Design iteration & validation

Hour 1-3: Visual identity iteration (3 hours)

Use AI-powered design tools to rapidly iterate on visual concepts:

Tools:

• Figma with AI plugins (e.g., Diagram, Musho): Generate layout variations
• Midjourney / DALL-E: Generate brand imagery, logo concepts, visual style exploration
• Relume / Framer AI: Generate website mockups that reflect brand personality

Process:

1. Logo exploration (60 min)

Use Midjourney or similar to generate 10-15 logo concepts:

Midjourney Prompt Example:

modern minimal logo for [company name], [category] company, [primary color] and [secondary color], [personality traits], clean vector style, white background --style raw --v 6

Generate variations:

• Wordmark only (company name)
• Icon + wordmark
• Abstract symbol
• Lettermark (initials)

Pick top 3, refine in Figma or with a designer.

2. Homepage hero section (60 min)

Design the most important 500 pixels: your homepage hero.

Use Framer AI or Figma to create 3-5 variations testing:

• Different headline approaches
• Photography vs. illustration vs. product screenshot
• Color palette applications
• CTA button treatments

3. Brand style sample page (60 min)

Create a one-page "brand sample" showing:

• Logo lockups
• Color palette with hex codes
• Typography hierarchy (H1, H2, H3, body, small)
• Button styles (primary, secondary, ghost)
• Example of personality in action (sample headline + body copy)

This becomes your mini brand guide.

Hour 4-5: Customer validation (2 hours)

Show your brand concepts to 5-7 people in your ICP. This can be async (email screenshots) or sync (quick calls).

Questions:

1. "When you see this brand, what kind of company do you think this is?"
   (Listen: Do they correctly identify your category and personality?)

2. "How does this make you feel?"
   (Listen: Does it match your personality sliders?)

3. "If I showed you this next to [competitor], could you tell them apart?"
   (Listen: Is your differentiation clear?)

4. "On a scale of 1-5, how much does this feel like a company you'd trust with [your product's job]?"
   (Listen: Does brand match the seriousness of what you do?)

5. "What's one word you'd use to describe this brand?"
   (Listen: Do the words cluster around your intended personality?)

Red flags:

❌ "Looks like every other [category] company"
❌ "Feels a bit amateur" (when you're going for professional)
❌ "Too corporate for me" (when you're going for friendly)
❌ Confusion about what you do

Green flags:

✅ Words align with your personality sliders
✅ "This feels different from [competitors]"
✅ "I would trust this company"
✅ Immediate understanding of what you do

Deliverable: Brand guide (V1) + AI assets

By the end of Sprint 3, you should have:

1. Brand foundation document:

• Vision, What/How/Why, Values
• Personality sliders
• Visual identity (colors, typography, style)

2. Visual assets:

• Logo (primary and variations)
• Color palette
• Typography system
• Homepage hero mockup

3. AI-ready brand assets:

• Brand voice prompt template
• Brand voice evaluation rubric
• Brand context file for AI tools

4. Validation notes:

• Customer feedback on brand concepts
• Adjustments needed

Why AI assets matter

Traditional brand guides are PDFs that sit in Google Drive, rarely referenced. AI brand assets are living tools that get used every day:

• Marketer writing email? Paste brand context into ChatGPT
• Founder drafting tweet? Use brand voice prompt
• Designer creating ad? Reference brand eval rubric

This ensures consistency at scale, even with small teams or solo founders using AI to multiply output.

The result: Every touchpoint (website, email, social, support, sales) feels coherent and reinforces your positioning.