Brand Reference Document

Brand Guide

Positioning, tone of voice, content pillars, enemies, allies, visual identity — and how to apply it all.

Who is Harry Sanders

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CEO of StudioHawk — Australia's largest dedicated SEO agency (150+ team across US, UK, Australia)

  • 15-year SEO veteran (started at age 13)
  • Forbes 30 Under 30
  • SEMrush Agency of the Year (4x)
  • Founder of Hawk Academy — free AI Search & SEO education platform (3,400+ members, goal: 100,000)
  • Mission: Educate 100,000 people on AI Search for free so nobody gets ripped off by predatory agencies

Origin Story

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Use when relevant — never force it.

Age 13
Taught himself SEO in his bedroom. Grew up with mum in tiny house. Rats for roommates.
Age 14
Hired to freelance by an agency. Managing real campaigns as a teenager.
Age 17
Homeless for 8 months under a bridge in Melbourne. Laptop in backpack. Cold-called clients from McDonald's Wi-Fi. 4 said yes.
Allies
Social worker Carla helped on her days off. Business program led to Graham (76yo ex-CEO mentor). First real client: $500/month tradie.
Growth
Built StudioHawk. Forbes. 150+ team. No lock-in contracts — a principle born from watching agencies exploit small businesses.
25 June 2021
Bought mum her first home. "For the first time in her life, she was safe."

The Defining Image

The laptop under his head while sleeping under the bridge. Symbol of hope, self-reliance, and the bridge from nothing to something.

Brand Positioning

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Core Promise

Help small business owners and marketers understand AI Search and SEO without being ripped off. No upsell. No catch.

The Tension That Makes It Work

"You're a CEO who still thinks like the kid under the bridge with a laptop." Relatable to beginners AND credible to experts. Never fully leave the Ordinary World behind.

What He Stands For

Accessibility over Gatekeeping

Knowledge shouldn't be locked behind agency retainers.

Transparency over Opacity

The SEO industry has deliberately obscured what clients pay for.

Ethics over Greed

No lock-in contracts, built into company philosophy.

People over Systems

Hires unconventional backgrounds, donates to Lighthouse Foundation.

Tone of Voice

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Do

  • Direct. No corporate speak. "Leveraging synergies" = gone.
  • Confident but not arrogant. Lead with data ("150 specialists, 15 years") not ego ("I'm the best").
  • Anti-LinkedIn-guru. Explicitly rejects hustle culture BS.
  • Emotional when it matters. Vulnerability saved for high-impact moments, not oversharing daily.
  • The ally, not the authority. On their side against the industry's predatory practices.
  • Plain language. "Your rankings tanked" not "there was a decline in organic visibility."
  • Casual, like explaining something to a mate.

Don't

  • Sound corporate or polished to the point of generic
  • Use hustle-culture language ("grind", "rise and grind", "10x your...")
  • Be arrogant or flex for the sake of flexing
  • Overshare vulnerability — save it for when it counts
  • Use clickbait without payoff
  • Sound like any other LinkedIn founder

Catchphrases & Signature Lines

"No lock-ins. No BS. Just results." "Stop guessing. Start ranking." "AI Search IS SEO." "Data, not opinions." "Nobody makes it alone." "Nobody sets out to start a shit agency so why are there so many." "When you come through, who will you bring with you?" "If the only way people find your business is by paying for every click, you don't have a strategy — you have a subscription to Google."

Content Pillars — The 3 Worlds

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Every piece of content should live in one of these worlds:

01

The Expert

AI Search & SEO Authority

Educational content proving expertise. Data-driven, practical, "how to." AI tutorials, algorithm analysis, case studies, screen recordings.

02

The Rebel

Enemy Content & Hot Takes

Calls out the enemies. Polarising, engagement-driving. Debunking, roasting bad advice, "here's what's wrong."

03

The Human

Founder Story & Mission

Personal content building connection. Vulnerability, "who is this person." Office milestones, 100K updates, Lighthouse Foundation, mum's house, hiring stories.

The Rogue's Gallery — Enemies

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Content is stronger when it names the enemy. Pick the one that fits the topic.

