Choose a brand code that no one can
mistake for another brand.
Tip: Use cards to differentiate by asset type.
If your competition goes right, go le .
BE DISTINCTIVE1.
Use one or few main codes and variate
them over other brand asset types.
Tip: Use cards to find all asset variations
suitable for you.
BE CONSISTENT2.
Never get rid of your assets.
This doesn’t mean you have to be rigid
over time—repeat your assets playfully.
Tip: Use cards to find an unexpected
context for your asset.
BE PLAYFUL3.
HOW TO GROW A STRONG BRAND OVER TIME
BRAND ASSETS
INSPIRATION CARDS
39 types of brand codes with examples.
Second revised edition loved by marketers
and brand managers.
PackagingLogo
CharacterLogo
Advertising
Product
Thank you for downloading
the Brand Assets Inspiration Cards. At Behavio,
we are confident this deck will help you create
exceptional brand marketing strategies
and well-performing campaigns.
You might notice that some brand codes are
hidden because we don’t want to reveal all of our
secrets up front. Do you want to see more? We are
more than happy to show you the full thing!
You can get the complete deck – either physically
or as a PDF – by a ending one of our workshops,
where we will show you how to make the most
of their potential. You will also try out methods
for building functional brand symbols for
company growth and much more.
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BRAND ASSETS INSPIRATION CARDS IN GROUPS
INDOOR
& OUTDOOR
BRAND
ASSETS
CROSS-MEDIA
BRAND
ASSETS
TEXT
BRAND
ASSETS
VISUAL
BRAND
ASSETS
NON-VISUAL
BRAND
ASSETS
SOCIAL
& CULTURAL
BRAND
ASSETS
NOT
A BRAND
ASSET
WORD
TAGLINE
LANGUAGE
11
PREFIX
SUFFIX
INITIAL
SPECIAL CHARACTER
14
NUMBER
12
STORY
HISTORY
LEGEND
15
TITLES
GROUP MEMBERS
16
COLOR
COLOR COMBINATION
GRADIENT
17
LOGO
26
GRAPHIC ELEMENT
18
CONTROL ELEMENT
FUNCTION ICON
INTERACTIVE ITEM
BUTTON
21
INFOGRAPHICS
20
TYPEFACE
TYPOGRAPHY
22
GRAPHIC PATTERN
WALLPAPER
BACKGROUND
19
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOSTYLE
ART DIRECTION
23
ANIMATION
SEQUENCE
MOTION GRAPHICS
JINGLE
EDITING
24
ILLUSTRATION
ART STYLE
25
SOUND
JINGLE
MELODY
27
VOICE
SPEECH STYLE
28
SCENT
FRAGRANCE
ODOR
29
TOUCH
SURFACE
MATERIAL
31
TASTE
30
PACKAGING
46
OBJECT
FURNITURE
PROP
44
PLACE
ORIGIN
7
SETTING
ATHMOSPHERE
ENVIRONMENT
42
MEANS
OF TRANSPORT
45
CLOTHES
APPEARANCE
43
GESTURE
MOVEMENT
BODY LANGUAGE
9
ACTIVITY
38
EVENT
36
RITUAL
37
BEHAVIOR
CHARITY
DISTRIBUTION
COMMUNITY
39
BUILDING
MONUMENT
INTERIOR
40
FEATURE
FUNCTIONALITY
METHODOLOGY
FACT
10
PRODUCT
6
MESSAGE
MEME
NICKNAME
JOKE
13
SHAPE
5
CHARACTER
MASCOT
Page 4
COMMON BENEFITS
ATTRIBUTES
BRAND IMAGE
32
EXPERIENCE
TRIP DESTINATION
BRAND WORLD
41
FACE
CELEBRITY
TYPE OF PERSON
PROFESSION
8
REASONING
33
VISION
MISSION
ATTITUDE
STATEMENT
34
CLICHÉ
35
CHARACTER · MASCOT
1
3
2
4
CHARACTER
MASCOT
C R O S S - M E D I A B R A N D A S S E T S
1 Energizer Bunny 2 Bibendum by Michelin 3 Budweiser Clydesdales
4 Phillie Phanatic for Philadelphia Phillies
A representative, avatar, or personification of
a brand. Their appearance is fixed and shown
through the characteristics of performance (voice,
gestures). They appear across all media, sometimes
physically. Inspiration o en comes from the
animal kingdom or original characters assembled
from typical brand products.
SHAPE
A specific shape that is clearly associated with
the brand and appears in different media. It takes
advantage of the fact that the brain has special
centers for the rapid recognition of shapes.
In memory, shapes are stored separately, even
from colors within the same image.
SHAPE
1
3
2
4
1 Triangle for Toblerone 2 Mask of BMW cars 3 Round triangle Grant’s Whisky 4 Pringles chips
C R O S S - M E D I A B R A N D A S S E T S
PLACE · ORIGIN
1 IKEA from Sweden 2 L’Oréal Paris 3 Swiss Army knife Victorinox 4 Beefeater London Gin
1
3
2
4
PLACE
ORIGIN
Specific location: country, region, city, island, cave.
