Jona Grey

About Jona Grey

Founder | Brand Strategist | Product Innovator I’m a founder, creative director, and…

Experience

1. Senior Brand Strategist Exec Creative Director

   Shade Tactics

   Feb 2025 — Present · CA, US

   Co-Created and built Shade Tactics, a proprietary brand strategy framework that gives brands psyches—not personalities. Rooted in analytical psychology and archetypal theory, Shade helps brands evolve through five interrelated components: Shroud (outward identity), Helm (decision-making), Anchor (core self), Darkling (fear and opposition), and Echo (audience resonance).The Shade system has been applied to brands across CPG, wellness, fashion, architecture, and tech—used to guide everything from positioning and messaging to visual identity, customer experience, and product development.Key Contributions— Developed the full Shade Tactics methodology, including framework, terminology, and implementation systems— Applied the system to 10+ brands and internal teams across industries— Built tools including the Shade Discovery process, Archetype Identity Codex, Visual Cues Index, and Echo-based CX strategy— Currently co-authoring The Philosophy of the Shade, a foundational book on the system (publishing late 2025)— Designed curriculum for brand strategists and creative teams adopting Shade— Delivered competitive Shade Mapping, customer archetyping, and full brand psyche buildsFocus Areas— Archetype-based brand development— Brand architecture & strategic alignment— Visual + verbal identity systems— Customer experience strategy (Echo modeling)— Internal training tools & brand team enablement