The Ruler archetype, in contrast to the Outlaw, seeks to prevent chaos by taking control. Rulers are defined by their need for security and order, they strive to gain and retain power. A stickler for policies, they enjoy the rigidity of procedures and frown upon bending the rules. The Ruler sees itself as the role model for others to follow and seeks to provide leadership.
Like other archetypes, this archetype exists with varying degrees of how the Ruler expresses itself. At their best, Rulers seek to provide for those in need and look to be a leader for them. At their worst, the Ruler is ruthless and power-hungry—seeking to gain control by any means. In between these two extremes is a wide spectrum of ways the Ruler expresses itself.
- PROMISE: Power makes the world go ‘round
- CORE DESIRE: Control.
- GOAL: Create prosperity and success.
- FEAR: Chaos and being dethroned.
- STRATEGY: Exert leadership.
- GIFT: Responsibility and leadership.
- MOTIVATION: Stability
The Ruler Archetype at a Glance
The ruler archetype is often seen in industries such as security, finance, tech, and government. They also are evident in industries offering high-end products. The marketing efforts that surround these types of brands draw on people’s needs to feel important, empowered, and safe. The imagery associated with these brands is often classical, noble, and proper.
The culture of a Ruler brand is very structured and follows a clear hierarchy. As one could expect from a Ruler, they maintain an orderly office environment. Most of these brands are slow to make decisions due to their long chain of command and tend to grow slowly by acquiring smaller competitors.
Levels of the Ruler Archetype
Each of the 12 different archetypes can be expressed in scaled rankings of intensity represented by three levels. Level one is less mature where level 3 is the furthest developed.
Level 1: Taking responsibility for one’s own life.
Level 2: Being a leader of a family or group.
Level 3: Becoming a leader of government or community.
Ruler Brand Colors
Think: solid, stable, rich, worldly
Ruler brand colors feel rich and velvety and are often deep jewel tones. Ruby, garnet, emerald, sapphire, onyx, diamond’s, etc. They have a weight and a presence to them and are fully saturated, rarely being light tints of color.
Jewel tones are just the richer, more luxurious cousins of our favorite go-to hues. In fact, every color of the rainbow has a jewel-toned counterpart:
- Red = Ruby
- Orange = Amber
- Yellow = Citrine
- Green = Emerald
- Blue = Sapphire
- Purple = Amethyst
Follow our Four “Jewel Rules” for a Perfect Palette
- Choose only 1-2 jewel tones as your primary colors.
- Choose an analogous or monochromatic color palette.
- Use a complementary color choice as a very small accent color, stay away from triad color palettes.
- “Metal” colors are a great neutral addition: Silver, gold, platinum, titanium.
Let’s look at them in a physical space:
When you want to create a Ruler Brand color palette, trade brights for gemstone shades and watch your brand transform from energetic to regal.
Ruler Brand Typography and Font Choices
Just like the color palette, your typography emparts a feeling to the customer. As a Ruler Brand, definition is what you’re after. Whether your brand is modern or classic, favor hard edges and serifs over soft and round edges. You can choose serif or sans serif typefaces, and a mix of the two is often the nicest compliment. Studio808 is a Ruler brand so we use Noe Serif for headlines and Circular for body copy.
Font pairing is best for a professional designer as they understand readability and brand essence. Studio808 offers pre-made brand kits based on your brand personality, complete with font and color pairings for a complete professional brand.
