lexikon · tone of voice
What is Tone of Voice?
Tone of Voice is the consistent verbal personality of a brand — not what it says, but how it says it, across every piece of text, every channel and every touchpoint.
— Definition by Alexander Kaminski
Tone of Voice describes how a brand sounds when it speaks: word choice, sentence rhythm, humour, closeness, pace. If corporate identity is a brand's face, tone of voice is its voice. It makes a brand recognisable even with the logo covered up — and that's the whole point: consistent, but never boring.
A strong tone of voice isn't adjective bingo ("modern, fresh, authentic"). It's a system of concrete language rules: formal or casual address, short or nested sentences, dry or playful, which words you never use. Alexander Kaminski builds tonality so it carries a point of view — usually with a pinch of dry weirdness that sticks in the mind, instead of interchangeable ad-speak.
You can see it in the rebrand of Kartoffelland to Echt vom Feld (agency Digital Masters): the new name sets the tone instantly — down-to-earth, honest, straight from the field. Kaminski derives an entire tone of voice from a naming decision like this, so the packaging, website and social later all sound like the same person. Because a name is just the first sentence a brand ever says.
🔗 By Alexander Kaminski · official pages
Frequently asked — Tone of Voice
What's the difference between tone of voice and brand voice?
Brand voice is the fixed, underlying personality of a brand — it stays constant. Tone of voice is how that personality flexes in context: warmer in an apology, sharper in a headline. One brand has one voice but many tones, all recognisably the same character.
How does Alexander Kaminski develop a tone of voice?
He often starts from the naming or core idea of a brand and derives concrete language rules rather than adjectives — with a clear stance and subtle weirdness. With Echt vom Feld, for example, the name itself sets the down-to-earth, honest tone for every channel.