Brand Strategy and Its Application in Visual and Verbal Design Systems

When most people hear the term “brand strategy,” they often picture a positioning statement, a target audience profile, or a brand promise. While those elements are critical, brand strategy doesn’t live in a vacuum. Its real value emerges when it actively shapes how a brand looks, sounds, and behaves across every touchpoint. This is where visual and verbal design systems come into play — they translate strategy into reality, ensuring your brand is both seen and understood the way you intended.

In this article, we’ll break down how brand strategy influences visual and verbal design systems, why that alignment matters, and how successful brands craft systems that not only look beautiful and sound distinctive — but also work as tools to reinforce brand positioning, values, and personality.

First, What is a Visual and Verbal Design System?

Visual Design System

A visual design system is the complete set of design rules, elements, and assets that guide how a brand presents itself visually. This includes:

• Logo variations

• Typography hierarchy

• Color palette

• Photography styles

• Illustration guidelines

• Layout grids and composition

• Motion and interaction styles (for digital products)

It’s not just about creating something pretty; a design system is a strategic framework that ensures every visual element tells the same brand story, whether it’s on a website, packaging, or social post.

Verbal Design System

A verbal design system defines how a brand speaks — the voice, tone, and language it uses to communicate. It typically includes:

• Brand voice principles (e.g., bold, empathetic, witty)

• Tone guidance for different situations (e.g., customer service vs. product launches)

• Key messaging pillars

• Signature phrases or taglines

• Writing style preferences (e.g., conversational vs. formal)

The goal is to make sure the brand’s personality, positioning, and values come through consistently in every piece of text, from web copy to social captions to internal emails.

The Bridge Between Brand Strategy and Design Systems

Brand strategy is the why — why the brand exists, who it serves, how it’s different, and why people should care. Visual and verbal design systems are the how — how that strategy comes to life in design, language, and behavior.

Without a clear strategy, design systems become superficial — a collection of arbitrary design choices and disconnected messages. Without strong design systems, strategy remains theoretical — a set of ideas no one sees, hears, or experiences. It’s the interplay between these layers that creates authentic, memorable brands.

Example: A Purpose-Driven Outdoor Gear Brand

Brand Strategy: This brand’s strategy centers around sustainability, rugged durability, and a “built for adventure” positioning aimed at environmentally conscious explorers.

• Visual Design System: Earthy color palette, functional typography, product photography that highlights natural landscapes, minimal packaging with recycled materials.

• Verbal Design System: Confident, direct language with a sense of camaraderie (“Gear Up. Leave No Trace.”), technical product descriptions mixed with personal storytelling.

Here, both design systems reflect the strategy — sustainability, adventure, and authenticity come through in how the brand looks and speaks.

Key Brand Strategy Elements that Influence Design Systems

1. Brand Purpose

What It Is: The deeper reason your brand exists beyond making money.

• Visual Impact: Purpose-driven brands often favor design choices that feel authentic, unpolished, or human-centered.

• Verbal Impact: Messaging highlights the “why” behind the brand, making purpose a central storytelling theme.

2. Brand Values

What It Is: Core beliefs that guide your brand’s behavior and decision-making.

• Visual Impact: Values like innovation, inclusivity, or craftsmanship may influence color choices, imagery, or even typeface selections.

• Verbal Impact: Values shape voice principles — whether your tone is authoritative, playful, or nurturing.

3. Target Audience

What It Is: Who you’re serving, their needs, desires, and expectations.

• Visual Impact: Designs should appeal to audience aesthetics and cultural preferences.

• Verbal Impact: Language, tone, and even humor should reflect how your audience talks and thinks.

4. Competitive Positioning

What It Is: How you stand apart from competitors.

• Visual Impact: If competitors use generic corporate blues and stock photos, your system might lean into bold colors, hand-drawn elements, or unexpected layouts.

• Verbal Impact: Your messaging will avoid category clichés and focus on highlighting what makes you different.

5. Brand Personality

What It Is: The human traits you want associated with your brand.

• Visual Impact: A playful personality might translate to bright colors, irregular shapes, and quirky illustrations.

• Verbal Impact: That same personality might call for witty copy, cultural references, or self-aware humor.

Building Cohesion Between Visual and Verbal Systems

A brand feels truly cohesive when what it says and how it looks work together seamlessly. This doesn’t mean they have to be literal matches — but they should feel like they come from the same DNA.

Example: A Wellness Brand for Gen Z

• Visual System: Pastel color gradients, fluid organic shapes, influencer photography, soft sans-serif typography.

• Verbal System: Casual, meme-aware tone with moments of self-care sincerity (“You deserve a little ✨ you time ✨.”).

Here, the verbal and visual elements align around the brand’s strategy — approachable, modern, and culturally fluent wellness.

Practical Tip: Shared Brand Attributes

Create a set of brand attributes (e.g., innovative, approachable, bold) and use them as a checkpoint for both visual and verbal decisions. Every design or copy choice should reflect at least one attribute.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

1. Treating Visual and Verbal Systems as Separate Projects

Designers and copywriters shouldn’t work in silos. Collaborative workshops where strategy, visuals, and messaging are developed in tandem lead to more integrated outcomes.

2. Using Strategy as a Buzzword, Not a Filter

If your brand strategy says you’re innovative, but your design system looks conservative and your messaging reads like every competitor, the strategy isn’t doing its job.

3. Ignoring Internal Adoption

Design systems and tone guidelines aren’t just for agencies — they need to be embraced by internal teams across marketing, sales, and customer service. Training and playbooks make adoption easier.

Case Study: Oatly – A Masterclass in Strategy-Led Systems

Strategy: Disruptive challenger brand taking on dairy with bold transparency and irreverence.

• Visual System: Hand-drawn typography, chaotic layouts, minimal colors.

• Verbal System: Playful, self-aware, and direct (“It’s like milk but made for humans”).

Oatly’s success comes from how tightly their design systems embody their rebellious, human-centric strategy. Their words and visuals aren’t just aesthetic choices — they’re active tools that communicate their positioning.

Final Thoughts

A brand strategy only becomes real when it informs how your brand looks, speaks, and acts. Visual and verbal design systems aren’t just tactical deliverables — they’re the primary vehicles for expressing your positioning, values, and personality to the world.

When done well, your design systems become extensions of your strategy, helping audiences immediately grasp who you are, what you stand for, and why they should care — all without needing a brand deck to explain it.

Takeaway for Brand Leaders

If your brand strategy lives only in documents and workshops, it’s time to ask:

• Does our visual identity reflect our strategic positioning?

• Does our messaging sound like the brand we say we are?

• Would a customer, with no context, intuitively understand who we are from how we look and sound?

When strategy, visuals, and voice work in harmony, your brand doesn’t just exist — it resonates.