Brand Copywriting Constraints
A lightweight constraint reference for brand copy. The LLM already knows how to write — this skill provides the specific limits, structures, and rules that turn generic copy into brand-precise copy.
TAGLINE RULES
A tagline is the single most compressed expression of a brand. It appears on logos, business cards, social covers, and packaging.
Structure
- Length: 3-5 words maximum. No exceptions.
- No period at the end (taglines are not sentences).
- No brand name in the tagline (it appears alongside, not inside).
Approved Patterns
| Pattern | Example | When to Use |
|---|
| Imperative verb | "Think Different" | Action-oriented brands |
| Statement | "Beauty Outside. Beast Inside." | Dual-nature positioning |
| Noun phrase | "The Ultimate Driving Machine" | Category ownership |
| Question | "What's in Your Wallet?" | Engagement / curiosity |
Memorability Test
Before finalizing, check:
- Can you say it in one breath without pausing?
- Does it sound natural spoken aloud, not just on paper?
- Does it work without context — would someone understand the vibe even without seeing the brand?
Avoid
- Generic superlatives ("The Best", "World-Class", "Premium")
- Puns that require explanation
- Industry jargon the target audience wouldn't use casually
- More than one clause or conjunction
BRAND VOICE SPECTRUM
Define the brand voice along four axes. Each axis is a continuum — pick a position for the brand.
| Axis | Left Pole | Right Pole | What It Governs |
|---|
| Formality | Formal | Casual | Vocabulary, contractions, sentence structure |
| Tone | Serious | Playful | Humor, metaphor, punctuation style |
| Complexity | Technical | Accessible | Jargon level, explanation depth |
| Energy | Reserved | Bold | Exclamation, caps, directness |
Example Voice Profile
Brand: Aether Coffee
Formality: ████████░░ (8/10 — leans formal, no slang)
Tone: ███░░░░░░░ (3/10 — mostly serious, quiet confidence)
Complexity: ██░░░░░░░░ (2/10 — very accessible, no jargon)
Energy: █████░░░░░ (5/10 — balanced, neither loud nor whispered)
Voice summary: Calm authority. Speaks like a knowledgeable barista
who respects your time — precise, unhurried, no fluff.
Applying Voice
Once defined, the voice profile governs ALL copy: tagline tone, philosophy register, business card formality, social bio energy. Never break character across touchpoints.
BRAND PHILOSOPHY MANIFESTO
The brand philosophy is a 3-5 paragraph statement (150-300 words) that articulates WHY the brand exists and WHAT it believes. This is distinct from the design philosophy (which governs visual aesthetics).
Structure
| Paragraph | Content | Purpose |
|---|
| 1 | The tension or problem | Why does this brand need to exist? |
| 2 | The brand's core belief | What does it stand for? What principle drives it? |
| 3 | How the belief manifests | How does this belief shape what the brand does? |
| 4 (optional) | The vision | Where is this heading? What future does the brand enable? |
| 5 (optional) | The invitation | Bring the reader in — "This is for people who..." |
Writing Rules
- First person plural ("We believe...") or third person ("The brand exists to...")
- Present tense throughout — philosophies are timeless, not historical
- No bullet points — flowing prose only
- Every sentence must pass the "so what?" test: if it could apply to any brand, cut it
- Concrete over abstract: "We roast in 12-gram batches" beats "We pursue quality"
Avoid
- Mission-statement clichés ("leveraging synergies", "empowering stakeholders")
- Vague values ("innovation", "excellence", "passion") without concrete grounding
- More than 300 words — a manifesto that needs scrolling has lost its power
BUSINESS CARD COPY
Content Slots
| Slot | Content | Max Length | Example |
|---|
| Name | Full name (or placeholder) | 30 chars | [Your Name] |
| Title | Role / position | 2-4 words | Founder & Head Roaster |
| Email | Contact email | — | [email@example.com] |
| Phone | Phone number | — | [+1 (555) 000-0000] |
| Website | URL without protocol | — | [yoursite.com] |
| Address | City + Country or full | 1 line | [City, Country] |
| Tagline | Brand tagline | 3-5 words | From tagline rules above |
Hierarchy
The name is always the largest text element. Title is subordinate (smaller size, lighter weight). Contact details are grouped, smallest text, consistent alignment.
Placeholder Convention
When creating a template (not for a specific person), use square-bracket placeholders:
[Your Name], [Your Title], [email@example.com], [+1 (555) 000-0000], [yoursite.com]
SOCIAL MEDIA COPY
Bio (Profile Description)
- Maximum: 160 characters (Twitter/X limit; works everywhere)
- Structure:
[What you do] + [For whom or how] + [Optional tagline]
- Example:
Small-batch coffee roasted for design professionals. Fuel for focus.
- No hashtags in the bio — they look desperate
- No emojis unless the brand voice is ≥7/10 on the Playful axis
Cover Text
The social media cover image contains minimal text — the visual does the heavy lifting.
- Brand name: always present, prominent
- Tagline: one line, 3-5 words (from tagline rules)
- Supporting line (optional): max 10 words, descriptive not promotional
- Total text on cover: never more than 15 words combined
- Minimum font size: 24pt (must be legible on mobile at 375px screen width)
CONTEXT-SPECIFIC LENGTH LIMITS
Quick reference for maximum copy lengths across all brand touchpoints:
| Context | Max Words | Max Characters | Notes |
|---|
| Tagline | 5 | 35 | No period, no brand name |
| Brand philosophy | 300 | — | 3-5 paragraphs |
| Business card name | 4 | 30 | Full name only |
| Business card title | 4 | 30 | Role descriptor |
| Social bio | 25 | 160 | Single line |
| Social cover tagline | 5 | 35 | Same as tagline |
| Social cover support line | 10 | 60 | Optional descriptor |
| Brand spec section headers | 4 | — | Short and scannable |
NAMING CONVENTIONS
When the user has not provided a brand name, generate one following these principles:
- 1-2 words maximum (compounds like "Airbnb" count as one)
- Easy to spell after hearing it once
- Easy to pronounce in English (and ideally internationally)
- Domain-friendly: avoid special characters, hyphens, numbers
- Not generic: must feel ownable, not like a dictionary word alone
Name Generation Approaches
| Approach | Example | When to Use |
|---|
| Coined word | Spotify, Hulu | Tech / digital brands |
| Compound | Airbnb, YouTube | Descriptive + memorable |
| Real word (recontextualized) | Apple, Amazon | Bold category disruption |
| Foreign word | Audi (Latin: "listen") | Sophistication, heritage |
| Abbreviation | IBM, BMW | Only if full name is established |
Propose 2-3 name options with brief rationale. Let the user choose or say "surprise me" to pick the strongest.