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Brand Thinking Canvas

Brand Thinking Canvas

Anne Miltenburg · Brand The Change · 2014

Introduction
Two Canvases for Who You Are and Who Needs to Know

Anne Miltenburg built the Brand Thinking Canvas after a decade as a designer and creative strategist at brand agencies, where she struggled to bridge strategy and design and to show brand as a force behind both action and communication (Miltenburg, 2020, introduction and Acts One to Five). From 2011 she tested a 30-page workbook built on Marty Neumeier's five questions (who are you, what do you do, why does it matter, who needs to know, how will they find out) and distilled its pages into one model of interlocking circles. She tested it at the creative leadership school THNK in 2014 (Miltenburg, 2020, Act Six), and in November 2014 she reported from the first stop of a pilot tour with the canvas, in Tunisia (Miltenburg, 2014). The canvas has two parts, "Who are you?" and "Who is your audience?", and is meant as "a blueprint behind the magic" of a strong brand (Brand The Change, n.d., introduction). Its rings separate the brand core, the identity that expresses it and six points of interaction with audiences (Brand The Change, 2023, book pp. 62–63). Miltenburg sees it as "not just a model" but also "a process of co-creation and ideation, and a compass for implementation", best used in a workshop (Miltenburg, 2020, introduction and Act Six).

The Model

Brand Thinking Canvas: Part One, Who Are You?, with the brand essence at the centre, vision, values and mission around it, a ring of brand promises, a ring of visual and verbal identity and six brand interactions outside; Part Two, Who Is Your Audience?, with the brand essence linked to five audience circles, each with a What and a How circle
Redrawn after Brand The Change (n.d., product image of the Brand Thinking Canvas, parts one and two; 2022, product images).

Elements

Definitions follow the page on the anatomy of a brand in Miltenburg's book, reproduced on the Brand The Change blog (2023, book pp. 62–63), Miltenburg's posts on brand essence, vision, mission and values (2016a, 2016b, 2023) and the field texts of the canvas (Brand The Change, n.d., 2022). The examples come from the Airbnb example in the canvas manual (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10) and from Miltenburg (2016b).

Part One: Brand Core

  • 01

    Brand Essence

    The centre of both parts of the canvas (Brand The Change, n.d., figure). Miltenburg calls a great brand essence "a catalyst" for everything a brand does: it guides the way the brand communicates, and finding the right way to bring it to life in visuals and messages takes time and practice (Miltenburg, 2016b, section "Lesson Learned").

    Airbnb: The essence "Belong anywhere" is translated to neighbourhood festivals, a non-discrimination hosting agreement, an inclusive HR policy and all communications (Miltenburg, 2016b, introduction).

  • 02

    Vision

    The brand core "is built on the change you want to see in the world" and is captured in a vision, mission and values (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). "A vision paints a picture of a future world you are working towards"; in Miltenburg's image of a climb, it is the top of the mountain (Miltenburg, 2016a, sections on the vision and on the difference).

    Airbnb: "All seven billion of us can belong anywhere" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 03

    Mission

    "A mission describes how you are going to get there", the way up the mountain to the vision (Miltenburg, 2016a, sections on the mission and on the difference). Miltenburg cites Kevin Starr of the Mulago Foundation, who asks for a mission of eight words or less: a verb, a target population and an outcome that implies something to measure (Miltenburg, 2016a, section on the mission).

    Airbnb: "Create a world where people can belong anywhere and where people can live in a place, instead of just travelling to it" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 04

    Values

    Brand values are "the fundamental beliefs and principles that will guide and define its identity and behaviour". They shape how a brand presents itself and how it deals with its team, its audiences and other stakeholders (Miltenburg, 2023, section "What Are Brand Values?"). Values that are not embedded in the culture "will never work" for the brand (Miltenburg, 2023, introduction).

    Airbnb: Hospitality, community, diversity (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 05

    Brand Promises

    The brand promises capture "what you commit to deliver to your audiences" (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). On the canvas they form the outer ring of the brand core, around vision, mission and values (Brand The Change, n.d., figure).