The brand can thus appropriate the properties
a ributed to this place. It is definitely not enough
to state Made in Germany, it must be a consciously
constructed symbol that is used in the logo, on the
packaging and in communication. It usually takes
on several typical symbols for a given location.
C R O S S - M E D I A B R A N D A S S E T S
I'm lovin' it
Tall
Grande
Venti
Priceless
Size
matters not.
WORD · TAGLINE · LANGUAGE
4 Yodish language (Star Wars)
1 McDonald’s tagline 2 The end of a Mastercard message 3 Drink sizes in Starbucks
T E X T B R A N D A S S E T S
Short form: tagline, slogan, claim, phrase,
specific words or word combination.
Longer form: distinctive way of speaking
or writing, which can be distinguished from
other brands by using jargon, specific
tonality or language stylisation.
WORD
TAGLINE
LANGUAGE
1
3
2
4
NUMBER
Not only numbers, but also verbal expressions
of numbers. They can be based on the history
of the product, the number of ingredients,
technical parameters, the year of establishment,
the usual price, or they can be “answer to life,
the universe, and everything”.
T E X T B R A N D A S S E T S
NUMBER
1 Chanel 2 James Bond 3 Fortune Magazine 4 Heinz Ketchup
007
57 Varieties
No. 5
List of 500
Companies
1
3
2
4
PREFIX
SUFFIX
INITIAL
SPECIAL CHARACTER
Parts of brand names that indicate a group of
products. Sometimes a single le er is enough and
we are still able to identify a specific manufacturer.
The exact definition of capitalization is essential.
T E X T B R A N D A S S E T S
PREFIX · SUFFIX · INITIAL · SPECIAL CHARACTER
1 Nestlé, Nescafé, Nespresso, Nesquik, Nestea 2 McDonald’s, McCheese, McCafé, McDelivery
3 Apple: iPhone, iPad, iMac, iTunes, iCloud 4 (RED) Project to support HIV/AIDS treatment
Nes- Mc(
)i-
1
3
2
4
COLOR · COLOR COMBINATION · GRADIENT
COLOR
COLOR COMBINATION
GRADIENT
Exact shade of color, combination of colors or color
gradients. However, it is not enough to have a colorful
logo. If you want a specific color as your symbol,
it needs to appear in your entire communication
and your products. Even colors can be registered
as a trademark for a given category.
V I S U A L B R A N D A S S E T S
1 Instagram gradient 2 Burger King colors 3 Red Louboutin soles 4 Robin’s Egg Blue by Tiffany
1
3
2
4
GRAPHIC ELEMENT
1 Adidas Three Stripes 2 Coca-Cola Ribbon 3 Jack Daniel’s frames 4 Layouts of Disney+ ads
GRAPHIC ELEMENT
V I S U A L B R A N D A S S E T S
Logo substitute: it is not appropriate to use a logo
everywhere, but by using its characteristic parts,
you can get a new graphic element as a separate
and recognizable symbol.
Other elements: What other graphic elements
naturally relate to your products and brand?
Seals, stamps, awards, certifications, codes,
stripes, frames, advertising layout? Think about
whether they could also be made into another
distinctive graphic element.
1
3
2
4
TYPEFACE
TYPOGRAPHY
The vast majority of communication is text-based,
so font design and the way text is used are also
brand symbols. They have an impact on the comfort
of reading and can significantly differentiate
a brand from others. You can have a custom-made
font, or own an existing one to the extent that
others cannot even use it.
V I S U A L B R A N D A S S E T S
TYPEFACE · TYPOGRAPHY
1 Vogue 2 Twitter 3 Mercedes-Benz 4 Nike
1
3
2
4
Classic
Luxurious
Comfort
Car
ILLUSTRATION
ART STYLE
Illustrations are a symbol of a brand if they
have a truly unmistakable look. This usually
requires connecting a specific distinctive
style of an illustrator with the brand.
V I S U A L B R A N D A S S E T S
ILLUSTRATION · ART STYLE
1 Red Bull 2 Ben & Jerry’s 3 Simpsons 4 Where’s Waldo
1
3
2
4
LOGO
Logos are probably the most commonly used
brand symbol. It is definitely necessary to have
a precisely defined visual form of your logo.
But not all brands have to have a logo as their
strongest symbol as it o en makes more
sense to look at other categories.
V I S U A L B R A N D A S S E T S
LOGO
1 Abstract symbol Nike 2 Wordmark Google 3 Monogram General Electric
4 Pictorial mark Major League Baseball
1
3
2
4
SOUND
JINGLE
MELODY
Jingles, hymns, songs, nursery rhymes, or simply
a sound that is strange but distinct. What sound
could symbolize you? Does one of your products,
operations, or locations produce a unique
sound that could become a symbol?
