5 branding exercises for startups

A focused set of five branding exercises for startups preparing positioning, messaging, and identity work.

Dima Lepokhin
Dima Lepokhin
published Oct 19, 2023·last updated Apr 27, 2026
1 min read

These five branding exercises are for startups that need a clear brief before identity work. They are narrower than a full brand strategy. The goal is to make the first hard choices visible.

The five exercises

Audience split
Output
Buyer, user, influencer, non-customer
Category sentence
Output
A plain one-line description of what the product is
Promise and proof
Output
The core claim and the evidence behind it
Competitor contrast
Output
What the startup refuses to look or sound like
Voice sample
Output
A short paragraph in the tone the brand should use

How to use the output

Turn the output into a one-page brief: audience, category, promise, proof, tone, visual cues, and open questions. If the brief is not clear, do not start visual identity yet.

For the fuller exercise set, read branding exercises for startups. For startup branding, see 14 simple branding tips for startups.

FAQ

When the product is strong, but the brand story has fallen behind

At heartbeat, we help AI-native and high-growth teams turn complex products into sharper brands, clearer websites, and product experiences people understand.

GovEagle

AI-native GovCon workspace

GovEagle helps government contractors connect pursuit knowledge across BD, capture, proposals, and delivery.

We turned the rebrand into a connected brand, messaging, UX, website, and development system.

  • YC W23
  • $2.5M raised
  • 100+ GovCon customers
  • $1B+ awards won by customers

Hyros

AI-powered ad tracking and attribution

Hyros helps performance teams track revenue across paid channels and feed cleaner data into AI-driven marketing decisions.

We refreshed the brand, improved core UI surfaces, redesigned the website, and supported the product with senior execution.

  • 3,000+ global businesses
  • $3.5B tracked ad spend
  • Founded by Alex Becker
  • AI ad attribution

Emhance

AI-powered playtesting for mobile games

Emhance helps game teams understand player emotion through eye-tracking, facial coding, and AI-powered creative analysis.

We created the identity, brand guidelines, launch video direction, and website experience for a sharper market launch.

  • Formerly Sensemitter
  • Official Google Partner
  • Mytona, Voodoo, Nexters
  • Eye-tracking and facial coding