Voicebox | Basic |

Voicebox 'basic' is the complete method, plus all the digital tools.

Voicebox is a complete method for finding, creating, defining, writing and sharing distinctive brand voices. You get mental models, frameworks, processes, games and exercises and – above all – creative inspiration that takes you through every step of the process. From first thoughts and planning, through to creative exploration and workshops, to using a voice most effectively with a brand.

Understand ‘voice’ like never before. At the heart of Voicebox are the ’11 Primary Voices’ – a mental model of brand voice ‘archetypes’ that helps you think, talk, work and create voices in a way that’s simple and ‘gettable’, yet subtle and flexible. (People say time and again that the 11 Primary Voices give clients that lightbulb moment that helps a project soar.)

Find your voice. There are tools, games and exercises to help you explore what voices work best for you. You can use these solo, and there’s advice on how to run tone of voice workshops – in-person and online – with clients, too.

Uniquify your voice. There’s also the frankly-worth-the-price-of-admission-alone creative tool called ‘The Twister’, which you can use to add extra twists of unique-to-you personality to your voice.

Codify your voice. If you need to share the voice with others, there’s guidance on how to turn the voice you create into a set of practical, useful guidelines. (‘These are hands down the most useful tone of voice guidelines I’ve ever worked with.’ Lewis Hughes, Brand manager, JBL)

Use your voice. All the voices broken down into the specific writing techniques you’ll need to bring voice alive and start writing.

Keep going...

Gloriously, sumptuously, analog
Yes. Voicebox is a literal box. With books and cards and games in. It’s all designed to be extremely pleasing for your eyes to read, your fingers to touch, and your clients to play with. Because even 'thinking tools' need to feel quality in your hands.

Also, helpfully digital
But we’re not, like, luddites. Everything’s also instantly accessible online, and there’s a Miro board and digital versions of all the tools, so you can work (almost) as immersively and playfully virtually as in-person.

And ‘AI friendly’
AI totally sucks at creating unique, distinctive, genuine voices. What it’s better at (sometimes) is emulating a voice once you’ve defined it and created some quality examples for it to learn from. The good news is that the guidelines you’ll create with Voicebox are the kind that AI learns from most effectively.

What's in the box?

A ‘quick start’ guide, and three handbooks
These take you step-by-step through the process of planning a tone of voice project, using the creative tools for finding a voice, and then bringing that voice to life with specific writing techniques.

The 11 Primary Voices
These are the heart of Voicebox. You get a set of the 11 Primary voices on ‘tablets’ (OK, they’re just big cards), with a description of each voice written in that voice. They’re perfect for putting up on a workshop wall, or passing round in a group discussion.

‘Simple yet sophisticated… the 11 Primary voices model is probably the most serious, inspired and useful contribution to brand voice creation to date’ John Simmons, author of 'We, Me, Them and It'

Tone of voice tarot cards
The 99 tarot cards are your secret weapon in finding a voice. Each card has a descriptive word on the front. Shuffle them, group them, order them, then flip them over and  they point you towards which of the 11 Primary Voices to consider. We’ve refined the words on the cards over several years so the pack is the most powerful creative tool it can be.

‘The tone of voice tarot cards are a facilitator’s dream. We’ve used them in language workshops, brand workshops and strategy sessions. They’ve become an essential tool in the way we help clients.' Gilmar Wendt, Founder GW+Co

The Formalizer
This is a super handy little guide that helps you determine where your brand’s voice lies on the formal-to-informal scale. It’s super useful if you’re a brand or organisation that’s traditionally been more formal or conservative – it helps you find a more nuanced voice than just flipping from ‘formal’ to ‘chatty’.

Dozens of real life examples from the world’s most distinctive brands
Completely refreshed for 2025. We've gathered the very best examples from brands in the UK, Europe, America and Australia. Each comes with notes and analysis on which Primary Voices they use, and what we can learn from them.

 ‘This is the most comprehensive collection of brand voice examples anywhere in the world, ever’ Dave ‘The Wordman’ Harland

Everything (and more) is digital, too
All the guides and tools are instantly available digitally, too. With video extras introducing everything. And a virtual MIRO board that’s ready for you to use to run online workshops.