# Phase 0: Emotive Narrative **Create the soul of the brand before any visual work begins.** This is the foundation that gives the LLM deep memory of what this project truly means — the humanity, the ethos, the emotional core that will inform every design decision. --- ## Purpose Before logos, colors, or typography, establish **why this project matters to humans.** This phase creates: - Deep emotional understanding for the LLM - A narrative that guides all creative decisions - The "feel" that should permeate every visual choice - Connection to human experience and meaning **Time:** 20-30 minutes **Output:** Emotive brand narrative (becomes first section of DESIGN.md) --- ## The Critical Understanding **This is not marketing copy.** This is a meditation on: - What human need this addresses - The emotional landscape it inhabits - The transformation it creates - The beauty of its purpose Write as if capturing the essence of something that deeply matters. --- ## Process ### Step 1: Understand the Human Context (10 min) If you have codebase access, research: - What problem does this solve? - Who struggles without it? - What changes when it exists? - What does it make possible? Look for: - User pain points in docs - Mission statements - Comments in code showing care - README language — is it warm? Technical? Aspirational? **If no codebase access:** Ask the user to describe what they're building and why it matters to them personally. --- ### Step 2: Find the Emotional Territory (10 min) **Use these research frameworks to identify the emotional landscape:** #### A. Emotional Mapping (Plutchik's Wheel) Map the project to primary emotions and their combinations: | Core Emotion | Brand Application | Combined States | |--------------|-------------------|-----------------| | **Joy** | Delight, satisfaction | Joy + Trust = Love (strong brand loyalty) | | **Trust** | Reliability, confidence | Trust + Fear = Submission (depends on you) | | **Fear** | Concern, caution | Fear + Surprise = Awe (respect for power) | | **Surprise** | Discovery, novelty | Surprise + Joy = Delight (aha moments) | | **Sadness** | Reflection, depth | Sadness + Joy = Nostalgia (emotional resonance) | | **Anticipation** | Expectation, hope | Anticipation + Joy = Optimism (future-focused) | **Exercise:** What emotion does your project transform? - From [negative emotion] → To [positive emotion] - Example: From anxiety (fear) → To confidence (trust + anticipation) #### B. Sensory + Emotional Archetypes **Match project type to emotional territory:** | Project Type | Emotional Territory | Sensory Associations | |--------------|-------------------|---------------------| | **Infrastructure/Tools** | Relief, confidence, freedom from worry, invisible support | Smooth surfaces, quiet hum, green indicators | | **Analytics/Data** | Clarity, discovery, aha moments, seeing patterns | Light breaking through, clear water, sharp focus | | **Collaboration** | Connection, shared understanding, belonging | Warm spaces, circle formations, harmonious sounds | | **Security** | Safety, trust, peace of mind, protection | Solid walls, locked vaults, steady weight | | **Creative Tools** | Expression, flow, possibility, play | Fluid motion, blank canvas, vibrant color | | **Education** | Growth, curiosity, transformation, capability | Opening doors, climbing stairs, expanding horizons | | **Finance** | Stability, control, agency, confidence | Solid foundation, balanced scales, growing trees | | **Health/Wellness** | Care, vitality, self-knowledge, balance | Gentle touch, rhythmic breath, centered balance | **Choose 2-3 emotional notes** that resonate with what this project enables. #### C. Brand Archetype Research **Identify which archetype(s) align with your project:** | Archetype | Core Desire | Emotional Appeal | Visual Feeling | |-----------|-------------|------------------|----------------| | **The Hero** | Mastery, courage | Empowerment, achievement | Bold, active, upward | | **The Sage** | Understanding, truth | Wisdom, clarity | Calm, measured, illuminated | | **The Explorer** | Freedom, discovery | Adventure, autonomy | Open, expansive, frontier | | **The Innocent** | Safety, simplicity | Trust, optimism | Pure, light, uncomplicated | | **The Creator** | Innovation, expression | Imagination, originality | Dynamic, artistic, transformative | | **The Caregiver** | Service, compassion | Nurturing, protection | Warm, enveloping, gentle | | **The Ruler** | Control, order | Authority, stability | Structured, commanding, premium | | **The Magician** | Transformation, vision | Wonder, possibility | Mysterious, transcendent, alchemical | | **The Rebel** | Liberation, disruption | Revolution, independence | Edgy, provocative, breaking rules | | **The Lover** | Intimacy, passion | Connection, beauty | Sensual, rich, immersive | | **The Jester** | Joy, fun | Playfulness, lightheartedness | Whimsical, unexpected, energetic | | **The Everyman** | Belonging, authenticity | Relatability, honesty | Approachable, grounded, familiar | **Exercise:** If your project were a person, which archetype would they be? - Primary archetype: [main identity] - Secondary archetype: [complementary trait] **Example:** Sorted.fund = The Sage (clarity, invisible systems) + The Caregiver (handling complexity for you) #### D. Jobs-to-be-Done Emotional Framework **What emotional "job" does your project fulfill?