➤ What it is: The brand’s outward appearance—how it presents itself to the world.
➤ Inspired by: Carl Jung’s Persona

The mask we wear to adapt to society’s expectations.

➤ In Shade:
Shroud defines the public-facing identity of a brand: its voice, aesthetic, tone, and immediate impression.
It’s the part that audiences see first—what attracts, entices, and intrigues.

➤ Shroud Controls:

• Visual identity

• Verbal identity (voice, tone, messaging)

• Marketing expression

• Campaign direction

• First-touch storytelling

Think of it as the brand's "mask"—a conscious projection

➤ What it is: The brand’s strategic mind—the navigator.
➤ Inspired by: Jung’s Ego

The center of willpower, decision-making, and identity.

➤ In Shade:
Helm is the seat of logic, strategy, and intention. It drives how the brand thinks, makes decisions, and grows.
It’s the conscious steering mechanism that integrates both internal and external information.

➤ Helm Controls:

• Strategic thinking

• Positioning

• Market approach

• Decision-making frameworks

• Business development

Helm is your brand’s rational compass, setting course while weighing risk and reward.

➤ What it is: The brand’s unchanging core—the soul.
➤ Inspired by: Jung’s Self

The integrated, whole self that connects the conscious and unconscious.

➤ In Shade:
Anchor is the core belief system—the foundational identity that never changes, no matter how the brand evolves externally.
It holds the other four components together.

➤ Anchor Controls:

• Brand philosophy

• Purpose and meaning

• Core values

• Long-term consistency

• Internal alignment

The Anchor is the immutable truth of the brand. It’s not what the brand sells—it’s what it stands for.

➤ What it is: The brand’s shadow, hidden tension, or internal conflict.
➤ Inspired by: Carl Jung’s Shadow

The unacknowledged parts of the psyche—both weaknesses and untapped power.

➤ In Shade:
Darkling is the inverse of the brand’s identity. It’s not just what the brand struggles with—it’s also what the brand is not.
This contrast helps define the edges of the brand and reveals depth that makes it human, complex, and real.
It’s also the source of mythic, antagonist energy—what the brand opposes, what it fears becoming, or what it must constantly resist.

➤ Darkling Controls:

• The brand’s core tension and contradiction

• What the brand is not (non-identity, anti-values)

• Narrative depth and emotional stakes

• Crisis response tone and authenticity in vulnerability

• The mythic “antagonist” energy (what you exist to challenge or overcome)

By identifying what the brand is not, the Darkling creates clarity, contrast, and narrative gravity.
Without shadow, there’s no silhouette.

➤ What it is: The brand’s emotional resonance—how it’s perceived, felt, and loved.
➤ Inspired by: Jung’s Anima/Animus

The soul’s complement and conduit—how we relate, desire, and form connection.

➤ In Shade:
Echo is both the emotional mirror and cultural amplifier. It represents:

1. The audience’s deep, often unspoken reasons for attraction—why they’re drawn to the brand, what emotional need it fulfills.

2. How the audience in turn influences the brand through interaction, demand, and reflection.

It uses psychological tools (like Love Languages and Attachment Theory) to design the brand’s relational style—how it expresses care, maintains loyalty, and adapts its tone over time.

➤ Echo Controls:

• Audience insight and emotional triggers

• Brand receptivity and attunement to cultural feedback

• Customer experience and relational tone

• Loyalty and retention systems

• The why behind audience attraction

• How the audience shapes or evolves the brand

Echo doesn’t just ask: “Who do we speak to?” It asks:
“Why do they love us? How do we love them back? And how do they change us?”