    Airbnb: The promises are split between the two audiences. Guests: "Book homes from local hosts in 191+ countries"; hosts: "Earn money sharing your extra space with travellers" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).
Part One: Brand Identity

  • 06

    Visual Identity

    The brand identity "consists of your visual and verbal expression: what you look like, how you talk" (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The visual identity is how the brand looks; the field text on the canvas gives examples such as the logo, the colour palette and type (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

    Airbnb: The logo, "the belo", as a universal symbol for belonging; reportage-style images and videos (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 07

    Verbal Identity

    How the brand talks (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The field text on the canvas names as examples "your brand name, pay-off/slogan, tone of voice, messaging or content" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

    Airbnb: An approachable, hospitable voice, "like a local host or a friend who shows you the best bars" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).
Part One: Brand Interactions

  • 08

    Products & Services

    Brand interactions "guide all the points of contact that you build with your audiences", from the people a brand hires to the products and services it offers. The core also guides how a brand sets up its production chain or sources its materials (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63).

    Airbnb: A marketplace to list, discover and book unique accommodation and experiences (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 09

    Places & Events

    The places where the brand wants to be seen (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The field text asks where the brand is located and which events it can develop (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

    Airbnb: Airbnb Open, "a festival of hospitality that showcases the best of a neighbourhood" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 10

    Communication & Channels

    The types of channels a brand chooses to communicate (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The field text asks how the brand will communicate and through which channels, what its topic is and what it says (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

    Airbnb: The #BelongAnywhere and #OneLessStranger campaigns (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 11

    Partnerships & Collaborations

    The partnerships a brand forms with others (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63).

    Airbnb: Virgin Atlantic offers points for booking with Airbnb; NGOs and charities offer shelter and belonging to homeless and displaced people (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 12

    People, Talent & Behavior

    The people a brand hires and how they behave when they meet its customers (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The field text asks: "Who are the faces of your brand? How do they put your purpose and values into action?" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

    Airbnb: "Hosts are the stars of the brand" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

  • 13

    Technology

    The field text asks: "What hardware or software can support interaction with your audiences?" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).

    Airbnb: The platform airbnb.com and trust software for payments and ratings (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10).
Part Two: Who Is Your Audience?

  • 14

    Audience

    The second part of the canvas asks who needs to know about the brand (Brand The Change, n.d., figure). It helps to define "who your audience is and how you can direct what they think and feel about you" (Brand The Change, 2022, product description). Five audience circles are linked to the brand essence in the centre (Brand The Change, 2022, product images).

  • 15

    What

    For each audience, what the brand wants them "to think and feel about you" (Brand The Change, n.d., figure, Part Two).

  • 16

    How

    For each audience, "how you will achieve that" (Brand The Change, n.d., figure, Part Two).

Source

  1. Brand The Change. (n.d.). Our Main Tool: The Brand Thinking Canvas. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://brandthechange.org/brand-thinking-canvas
  2. Brand The Change. (2022). Brand Thinking Canvas, Manual and Examples [Product page with preview pages of the manual, version 20220406]. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://brandthechange.org/shop/p/brand-thinking-canvas
  3. Brand The Change. (2023, February 28). Five Key Takeaways From Brand the Change, the Book [Blog post with a photograph of pp. 62–63 of A. Miltenburg (2017), Brand the Change, BIS Publishers]. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://brandthechange.org/blog/five-key-takeaways-from-brand-the-change-the-book
  4. Miltenburg, A. (2014, November 1). First Stop on the Brand Thinking Canvas Pilot Tour: Tunisia. Brand The Change. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://brandthechange.org/blog/building-tunisia
  5. Miltenburg, A. (2016a, July 8). How to Define Your Vision and Mission. Brand The Change. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://brandthechange.org/blog/free-branding-tool-the-climb-define-your-vision-mission
  6. Miltenburg, A. (2016b, December 7). Learning About Brand Essence From Airbnb. Brand The Change. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://brandthechange.org/blog/translating-your-brand-essence-learning-from-airbnb
  7. Miltenburg, A. (2020, March 15). The Blood, Sweat and Tears Story Behind the Brand Thinking Canvas [Blog post]. Medium. https://annemiltenburg.medium.com/the-blood-sweat-and-tears-story-behind-the-brand-thinking-canvas-867cd9024a13 (full text retrieved October 8, 2026, from the author's feed https://medium.com/feed/@annemiltenburg)
  8. Miltenburg, A. (2023, November 21). How to Find Brand Values That Truly Matter. Brand The Change. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://brandthechange.org/blog/how-to-find-brand-values-that-matter