** | Functional Job | Emotional Job | Social Job | |----------------|---------------|------------| | What task does it perform? | How does it make them feel? | How does it affect their identity? | | "I need to..." | "I want to feel..." | "I want to be seen as..." | **Example:** - **Functional:** "I need to sponsor gas for my game" - **Emotional:** "I want to feel confident my players won't hit friction" - **Social:** "I want to be seen as a developer who cares about UX" **Fill in for your project:** 1. Functional job: [What they need to do] 2. Emotional job: [How they want to feel] 3. Social job: [How they want to be perceived] #### E. Visual Feeling Vocabulary **Build a sensory vocabulary for the narrative:** | Sense | Words to Consider | Example Application | |-------|------------------|---------------------| | **Visual** | Light/dark, sharp/soft, sparse/dense, warm/cool | "The green glow of a status indicator" | | **Tactile** | Smooth, rough, heavy, light, solid, fluid | "Solid infrastructure you can rely on" | | **Auditory** | Quiet, humming, clicking, silent, rhythmic | "The quiet confidence of systems that just work" | | **Spatial** | Expansive, compressed, layered, open, enclosed | "Everything in its place, organized and clear" | | **Movement** | Flowing, static, pulsing, ascending, settling | "Energy moving invisibly through pipes" | **Exercise:** Close your eyes and imagine your project as a physical space. - What does it look like? - How does it sound? - What textures are present? - How do you move through it? - What feeling does it give you? Write down 5-10 sensory details that emerge. Use these in the narrative. --- ### Research Output Template **Before writing the narrative, complete this:** ``` PROJECT: [Name] EMOTIONAL TRANSFORMATION: From: [Negative state] → To: [Positive state] PRIMARY EMOTIONS: 1. [Emotion + why it matters] 2. [Emotion + why it matters] ARCHETYPE: Primary: [Archetype] — [Why this fits] Secondary: [Archetype] — [Complementary trait] SENSORY VOCABULARY: Visual: [5 words/phrases] Tactile: [5 words/phrases] Spatial: [5 words/phrases] EMOTIONAL JOBS: Functional: [Task] Emotional: [Feeling] Social: [Identity] METAPHOR TERRITORY: [2-3 possible metaphors that connect the emotional + sensory + archetype] ``` **This becomes the foundation for writing the emotive narrative.** --- ### Step 3: Craft the Emotive Narrative (15 min) Write 4-6 paragraphs that capture: #### Paragraph 1: The Human Moment Open with a scene or moment that illustrates the need. - Don't say "users need X" - Instead: Show the friction, the frustration, the desire - Make it visceral and specific **Example:** > Every developer knows the moment: you're building something beautiful, and then you hit the wall. The user needs to make a transaction, but they don't have the right tokens. The flow breaks. The magic disappears into wallet prompts and blockchain jargon. What could have been seamless becomes an obstacle course. #### Paragraph 2: The Deeper Truth What does this moment reveal about the human condition or the state of things? - Connect to universal experiences - Name the tension or paradox - Show why this matters beyond the surface **Example:** > Blockchain promised freedom — freedom from intermediaries, from gatekeepers, from friction. But it replaced old friction with new: gas fees, wallet management, token bridging. The technology that was supposed to disappear became the thing users had to think about most. Infrastructure became foreground. #### Paragraph 3: The Transformation What becomes possible when this project exists? - Focus on the human change, not the technical feature - Use sensory, emotional language - Paint the "after" state **Example:** > Imagine infrastructure that truly disappears. A player clicks. Things happen. The game responds instantly, delightfully. Behind the scenes, gas is covered, transactions are batched, complexity is absorbed. But to the player? It just works. The way it always should have. The blockchain becomes what it was meant to be: invisible machinery making impossible things possible. #### Paragraph 4: The Ethos What values or principles guide this? - What do you believe about how things should be? - What are you saying no to? - What quality of experience are you committed to? **Example:** > This is infrastructure with an opinion. We believe the best technology is the kind you forget exists. We believe developers should build games, not payment flows. We believe players should feel joy, not friction. Everything flows from this: the warm, confident aesthetic; the obsessive attention to making complex things simple; the refusal to pass our technical burden onto users. #### Paragraph 5: The Personality How does this project move through the world? - What's its voice? - What energy does it carry? - How does it want to make people feel? **Example:** > [Brand] doesn't announce itself. It's not flashy or clever or trying to impress. It's the quiet confidence of infrastructure that simply works. Think of old libraries, power grids, the Tokyo metro — systems that disappear into reliability. But there's warmth here too. This isn't cold machinery; it's care made systematic. The green glow of a status indicator. The relief of "sorted." #### Paragraph 6: The North Star End with the guiding light — the thing that, when decisions are hard, points the way. **Example:** > When we're uncertain about a design choice, we ask: "Does this make something more invisible or more visible?" If we're making our cleverness visible, we're doing it wrong. If we're making the user's goal visible, we're getting there. The best design is the