1

Predatory SEO Agencies

Lock-in contracts. Promising page-1 rankings they can't deliver. Charging $5-10K/month for templated work they won't explain.

2

Egotistic SEO "Gurus"

Flex screenshots, talk down to everyone, gatekeep to feel important. Make the industry feel exclusive instead of accessible.

3

"SEO is Dead" Hot-Take Crowd

Content creators farming engagement by scaring business owners. Haven't ranked a page in years.

4

Fake AI "Experts"

Rebranded overnight from "social media manager" to "AI Search consultant" without ranking a page. Selling fear and buzzwords.

5

PPC Dependency Trap

Businesses pouring money into Google Ads because they don't understand organic. CPCs rising every year.

6

The "Wait and See" Mindset

Businesses thinking AI Search is tomorrow's problem. The window is closing NOW.

The Allies — Supporting Characters

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Reference these when they fit naturally.

Carla

Social worker who helped on her day off. Represents "people who care."

Graham

76yo mentor. Represents mentorship and giving people a shot.

Mum

Emotional anchor. Buying the house = payoff of the entire story.

StudioHawk Team

150+ people, many unconventional backgrounds. "People like me."

Hawk Academy Members

3,400+ growing community. Social proof + mission proof.

Audience Psychology

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Common Enemies

What the audience is frustrated by:

  • Rising ad costs
  • Getting ripped off by agencies
  • Wasting money on marketing
  • Competitors ranking above them unfairly
  • Feeling stupid about tech / feeling left behind

Common Allies

What the audience roots for:

  • AI making things more efficient
  • Free traffic & compounding growth
  • Transparency and education
  • AI levelling the playing field for smaller players

How to Apply

Pair an enemy with its ally for maximum impact. "Agencies love making SEO sound complicated. It's not. They just charge more when you're confused."

Visual Identity

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Colour Palette

Background #0a0a0a
Dark Navy #0d1117
Cyan Accent #00BEFF
Cyan Light #4FC3F7
Lavender #ADBAFF
Teal #01FFFF
Gold #FFD700
Body Text #e0e0e0

Typography

Headings Space Grotesk
Body Inter

Design Language

  • Clean, dark, authoritative. Anti-guru aesthetic.
  • Minimal, tech-forward.
  • Any screenshot or thumbnail should immediately identify as Harry Sanders.
  • Dark background + dark top + face = the look.

The Costume

Dark fitted t-shirt or crew neck (black/navy/charcoal). No logos. Clean white sneakers or minimal leather boots. Premium but understated. Dark top on dark background = face pops.

Visual Motifs

📈Progress bar (100K mission)
🦅Hawk (StudioHawk + Hawk Academy)
💻Laptop under the head (origin image)
🔍Search bar evolving into AI answer

Credibility Stats

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Keep updated. Last reviewed April 2026.

150+SEO & AI specialists
Forbes30 Under 30
4xSEMrush Agency of the Year
15Years in SEO (started at 13)
3Countries (US, UK, AU)
3,400+Hawk Academy members
12K+LinkedIn followers
4.6K+Instagram followers
400+YouTube subscribers

The Connected Narrative

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Everything ties back to ONE origin story:

💻

The Laptop

The symbol. Represents hope, self-reliance, and the bridge from nothing to something.

🔒

"No Lock-in Contracts"

The bat-signal. Immediately tells people what side you're on.

🎯

The 100K Mission

The Justice League. Recruiting people into a movement. The progress bar = visual recruitment.

🌐

Platform Depth

Banner = headline. Instagram = trailer. YouTube = feature film. LinkedIn = press tour.

How to Apply This Framework

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When writing or reviewing content:

  1. Identify the content pillar — Expert, Rebel, or Human? Some content blends two.
  2. Pick the enemy (if relevant) — Which rogue's gallery member does this topic fight?
  3. Match the tone — Direct, confident, anti-guru. Casual but credible.
  4. Weave in the story — Only when natural. A subtle reference to "we've been doing this for 15 years" is enough. Don't shoehorn the origin story into a post about algorithm updates.
  5. Check the catchphrases — Can any signature lines close the piece?
  6. Verify authenticity — Would Harry actually say this? If it sounds like it could come from any founder, rewrite it.