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.

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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:

1. Can you say it in one breath without pausing?
2. Does it sound natural spoken aloud, not just on paper?
3. 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

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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.

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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

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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]

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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)

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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

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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.