Tone of Voice

How to Make Your Brand Speak Visually

You’ll often hear designers and brand managers talk about a brand’s “tone of voice.” Essentially, this is the feeling or personality that comes through in your visual designs and messaging. Even for a one-off project, defining your tone of voice early can help guide your choices—from typography and colour to imagery and copywriting.

We take a practical, feeling-based approach here. It’s subjective, but starting with a sense of what feels right will help you make decisions confidently. Later on, you’ll be able to articulate a rationale for your design choices, which gives both you and your colleagues or clients confidence. After all, commercial artwork isn’t just about looking nice—it needs to connect with the target audience and fulfil its purpose.

When defining tone of voice, keep in mind:

• Your audience: What appeals to them? What style will resonate?
• Your competition: How can you stand out and remain memorable?

Starting with some keywords can help you capture the essence of the brand. Agencies often map these into “personality traits” and “pillars” to complete the picture.

The same message, five voices

Here is one piece of information — a yoga studio has spaces left in a workshop. The facts never change. Everything else does.

Places remain available for the Spring Wellness Workshop, 17–23 September.

Reads as  Established, careful, a little distant. Right for a law firm, a school, a health board. Wrong for a studio trying to feel welcoming.

There’s still room for you at our Spring Wellness Workshop, 17–23 September.

Reads as  Warm, personal, unhurried. Second person does most of the work — “you” turns an announcement into an invitation.

Spring Wellness Workshop. 17–23 September. A few spots left.

Reads as  Clear, modern, confident. Short sentences and no adjectives. This is the hardest one to write and the easiest one to read.

Go on then — there are a few mats left with your name on them.

Reads as  Human, cheeky, low-pressure. Note the facts have quietly disappeared, so this line can never stand on its own.

Last few places. Spring Wellness closes Friday.

Reads as  Direct and time-bound. Effective once. Use it every week and your audience stops believing any of it.

Formal Warm Plain Playful Urgent

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Brand Personality Traits

Personality traits describe the human-like characteristics of a brand—how it would behave if it were a person. These traits guide tone of voice, visual identity, and customer experience, ensuring the brand feels consistent and relatable.

Examples:

• Nike → bold, energetic, inspiring, competitive
• Apple → innovative, minimalist, confident, creative
• Patagonia → ethical, adventurous, down-to-earth, resilient

Think of personality traits as the “character” of your brand.

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Brand Pillars

Pillars are the core foundations of a brand—the big themes that hold up everything it says and does. Typically, there are 3–5 pillars, each explaining a fundamental truth about the brand.

Example for a sustainable fashion brand:

• Sustainability: commitment to ethical production
• Craftsmanship: focus on quality and timeless design
• Community: building relationships with conscious consumers
• Innovation: experimenting with new eco-friendly materials

Think of pillars as the “structural foundations” of the brand story, while personality traits are the voice and style.

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Brand Framework Map

A framework map brings together values, pillars, personality traits, and tone of voice to create a practical reference point for design and marketing decisions.

It will help you put words around the feelings you're trying to convey when it comes to the revision when you need to create a design rationale.

Open the Brand Framework Map template