = life, resurrection, new beginnings

• Hinduism = rebirth, new beginnings

• Islamic = paradise, nature, heaven, bliss, beauty, fertility. Allah described the people in heaven as wearing green silk garments.

• Judaism = renewal, hope

MARKETING
Advertisers use green on food packaging to imply freshness.

In North America, green is a commonly used as a brand color for financial institutions due to its association with money, growth and prosperity

Green is slang for environmentally aware practices, sustainability and climate improvement efforts so it used increasingly to signify climate-friendly products.

Greenwashing is a term applied to companies that try to appear more environmentally friendly than they really are.

Common phrases using green include:

• Green-eyed monster = envy

• Greenbacks = US dollars, prosperity

• Getting the green light = approval to move forward

• Green around the gills = feeling ill

• Going green = efforts to improve climate sustainability

• Being a little green = inexperienced

• Green Party = a political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice.

This list just scratches the surface, but underscores the importance of really knowing your target audience. Its wise to understand cultural impacts of colors as we expand into an increasingly global society.

Personal Archetypes

Although we use archetypes in branding, marketing and storytelling, Carl Jung originally studied them as tools of psychology. Their real power lies in how they influence and reflect the full human experience, not just our shopping profiles. If you consider your own habits, identity traits and ambitions against the universal human archetypes you can see the bigger picture of how you navigate the world.

This is more about personal development than it is personal branding, which has been a pretty trendy topic. We run into characters throughout our lives and we react or respond to them from the lens of the characters we have chosen to identify ourselves with. We all do it, and some of them are obvious: devoted wife/husband, singleton, nurturing mother/father, obedient or rebellious child, competitive athlete, gardener, artist, cook/chef, gambler, mentor, and ambitious entrepreneur to name a few. Then there are the less flattering ones like bully, dictator, victim, servant, people pleaser, and vampire. We all have some of these, and they show up in our relationships at home, at work, with friends and especially on social media. These characters can define and run our lives if they remain in our unconscious. And for a lot of people they do.

My life shifted when I started to really look at the story I had written for myself, and the roles I had embraced, both positive and negative. When I was totally honest with myself, I realized that some of my story had run its course, and I didn’t really want to continue some of those roles. The story was ok, but it wasn’t going anywhere satisfying. And life really is short, so what’s the point of settling for a storyline that doesn’t interest you? Playing roles you don’t enjoy? Why NOT be authentic? Once I waded through that mental muck, I learned the best part: we always have choices and the ability to write a twist into your story.

If you pay attention to your archetypes you realize that they evolve over time. You can choose to retire some of them, either because outgrow your need for them (obedient son, apprentice) or they no longer serve you and you want something more (victim, bully). You can thank these identities, be honest about how they served you and then bid them goodbye. They may pop up for a visit from time to time, but they no longer have the power to define you.

Who are you showing the world? showing yourself? or your family and friends?

And who do you want to be?

Archetypes 201

Leveraging archetypes is a common component in brand strategy and identity development. The 101-level focus is usually on articulating the personality that differentiates the brand in the market. But its also very important to identify the archetype mix of the ideal customer — and its not always a mirror of the brand identity.

Brands essentially have relationships with their customers or audience. And like any other relationship, to be satisfying both parties need to get to know and care about the other party.

So, after articulating the archetype mix of the brand itself, its only logical to identify the archetypal mix of the ideal audience as well. Sometimes, we even start with articulating the audience’s archetype mix first and auditing the existing brand against that.

The days of a product successfully marketing to “everyone” are long gone. - we are now a bunch of demographic islands with overlapping preferences. We don’t buy things anymore based solely on the features they offer and the price. We want more from our purchases, be it goods, services or experiences. Behavioral economics have made it clear that humans make most decisions from an emotional standpoint, even if we think we’re being logical. What we purchase say something about us, and we are increasingly aware of that. Brand identity isn’t just about the company behind the product — it’s increasingly about how the brand makes the purchaser feel about themselves.

Having an accurate and authentic read on a product’s key audience is critical for the bottom line. Building a long-term, trust-based relationship with customers takes ongoing efforts by the brand team, including refining and correcting as dynamics change.

Yellow

It’s the color of the sun and gold — the warmest hue on the spectrum.

Yellow is generally associated with happiness: fun, energy, joy, enthusiasm, originality, hope, cheerful, brightness, imagination, and optimism. On the downside, it can imply cowardice, illness, caution, illness, and anxiety.

HISTORICALLY

• In Ancient Egypt, gods were believed to have gold skin and bones, so yellow was used for their skin tone in art

• In medieval times, the homes of those charged with treason were painted yellow, representing deceit

• In fourteenth century Japan, it represented bravery, wealth, and refinement. Warriors wore yellow chrysanthemums as a pledge of courage to the emperor and royal family.

