Provides brand voice and verbal identity frameworks including Bloomstein's BrandSort, Nielsen Norman Group's Four Dimensions of Tone, Aaker's Brand Personality, the "this but not that" technique, tone adaptation matrices, and voice documentation templates. Auto-activates during brand voice development, verbal identity work, and tone guidelines creation. Use when discussing brand voice, verbal identity, tone of voice, voice guidelines, brand personality traits, BrandSort, message architecture, Margot Bloomstein, Nick Parker, four dimensions of tone, this but not that, or tone matrix.
View on GitHubplugins/vibes/skills/brand-voice-development/SKILL.md
January 21, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/mike-coulbourn/claude-vibes/blob/main/plugins/vibes/skills/brand-voice-development/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill brand-voice-developmentInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/brand-voice-development/# Brand Voice Development Framework Quick reference for developing brand voice and verbal identity using established methodologies from leading voice strategists. > "You have the same voice all the time, but your tone changes. You might use one tone when you're out to dinner with your closest friends, and a different tone when you're in a meeting with your boss." — Mailchimp Content Style Guide --- ## Key Distinction: Voice vs. Tone | Concept | Definition | Consistency | |---------|------------|-------------| | **Voice** | Brand's personality expressed through language | Always consistent | | **Tone** | How voice adapts to different contexts | Varies by situation | **Analogy**: You have the same voice whether talking to your boss or your friends — but your tone changes. --- ## Core Methodologies ### 1. Bloomstein's Message Architecture & BrandSort **Created by**: Margot Bloomstein **The Process**: 1. **Sort attribute cards into three piles**: - "Who you are" (current perception) - "Who you'd like to be" (aspirational) - "Who you're NOT" (actively rejected) 2. **Prioritize**: From "who you'd like to be," create hierarchy of 8-12 attributes 3. **Unpack abstract terms**: Make "innovative" or "trustworthy" concrete 4. **Content audit**: Evaluate existing content against the architecture **Key Principle**: Balance user needs with brand identity — being exclusively user-focused leads to bland sameness. --- ### 2. Nielsen Norman Group's Four Dimensions of Tone Research-backed framework for plotting voice position: | Dimension | Spectrum | Example | |-----------|----------|---------| | **Formality** | Formal ←→ Casual | "We appreciate your inquiry" vs "Hey, good question!" | | **Humor** | Serious ←→ Funny | Straightforward vs witty | | **Reverence** | Respectful ←→ Irreverent | Traditional vs rule-breaking | | **Energy** | Matter-of-fact ←→ Enthusiastic | Neutral vs excited | **Application**: - Plot intended position on each dimension - A brand CAN