Glossary/Strategy & Frameworks/Category Design
Strategy & Frameworks
Category Design
The discipline of creating and defining a new market category so the creator becomes its leader, set out by Play Bigger's authors in 2016.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Short answer
Category design is the discipline of creating and defining a new market category so that its creator becomes the recognized leader. Set out by the authors of Play Bigger in 2016, it argues that companies should shape how buyers frame a problem, not just compete on features within an existing category.