• In many African nations, yellow is a symbol of high rank due to its resemblance to gold, implying money, quality and success.

• In Greece it represents sadness, in France it represents jealousy.

SPIRITUALITY
Yellow symbolizes different things across spiritual traditions:

• Buddhism = Buddhist monks wear yellow representing renunciation, humility and the separation from materialistic society

• Christianity = eternal life, happiness, optimism, renewal, purity

• Hinduism = purity, victory chastity. Also, yellow is the color of Lord Vishnu, the god of preservation, the salvation of humanity. It’s also the color of the solar plexus chakra, our source of personal power, self-confidence, sight, and success.

• Islamic = peace, spirituality, one of the four colors of Ramadan. In some traditions, its forbidden for men to wear yellow

MARKETING
Wearing yellow can actually boost your mood, however finding a shade of yellow that is flattering can be challenging

The most visible color in daylight, its often the choice of fast food chains especially on signs. It also brings on feelings of friendliness, happiness, and with red it implies speed.

Drawing the eye quickly, its used as a highlighter in advertising.

Implies bargain prices, speed and fun — think McDonalds, Best Buy and Ikea.

Common phrases using red include:

• Mellow yellow = relaxed optimism

• Yellow bellied = cowardice

• Yellow journalism = writing that is sensationalist with questionable accuracy and taste

• Gold star = award of merit

• Golden child = someone who is favored, can do no wrong

• Golden opportunity = lucky chance

• Golden ticket = winner

• Gold digger = someone who gets romantically involved for wealth

• Heart of gold = supremely kind person

• Golden arches = McDonalds

This list just scratches the surface, but underscores the importance of really knowing your target audience. Its wise to understand cultural impacts of colors as we expand into an increasingly global society.

The Sage

Another one of Carl Jung’s primary archetypes is the Sage: the wise pursuer of truth and knowledge.

In myths and stories, the Sage acts as a wise guide for the hero as they travel on their path. They share their insights to better the world. In many fairytales it is common for the Sage to overlap with the Magician possessing magical powers, like a Fairy Godmother or Dumbledore in Harry Potter. Valuable advisors and teachers, they ultimately can’t protect the hero from his/her challenges ahead.

Some common things associated with the Sage are wisdom, intelligence, understanding, life-long learning, balanced judgement, mental clarity, coaching, and strategy.

The shadow aspect is centered around false information — the Sage’s greatest fear is that their efforts are based on untruths and are therefore invalid.

Many of my clients have gravitated to this profile, especially those in the corporate world. The Sage is a very cerebral profile, and it often appeals to people who embrace logic as core to their own identities. It’s not uncommon for those from financial, manufacturing or engineering industries to have a hard time connecting with some of the emotional aspects of archetypes. The Sage can seem like a safe harbor for them during a workshop. But the secret sauce of archetypes lies in the feelings they elicit.

So this is one profile I really try to refine by exploring adjacent character variations like the Detective, Mentor, Researcher, Counselor, Advisor, Shaman, and Translator. True differentiation relies on articulating nuances that authentically resonate emotionally beyond “intelligence.”

The Value of White Space

One cornerstone of layout design that can be hard for many clients to understand is white space.

In graphic design terms, white space refers to space in a layout without content — words or images.

One of my favorite longtime clients was a technical expert who knew she needed help with writing and design. She respected our expertise, loved our work and was a genuine pleasure to work with. Early on, we gave her initial concepts for a wellness guide and she was enthusiastic — approving it quickly. It was all good.

Then we went to layout with actual copy.

My clean, crisp layouts designed to direct the eye deftly with color and images came back covered in comments to add paragraph upon technical paragraph to fill up “all that extra space”. You see, my favorite client was not only very invested in her subject matter and its importance, but she was also cost-conscious. Any white space felt like a waste of money and a missed opportunity to tell the audience ever more details. She saw it as a mistake. Her additions resulted in an packed page that would overwhelm even the most patient reader.

I’ve dealt with this a lot.

To be fair, its hard to value something you don’t actually see, or more accurately, don’t perceive. And I get it: their content is important to them and they want the audience to get all the value they can get. To the average person, open space is wasted space. But we know the secret of space. As a designer, it is really satisfying when I can open someone’s eyes to an aspect of design they aren’t aware of.

So I explained to her why white space is important — not only to balance the page, but to give the eye a minute to rest while brain processed the words it had just read. It’s an opportunity to take a breath, instead of being suffocated by words. I even explained that white space can imply modernity and higher quality, whereas packed pages imply archaic, boring text books that no one wants to read. She was suspicious, and it took a good deal of convincing, but eventually she trusted us and let the writers edited down things. Layout was always a compromise with her, but we worked it out.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about white space from a bigger picture perspective.

