An Oracle for Branding? Why We Created The Brand Archetype Oracle

Can an Oracle Really Help You Build a Brand?

You might be biased. You might think: what does branding have to do with an oracle? You might be used to strategic frameworks and only that. So here’s the story of how The Brand Archetype Oracle came into being.

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The Early Beginning of The Brand Archetype Oracle

It all started over two years ago. I had just gotten back to Germany from a 21-month-long journey through Asia. During those last weeks that I spent in Morocco before coming back, I revisited a topic that—as a brand designer—had been part of my work for a long time: brand archetypes. I shared 12 posts on Instagram about how you can use Jung’s archetypes for brand strategy and design.

That’s when Rike from Local Desk called me. We’d known each other for years, frequently talking about our design businesses and personal development. She had noticed I was also using tarot. And she shared that she had a vague idea sitting in her head: why not combine brand archetypes with tarot cards?!

I was hooked immediately and we dove into brainstorming and first concepts. At first, this was supposed to be a physical product. A card deck. Combined with an in-depth guidebook that would not only describe the archetypes but also inspire with visual ideas. We developed the archetypes, the overall idea of how this would work, and a brand design, as well as a whole proposal—then sent it out to publishers and waited. (We’ll show you more of that one day.)

The reaction, in short: Nobody was truly interested in it. Most didn’t even bother to answer, except one card publisher, who we decided wasn’t the right fit at that time for various reasons.

Then we got diverted by other projects and life. The Oracle had to wait.

The Breakthrough — A Completely New Approach

But we also never stopped thinking about it. During our calls (of which there were many), we always said: we need to stay on the ball.

That’s when, one day, I just had to try it myself: a digital version of The Brand Archetype Oracle. Something we could build by ourselves, without the need for bigger funding.

I got to work, and we managed to build an actual online tool for oracle readings with our now 55 brand archetypes. This was such a huge step!

And we realized again why we did this in the first place: to show that branding can be more than just looks alone, but also more than just strategic brand verbiage. We had actually managed to develop something that combined:

A) An intuitive approach we normally only know from tarot, and

B) The strategic background needed in the business and branding world to actually build and grow brands.

A breakthrough!

A brand is not only something you develop. Not only a product with a logo on top. Often, brands emerge through their founders. There are energies, values, character traits woven into them. The Brand Archetype Oracle helps you spot them. Talk about them. Use them.

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What The Brand Archetype Oracle Actually Is

The Brand Archetype Oracle is a reimagined card deck complete with The BAO Guidebook.

Right now, as a digital product, this means:

There’s a browser-based tool in which you can “draw” three cards, similarly to a three-card tarot spread. We developed a system in which you can explore a brand’s core identity, its expression in the world, and its promise—the transformation it offers.

What you do with this is up to you. Of course, you can also use The Oracle for other placements. Feel free!

What always remains is: You draw from a selection of 55 cards. Each card represents a unique brand archetype, like The Rebel, The Visionary Creator, or The Ground. This is our interpretation of modern archetypal work.

Each card comes with a message. Something you can quickly absorb and feel into.

But if you want to go deeper, that’s when The BAO Guidebook comes into play. Here, you’ll find even more for each archetype: their mantra, their key characteristics, their shadow, their possible expression through voice and appearance, how this archetype influences or impacts others, and action steps as well as a specific journaling prompt.

Honestly, this is only our MVP of a guidebook. We envision even more depth, even more value. But it’s OUR starting point to bring this product into the world, and we’re super proud of that.

There’ll Be More — Oracle for Branding

As I already implied, there’s more to come. For now, more insights for you on the current, digital product—so this post doesn’t get too long to digest. But also the product itself. We do still see a physical product in the future as well. So this first digital version will only be our entry point into something bigger. Something revolutionary. We believe branding needs more depth! And The Brand Archetype Oracle will help anyone working with brands to find it. 

Where’s The Brand Archetype Oracle Going?

Right now, we’re finalizing The Guidebook. Rike and I are working on this project as a two-woman team, no one else included. Which is why your support would mean the world to us. Join the waitlist, follow and share our IG channel, talk about The BAO with your peers. And keep your eyes peeled for the launch, which will hopefully start later this year. The first oracle for branding is coming!

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