Brand DNA: The Foundation of a Human Tech Brand
- Gemma
- Apr 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 26
Uncovering what your brand truly stands for.
What does your brand believe in?
Not the features. Not the roadmap.
But the reason it exists. The values that shape it. The way it shows up in the world.
In the rush of product releases, campaign planning and growth targets, it’s easy to let this kind of reflection slide. Especially in SaaS, where speed and iteration are often seen as the priority.
But clarity of identity isn’t something that slows you down. It’s what holds everything together.
That’s what Brand DNA is all about.
But what exactly is Brand DNA?
Brand DNA is the internal structure that defines what your brand stands for.
It’s not just your logo or colour palette.
It’s the set of beliefs, behaviours and personality traits that guide how your brand sounds, acts and communicates.
It includes:
Your purpose – Why you exist beyond making a profit
Your beliefs – What you stand for and against
Your values – The behaviours you reward and protect
Your mission – What you’re working toward every day
Your personality – How you express yourself as a brand
When these elements are clear, everything else (design, copy, strategy, marketing) has something solid to build from.
Why Brand DNA often gets overlooked
SaaS brands are under pressure to grow fast and evolve constantly. This often means jumping straight into tactics and output, with branding focused on visuals and features rather than foundations.
But without something deeper guiding that work, brands drift.
What starts as a few small inconsistencies – a website that sounds different from a product email, or a sales deck that uses a different tone from your social posts – eventually leads to a brand that feels unclear, even to the people building it.
That kind of confusion slows everything down.
What it looks like when DNA is missing
A brand without a defined DNA often feels slightly out of sync, even if everything looks fine on the surface.
Some common signs include:
Teams describing the brand in very different ways
Tone of Voice that changes from one campaign to the next
Messaging that feels generic or uncertain
Design choices that feel disjointed
Customers who understand what the product does, but not what the brand is about
The brand becomes a collection of efforts, not a connected experience and that makes it harder to build trust or recognition over time.
Why internal clarity matters, especially for remote teams
With more SaaS companies operating remotely or globally, alignment is more important than ever.
When people aren’t working in the same space, the brand needs to be something they can carry with them, not just rely on someone else to check.
That’s where Brand DNA, as part of an overall brand strategy becomes useful. It gives every team, in every timezone, a shared reference point.
Whether you’re writing a blog post, designing a landing page or replying to a support ticket, the brand feels like it’s coming from the same source.
What happens when DNA is clear
When a brand’s DNA is well-defined and shared, you start to see a few consistent patterns:
Teams feel more confident about how to communicate
Messaging feels coherent across different platforms
Content reflects a clear personality
Design decisions are easier to make and explain
Customers begin to describe the brand using language you intentionally shaped
It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being recognisable.
This kind of familiarity builds trust.
How to start defining your Brand DNA
Start with a few simple, but thoughtful questions:
1. What do we believe?
What are the ideas or principles that feel central to how your brand operates?
What do you stand for in your space?
What would your brand never do?
Even one or two clearly defined beliefs can help anchor your voice and messaging.
2. Why do we exist?
Think beyond your product features.
What role does your brand play in someone’s day or in the broader industry?
What change are you trying to make?
This doesn’t have to be lofty. Just meaningful.
3. What do we value?
Rather than listing traits like “innovation” or “integrity,” try asking how those values show up in action.
For example:
“We value simplicity” becomes “We write emails in plain language, not jargon”
“We value trust” becomes “We share case studies and past experiences to build trust”
The more practical, the better.
4. What is our brand’s personality?
This is my favourite one, because it helps to see the brand as if it were a real person.
So ask yourself and your team, how would it speak?
What kind of humour, tone, pace and energy does it have?
You can use reference points like character traits, archetypes or tone of voice grids to explore this.
Then test it. Does that voice show up in your latest campaign? On your homepage? In your social media messages?
If not, how could you adapt it?
Documentation makes it real
One of the biggest shifts comes from moving Brand DNA out of your people’s heads and into something documented.
This could be:
A short brand belief and values guide
A tone of voice reference
A message map for internal and external language
A visual and verbal toolkit for new joiners or freelancers
The goal isn’t formality. It’s usability.
It’s about making sure the clarity you’ve defined can be shared, applied and adapted.
Especially when teams are remote, this kind of shared reference helps build consistency without needing constant input or approval.
Brand DNA is a foundation, not a campaign
It’s not something you “launch” with a big announcement. It’s something you return to as the brand grows.
The more it’s embedded, the more your brand starts to feel cohesive and human — not just polished.
Because it’s speaking from the same truth, across every part of the experience.
Why now is a good time to explore it
If your SaaS brand has grown quickly, or if your messaging feels slightly inconsistent, this might be a good point to pause and check in.
Ask:
Do we have a shared way of talking about who we are?
Does our messaging feel like it’s coming from one voice?
Can new team members quickly understand what we stand for?
Is there a reference for remote teams to check-in with when creating brand communications?
Are we telling a story that goes deeper than our features?
There’s no pressure to get it all perfect. But bringing more definition to your brand’s DNA now can prevent misalignment later.
It can make the whole business feel more connected — to its values, its team and its audience.
Ready to define your brand's core identity?
Let's uncover the values and voice that make your brand unique. Book a discovery call to start the conversation.
About the Author
Gemma Johnson is a Brand Consultant and Creative Director at Emotion Brands. With over 20 years of experience spanning global consumer names like Davines, Secret Escapes, Wella Professionals and L'Oréal – she now helps growing tech and SaaS brands define who they are – and express it with clarity, consistency and emotion.
Gemma blends strategy and design with a deep interest in consumer psychology, sustainability and the emotional drivers behind brand connection. Her approach is thoughtful, human, and always evolving.
To explore case studies, visit emotionbrands.co.uk/case-studies
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