Brand Strategy Fundamentals by The Futur

The Futur Brand Strategy Fundamentals is an online course taught by brand strategist and educator Anneli Hansson. It teaches a complete framework for defining a brand, from mission, vision and goals to brand personality, audience research, gap analysis, positioning and a brand roadmap, and shows how to sell and run brand strategy workshops for clients. The course has more than 90 videos, a real-world client case study, a 100-page workbook and presentation templates. It is a beginner course with no prerequisites, priced at $199 with lifetime access.

Many designers are asked to create a logo or identity before anyone has agreed what the brand stands for. This course gives them a structured way to answer that question first. It also shows how strategy can be offered on its own or bundled with design, video or web work, which makes it as much a business course as a creative one. The Futur updated and expanded the material in 2024.

What You Will Learn

• What brand strategy is, and how it differs from brand identity design
• How to facilitate a workshop, including questioning and listening skills
• Defining a brand's mission, vision and goals
• Shaping a brand personality with a personality pyramid and identity boards
• Researching a target audience through interviews and observation, and building customer personas
• Running a gap analysis, including competitive analysis
• Writing a positioning and turning the work into a brand roadmap
• How to sell brand strategy as a service

Who Is The Futur Brand Strategy Fundamentals For?

The course is aimed at beginners, and the official page lists no prerequisites. It suits graphic designers and identity designers who want to start their projects with strategy, freelancers who want to offer a higher-value service, and small studios that want a repeatable workshop process.

It is also useful for marketers or founders who want to understand how brand decisions are made, even if they never design a logo themselves.

It is not a visual design course. You will not learn logo construction or typography here; for that, The Futur's Logo Design 01 and Typography 01 are the natural companions. Experienced strategists may find the early modules familiar, though the workshop templates can still be useful.

Course Structure

The course follows the order in which a brand strategy project usually runs:

• What Is Brand Strategy? an introduction to the discipline
• Facilitation: questioning and listening techniques for workshops
• Mission, Vision and Goals: setting the foundations of the brand
• Defining the Brand Personality: the brand personality pyramid and identity boards
• Target Audience and Research: interviews, observation and customer personas
• Gap Analysis: including a competitive analysis
• Positioning: defining where the brand stands
• The Roadmap: delivering the plan, with a template
• Next Steps: how to sell brand strategy to clients

Throughout, a real-world client case study shows the framework applied to an actual project, and the 100-page workbook provides exercises and prompts for each stage.

Price and Access

The course costs $199 and includes lifetime access, so you can return to the videos and templates whenever you start a new strategy project. The price covers the videos, the case study, the PDF workbook, a workshop presentation template and a roadmap delivery template. For the current price, check the official course page.

About the Instructor

Anneli Hansson is a brand strategist, educator and coach with more than 20 years of experience. She was previously Chief Brand Officer and CMO at Lantmännen, and has worked on brands including Coca-Cola, Polaroid and Levi's.

Things to Consider

• Time: with more than 90 videos, this is a substantial course. Plan to work through it over several weeks.
• Use the workbook: the exercises are where the framework becomes practical. Try them on your own brand or a friendly client first.
• Practise facilitation: running a workshop is a skill in itself; rehearse with colleagues before charging for it.
• Templates: the workshop presentation and roadmap templates help you deliver the work professionally from your first project.
• What to take next: Logo Design 01 or Stylescapes help turn a strategy into visual direction.
• Business side: pair it with Positioning & Lead Generation if you run a studio and want to win more strategy work.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with The Futur?

Start Brand Strategy Fundamentals

For the full syllabus and pricing, visit the official The Futur website.

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Last verified: November 9, 2026