kind that disappears into function. That's the north star. That's sorted. --- ## Writing Guidelines ### Do: - ✅ Use concrete, specific scenes - ✅ Engage the senses (sight, sound, feeling) - ✅ Find the universal in the specific - ✅ Write with conviction and clarity - ✅ Let personality emerge naturally - ✅ Use metaphor sparingly but powerfully - ✅ Create emotional texture ### Don't: - ❌ Write generic marketing speak - ❌ Use buzzwords or jargon - ❌ Explain features instead of transformations - ❌ Be overly clever or ironic - ❌ Write in passive voice - ❌ Apologize or hedge ("we try to...") - ❌ Sound like every other tech brand --- ## Validation Checklist Before moving forward, check: - [ ] **Specificity:** Could this only be written about THIS project, or could it describe any similar product? - [ ] **Emotion:** Does it make you feel something when you read it? - [ ] **Memory:** Will an LLM reading this deeply understand what this project is about? - [ ] **Guidance:** Could someone make a design decision based on this narrative? - [ ] **Humanity:** Is there a human at the center, not just a product? - [ ] **Conviction:** Does it take a clear stance on how things should be? If any answer is no, revise before continuing. --- ## Anti-AI-Slop Principles for This Phase The emotive narrative is your first line of defense against generic design: **This narrative should prevent:** - Generic "clean and modern" aesthetics - Purple-to-blue gradients without reason - Rounded corners everywhere "because friendly" - Stock photo energy - Interchangeable visual language **By establishing:** - A specific emotional territory - Clear values and principles - A distinct personality - Standards for what "good" means here When Phase 2-5 happen, every visual choice should be testable against this narrative: > "Does this gradient express our belief in invisible infrastructure? No? Then why is it here?" --- ## Output Format ```markdown # [Brand Name]: Emotive Narrative ## The Human Moment [Paragraph 1: Open with a scene] ## The Deeper Truth [Paragraph 2: What this reveals] ## The Transformation [Paragraph 3: What becomes possible] ## The Ethos [Paragraph 4: Our values and principles] ## The Personality [Paragraph 5: How we move through the world] ## The North Star [Paragraph 6: The guiding light] ``` Save as: `[brand]-emotive-narrative.md` This becomes **Section 1** of the final DESIGN.md. --- ## Example: Sorted.fund ```markdown # Sorted.fund: Emotive Narrative ## The Human Moment Every game developer knows the moment: you've built something delightful, but then players need to make a transaction. Suddenly they're navigating wallet prompts, approving tokens, wondering why they need gas on a chain they've never heard of. The game disappears. The blockchain becomes foreground. Magic turns into homework. ## The Deeper Truth Blockchain promised to disappear into function — infrastructure you don't think about, like electricity or plumbing. But instead it became the thing users had to manage most. Gas fees, wallet states, bridging tokens. We solved for decentralization but created new friction. The promise of "just works" became a manual for "here's how to work it." ## The Transformation Sorted makes the blockchain disappear again. Players click. Things happen. Transactions go through. Behind the scenes — gas covered, operations batched, complexity absorbed. But to the player? It just works. Instantly, reliably, invisibly. The way infrastructure was always meant to be. Developers build games. Players play games. The machinery handles itself. ## The Ethos We believe the best infrastructure is the kind you forget exists. Not because it's simple — because it absorbs complexity so others don't have to. Every design choice flows from this: the warm but minimal aesthetic (infrastructure with confidence), the obsessive clarity of documentation (no confusion, no friction), the refusal to make our cleverness visible. If players notice us, we've failed. ## The Personality Sorted doesn't announce itself. No flashy landing pages, no "revolutionary" claims. Just: "It's handled. It's sorted." British understatement. The quiet competence of a power grid, a library system, the Tokyo metro. But there's warmth here — the green glow of a status light, the relief when something just works. Confidence without showboating. Care made systematic. ## The North Star When unsure about a design decision: "Does this make our infrastructure more visible or less visible?" If we're showing off how clever we are, we're wrong. If we're disappearing so the game can shine, we're getting there. The best design is the kind that becomes invisible. That's the standard. ``` --- ## Gate Check 1. Present the complete emotive narrative to the user 2. Ask: **"Phase 0 Gate Check — Does this capture the soul of what we're building? Approved to proceed to Phase 1: Discovery?"** 3. On approval: update `.brand-progress.md` → Phase 0: COMPLETE 4. Only proceed to Phase 1 when user explicitly approves Only move forward when the narrative resonates. --- ## Why This Matters This narrative becomes the **emotional context** that every subsequent phase references: - **Phase 2 (Visual Direction):** What aesthetic movement expresses these values? - **Phase 3 (Logo):** What mark embodies this personality? - **Phase 4 (Typography):** What fonts carry this voice? - **Phase 5 (System):** What colors feel like this ethos? Without this foundation, you get technically correct but soulless design. With it, every choice has meaning.