The world seems to be demanding more productivity and speed from everyone. Our media streams are overflowing with messages encouraging us do, be and achieve ever more. Global conflicts and news make us anxious. Its overwhelming. No wonder we’re exhausted as a society.

A bit of mental and even physical white space to rest and recharge our systems might give us all a bit of breathing room. Taking a real day off, empty time with no screens or agenda really does help me to clear my mind, and somehow things don’t feel as heavy afterward. We work it out.

Orange

Back to the topic of color and the positive and negative meanings it can convey.

Next up: ORANGE.

On the positive side, orange is associated with sunshine, optimism, fun, creativity, happiness, enthusiasm, and youthful connections. On the negative side it can elicit feelings of arrogance, pride and impatience. Interestingly, it can be perceived as less expensive but reasonable quality (e.g.; Home Depot) or luxury (e.g.; Hermes).

We all dread the orange barrels and cones of construction, conveying caution.

Orange is the national color of the Netherlands, because of its association with the Dutch Royal Family: the House of Orange. The collective energy and liveliness of national celebrations is referred to as “orange madness”

It is becoming a color of human rights, increasingly used by organizations around the globe as a calling for peace and change. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine used it in protest of electoral fraud; the United Nations uses it to raise awareness and inspire action in regard to gender-based violence through their Orange the World campaign.

As the color of optimism from a mental health perspective, it has an uplifting, invigorating health-promoting affect on the body.

Seasonally, its associated most with autumn and Halloween in Western countries.

And of course, in most countries orange as a color is tied to the fruit, originally from China.

HISTORICALLY

• For ancient Greeks its associated with Bacchus, the god of hedonism and thus frivolity and entertainment

• Egyptians associated orange with rebirth and eternal life, due to the evergreen orange tree — so oranges were commonly part of religious ceremonies, including funerals.

• The French Impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec used it to symbolize the raucous energy and excitement of Parisian nightlife in the early 19th century

• In Ireland it represents Protestants.

• In Thailand its the color of Friday.

SPIRITUALITY
Orange symbolizes different things across spiritual traditions:

• Buddhism = simplicity, letting go of material

• Christianity = fire, purification, divine presence, the Holy Spirit

• Hinduism = fire/purification, wisdom and the quest for light. Saffron, a shade of orange, is the most sacred color for Hindus

• Islamic = flame of the divine lamp leading to spiritual enlightenment, nobility, royalty

• Judiasm = rebirth, renewal, inclusion of women

MARKETING
Orange in fashion can represent energy, excitement, confidence, adventurousness, happiness, warmth.

Its another color that stimulates appetite and digestion, and is commonly used by fast food restaurants in their identities.

Common phrases using orange include:

• Apples to Oranges = comparing incomparable items

• Orange Alert = heightened state of security

• Squeeze the orange dry = extract all value and usefulness from something

• Throw someone an orange = offering someone a bribe

• Orange hard hat = construction zone, caution required

This list just scratches the surface, but underscores the importance of really knowing your target audience. Its wise to understand cultural impacts of colors as we expand into an increasingly global society.

The Jester

In honor of April Fool’s Day, let’s explore the Jester archetype!

One of Carl Jung’s universal 12 archetypes, the Jester is used in branding as a master category. Categories help teams focus on general profiles to quickly eliminate those that don’t resonate. With a mix of two or three categories, there’s an art to refining them a unique identity.

Common adjectives associated with the Jester imply humor: funny, sarcastic, silly, sly. But there’s more to the jester than jokes.

In medieval royal courts, the jester was both an entertainer and valued advisor to the ruler. Royalty was surrounded by social climbers and politicians with hidden agendas — loyalty could be deceiving. Jesters enjoyed the rare privilege of speaking the truth to the king or queen, masked as humor. Posing as a fool meant their commentary could be dismissed and ridiculed. Choosing the best words to disguise their messages required skill, wisdom and judgement. It was a dangerous role. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the king could result in banishment or even death.

Tricksters are a variation that found in countless myths around the world, including China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Africa and North America. They often appear to provide a lesson to the hero. They exhibit high intelligence and often are keepers of secret knowledge. They can play a powerful shadow role, playing tricks on others and defying rules.

Other variations include the clown, comedian, fool, joker, provocateur, fool and shapeshifter.

Today, stand-up comics are our most common jesters. In addition to making us laugh, they can make us think by pointing out underlying truths that make us uncomfortable. Comedians are also a great example of how individuality beyond archetypal stereotypes is critical. Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer and Trevor Noah’s brands all fall under the Jester/Comic. But their material and audiences are very different. Offending an audience these days can lead to career suicide or banishment, in some ways echoing the experience of a court jester.