N O N - V I S U A L B R A N D A S S E T S
SOUND · JINGLE · MELODY
1 T-Mobile’s audio logo 2 Skype ringtone 3 Lion roar in the MGM opening logo
4 ESPN Monday Night Football Theme
G
G
T-Mobile
1
3
2
4
TASTE
1 Meat balls in IKEA 2 Burning sensation of Tabasco 3 Oreo cookies in various products
4 Pumpkin Spice Latte by Starbucks
TASTE
Taste symbols are natural in food, beverages,
or hospitality categories. For other categories, they
can for example be associated with the brand’s place
of origin, as you can actually build a taste symbol
whenever there is an option for people to eat.
N O N - V I S U A L B R A N D A S S E T S
1
3
2
4
High-Quality Fast
BeautifulCheap
It’s a paradox—in order for customers to buy you,
they have to remember your brand as high-quality,
fast, cheap... But those who have unique symbols
for the given properties will build the strongest
associations. Those who just generally say that
they are of good quality will get lost in the noise
of thousands of similar ones.
In specific situations, straight-forward repetition
of a clear competitive advantage may work for you,
but you find yourself in constant danger of being
outbid at any time by someone with bigger budget
or a strong symbol.
N O T A B R A N D A S S E T
COMMON BENEFITS
ATTRIBUTES
BRAND IMAGE
COMMON BENEFITS · ATTRIBUTES · BRAND IMAGE
We offer high
quality because
We are fast
We are cheap and
therefore
It is beautiful
thanks to
REASONING
REASONING
Rational arguments are poorly remembered
and don’t strengthen the brand.
N O T A B R A N D A S S E T
Our vision: Our mission:
Our position: Our values:
VISION · MISSION · ATTITUDE · STATEMENT
N O T A B R A N D A S S E T
VISION
MISSION
ATTITUDE
STATEMENT
It is very useful to clarify unspoken values in
writing within a team. But be careful—as long as
they are general words or long phrases, don’t expect
them to significantly improve the relationship of
customers and employees to your brand. Here, too,
everything needs to be transformed into simple
symbols, unique to your brand. Try to get inspired
card by card and figure out which symbols best
describe your values and vision.
More than... Original
InnovativeIconic
CLICHÉ
CLICHÉ
N O T A B R A N D A S S E T
Don’t use anything that someone else could
say as well. People remember a brand only when
they associate unique symbols with it. Using clichés
repeated hundreds of times in communication
means throwing money out the window.
EVENT
Competitions, lo eries, sports matches, cultural
events, international days, annual publication
of interesting statistics or perhaps joint creation
(hackathons and workshops) and many others.
Just be careful—more marathons will no longer
distinguish your brand. You can try to come up with
something completely original, or get inspired in
areas that other brands have not yet used.
S O C I A L & C U LT U R A L B R A N D A S S E T S
EVENT
1 Macy’s Parade 2 McDonald’s Birthday Party 3 Keynote by Apple
4 Spotify Wrapped (year-to-date listening roundup)
1
3
2
4
RITUAL
A ritual associated with the consumption or use
of a product, a group or team activity. Try to go
through a timeline of usual customer or employee
activities and pick out places that could be considered
ritualistic.
S O C I A L & C U LT U R A L B R A N D A S S E T S
RITUAL
1 How to eat Oreo 2 Put a slice of lime into the Corona bottle 3 Apple unboxing
4 Before the start of an All Blacks rugby match
Twist
Lick
Dunk
1
3
2
4
OBJECT
FURNITURE
PROP
A distinctive object that is not your product in
itself, but is still closely related to your brand.
Trophies, gi items, equipment, artifacts,
or props that clearly evoke your brand.
I N D O O R & O U T D O O R B R A N D A S S E T S
1 Oscar Trophy 2 Friends Central Perk couch 3 Nescafé red mug 4 Exclusive Pirelli Calendar
OBJECT · FURNITURE · PROP
1
3
2
4
MEANS
OF TRANSPORT
Means of transport in the service of the brand.
It is different from the ones we normally see.
It can be used in the normal transport network, as
a banner, an advertising motif or a prominent part
of a roadshow. You can just stick a logo on it, but
you can also go completely custom-designed.
I N D O O R & O U T D O O R B R A N D A S S E T S
MEANS OF TRANSPORT
1 Red Bull Car 2 Coca-Cola Christmas Truck 3 Goodyear Blimp 4 UPS Delivery Truck
1
3
2
4
PACKAGING
You can recognize a good symbolic packaging
on the shelf from afar even with squinted eyes
by its silhoue e or distinctive graphic elements.
But the uniqueness can also lie in the material
or the method of unpacking.
I N D O O R & O U T D O O R B R A N D A S S E T S
PACKAGING
1 Coca-Cola bottle 2 McDonald’s Happy Meal 3 Chanel No. 5 4 Packaging by Apple
1
3
2
4