The Creative Archetype is one of 12 personas that allow you to shape and share your brand in a recognizable, relatable way. Your audience will know and trust your brand when it’s relatable and easily identifiable through a clear brand voice and consistent visuals. And when people know and trust you, they’re much more likely to click that “add to cart” button!
I love using archetypes to build compelling brands for my clients that actually draw in the perfect customers. The idea of brand archetypes has been around since Carl Jung thought of four main categories, but brand experts have expanded and refined that list to 12 archetypes in the decades since.
When you discover your brand archetype, you’ll bring out the best in your brand messaging, market in a way that feels true to you, and find the perfect clients. (Spoiler alert: they’re people who would personally identify with the same archetype your brand represents!)
You can take the quiz below to determine your brand archetype, or you can read along as we dive into The Creative to see if this just might be your archetype.
Unearth your brand personality to stand out. Take the FREE Brand Archetype Quiz!
The Creative Brand Archetype: An Overview
Creatives are excellent at bringing ideas to life. They’re all about cultivating inspiration and offering daring content that doesn’t conform to the status quo. Creatives can see potential everywhere, and they can’t wait to get their hands on it to bring their next thought to life.
If you’re a Creative, you probably love the idea of seeing your vision come to fruition and want to be able to express your unique self fully. You hate the idea of work that’s stagnant, and you’re never a carbon copy of anyone else.
You’re inspirational and brave, and you love bringing new things into the world that truly add value. Creatives are often makers, but they don’t need to be: you can chase your vision without actually crafting physical products.
The Creative May Also Be Known As:
The word “creative” may not feel totally right to you if you consider yourself a concrete thinker or don’t make things from scratch. Don’t worry – the Creative brand archetype is about a brand mindset, not a specific product or business behavior! You don’t have to make things with your hands to be a Creative. This persona can also be called:
- Artist
- Designer
- Maker
- Architect
- Muscian
- Innovator
The Creative Archetype Brand Atmosphere (i.e. Visuals and Aesthetics)
Creative brands aren’t afraid of bold, bright colors that show off their bright ideas and imaginative nature. You’ll often see primary colors like red, yellow, or blue, or bright and bold oranges, purples, or greens. In other cases, creative brand archetypes choose black and white branding to let their ideas shine -since they will be creating so many.
The Creative Archetype Brand Voice & Messaging
Your brand voice loves a good metaphor – maybe more than any other archetype! You love painting stories with your words and drawing creative parallels. Your voice is descriptive without being long-winded, imaginative without being overly whimsical, and awe-inspiring while still being attainable.
When clients interact with your brand, they’ll want to create something beautiful, too. Share your archetype in your brand by offering plenty of visuals, letting your audience in on your creative process from start to finish, and inspiring them to break the mold with their own innovative spirit.
The Creative Archetype Client
Creative clients want to feel inspired to move their ideas into action. They aren’t afraid of being unique, and they don’t need their ideas to make sense to everyone around them. They know that most innovators feel like they are “before their time,” so they care more about authenticity in their work than getting recognized for their work.
But they don’t want to feel like aimless risk-takers (not the Rebel archetype here).
Your brand can encourage them to express themselves and stir up their own desire to create and ideate. Remind your audience that perfectionism is a creativity killer – it’s okay to try, fail, experiment, and pivot.
Your Brand Is Likely A Fit for The Creative Archetype If:
- You know how to inspire others to make things or dream up new ideas.
- Your audience is often in awe of your own creative projects.
- You can create something beautiful in a spot that used to be ordinary.
- You’re not afraid of self-expression.
- You don’t mind “going first” into a new space, innovating as you go.
Well-Known Creative/creator Brand archetype examples:
Apple • LEGO • Adobe • YouTube
Well-Known Creative Characters:
Adele • Don Draper • Frieda Kahlo