If a variation of the jester is part of a project you’re working with, tread lightly. Like a comic, its very important to understand your audience well — and to hit the right note and not offending them. Using humor well for a brand or campaign takes a pro.

#archetypes #branding #jester #30daychallenge #brandstrategy

Red

Color is one of the most powerful forms of communication in the world, rich with cultural, historical and spiritual themes. Colors quickly convey emotions and meaning, both positive and negative. It can make or break a brand or campaign. When choosing color, thoughtful designers consider the reactions each color can evoke.

It would be impossible to cover every meaning, but here’s a start:

First up: RED.

In Western cultures, red is associated with passion in both positive and negative forms: love and war. The color of hearts and Valentine’s Day is also often used to alert us of danger with stop lights and delete buttons.

In Asian cultures it represents good fortune and joy and often prominent at weddings and celebrations.

From a health perspective, its the color of blood, vigor and life.

It is the first color babies perceive after black and white

In some tribal African customs and traditions it can represent the blood of ancestors and the ongoing struggle against repression and racism.

HISTORICALLY

• Paleolithic tribes used it to bury their dead from protection from evil spirits

• Egyptians used it to represent danger

• Roman soldiers and gladiators wore red, representing courage. It was the color of Mars, the God of war.

• Ancient Byzantines adopted it from Romans as a color of majesty and authority

• Some Native American tribes consider it a color that transcends worlds, used red to call to ancestors in the spirit world.

SPIRITUALITY
Red symbolizes different things across spiritual traditions:

• Buddhism = achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune, dignity

• Christianity = sacrifice, blood of Christ

• Hinduism = root chakra, sexuality, love, energy

• Islamic = life force

• Judiasm = compassion, generosity, beauty

MARKETING
Red in fashion represents confidence and boldness.

Sale items are often advertised in red to get attention and express urgency.

Over 40% of fast food chains have harnessed red’s ability to increase our heart rate, blood pressure and appetite. Not only can it urge us to quick action, but it can make us hungry!

Common phrases using red include:

• Red in the face = embarrassment

• Seeing red = rage

• Red flag = warning, danger

• Being in the red = Debt, financial loss

• Caught red handed = catching someone doing something wrong

• Paint the town red = going out and partying

• Red carpet treatment = treating someone like royalty

• Red tape = excessive bureaucracy

This list just scratches the surface, but underscores the importance of really knowing your target audience. Its wise to understand cultural impacts of colors as we expand into an increasingly global society.

Archetypes 101

I first became fascinated by archetypes when a spiritual friend of mine introduced me to Bill Moyers’ The Power of Myth, over 20 years ago. At the time, we were both intrigued by the idea that these universal characters could have major impacts on our life paths, and how exploring their lessons could help us navigate the world at a deeper level. I became hooked on Carl Jung’s work and Bill Moyers’ PBS series.

Another thing that stuck with me was how blockbuster books and films harnessed storylines and character profiles from ancient myths. The most famous and convincing example at the time was George Lucas’ work on Star Wars. Fast forward a few years and the concept of leveraging storytelling in advertising and marketing had become mainstream.

As a corporate communication and design consultant, I helped HR clients educate employees on complex health care and retirement plans. Not exactly an exciting topic area, we used storytelling to strategically reach people. And every story relies on characters.

Part of my job as a creative director was facilitating workshops to define the face, or look and feel, of campaigns. We had a set of exercises that worked well to define aesthetic preferences, but I wanted to do more than create visually appealing media. I wanted to attract the audience’s attention and help them make good choices that would benefit them long. Since employment is essentially a relationship between the employee and the company, I turned to Archetypes to create personalities that would resonate.

Incorporating the 12 core archetypes defined by Mark and Pearson in their seminal brand psychology book The Hero and the Outlaw, I built my own workshop exercises. My goal was to identify one core and two supporting archetypes to use as a starting point to reflect each organization’s unique culture. Surprisingly, my new exercises resonated with clients right away.

A team of senior leaders in a manufacturing company told me my session was the best meeting they had ever attended. One client at a university was studying psychology and reminded me not to forget about the Shadow side of archetypes. Colleagues started asking for slide deck and embraced the whole concept. I loved how interested clients were to learn more and how willing they were to collaborate.

Over multiple sessions I started to see patterns of common combinations across clients. Inspired by Margaret Hartwell’s Archetypes in Branding Toolkit for Creatives and Strategists, I expanded my understanding beyond the core 12 Archetypes into 60 variations. When I was limited by project scope and time constraints on corporate projects, I experimented with one-on-one sessions for friends who wanted to articulate their own personal brands. That led me to develop more exercises to build brand voices and value propositions.

Somewhere along the line, an interesting shift happened: I stopped thinking about how much I could get from these sessions and started thinking about how to give my clients more. More profiles + more insights + more ah-ha moments = more fun.

That’s when I felt successful.