Why Defining What Your Brand Is Not Matters Just as Much as What It Is
When people think about branding, they usually focus on what they want their brand to be — modern, confident, playful, elevated, bold. And while that’s important, there’s another step that’s just as powerful (and often skipped): defining what your brand does not want to be.
Setting these boundaries creates clarity, speeds up design decisions, and protects your brand from drifting off course as it grows.
Brand Personality: The Foundation
Your brand personality is the overall feel people get when they interact with your business — through your visuals, messaging, website, or social media. It’s not about who you are as a person; it’s about how your brand shows up in the world.
Choosing a few intentional personality keywords helps guide everything from logo design to tone of voice. Words like confident, approachable, bold, or minimal immediately influence how your brand should look and sound.
But here’s the catch: without boundaries, these words can be interpreted in dozens of different ways.
That’s where the “don’t want to be” list comes in.
Why Defining What You Don’t Want Matters
A “don’t want to be” list is a simple but powerful branding tool. It helps you clearly state what feels wrong for your brand — visually, emotionally, and strategically.
This step:
Prevents off-brand design choices
Eliminates vague feedback like “I don’t like it, but I don’t know why”
Creates alignment between you and your designer
Makes decision-making faster and easier
Instead of only saying “I want my brand to feel elevated,” you’re also saying “I don’t want it to feel cheap, cluttered, or overly trendy.”
That clarity is gold.
Examples of “Don’t Want to Be” Brand Traits
Here are common traits many brands intentionally avoid:
Boring or generic
Trendy without intention
Overcomplicated or confusing
Salesy or pushy
Cheap or unpolished
Loud or cluttered
Cold or unapproachable
Too corporate
Too playful or too serious
Dated or forgettable
Overly formal or overly casual
Not every word will apply to every brand — and that’s the point. The goal is to identify what doesn’t align with your vision.
How This Helps Your Brand (and Your Designer)
When you pair a clear brand personality with a “don’t want to be” list, you give your brand real guardrails.
For example:
If your brand is playful but not silly, that informs typography, color choices, and copy tone.
If your brand is professional but not corporate, that shapes layout, language, and visual hierarchy.
If your brand is minimal but not boring, that helps balance restraint with personality.
This makes collaboration smoother, revisions fewer, and results stronger.
How to Use This Exercise
When defining your brand personality:
Choose 3–5 personality keywords that describe how your brand should feel.
Review a “don’t want to be” list and circle anything that feels wrong.
Use both lists together as a reference for design, messaging, and content.
Your brand doesn’t need to be everything — it just needs to be intentional.
Final Thoughts
A strong brand isn’t just defined by what it is. It’s protected by what it refuses to be.
If you’ve ever struggled with inconsistent visuals, unclear feedback, or designs that feel almost right but not quite, this step may be exactly what’s missing.
Define your personality. Set your boundaries. And let your brand show up with confidence and clarity.
