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Specimen book · Capability 02 of 6 · The code a brand runs on

One brand, recognisable everywhere.

A specimen of a generic mark for “Your brand”: a circle, a square and a quarter-disc set on a six-unit construction grid, shown in four colourways and three type pairings.

Brand Identity is the visual, verbal and behavioural code that carries a brand across every touchpoint. We design all three as one system, so a brand sounds like itself wherever it shows up.

Start an identity brief Try the voice tuner
Typical length
6–10 weeks
Scope
Visual · verbal · behavioural
Approach
Built as a system

Plate 01 · AnatomySeven layers

Take the logo off. Seven layers are still talking.

An identity is a stack, not a symbol. Each layer is designed with the others in view, and behaviour runs through all seven: how the brand moves, sounds and answers when something goes wrong.

Plate 02 · What we design6 specimens

Three codes, designed as one

Visual, verbal and behavioural identity are built by the same team at the same time, so none of them drifts from the others.

Close-up of metal letterpress type locked in a forme
Fig. 02A type case: every part made to combine with the others. That is how the six pieces below are built.

Specimen 01Mark · colour · type

Visual identity

Mark, wordmark, colour, type, layout and imagery. Designed as a kit of parts that survives the touchpoints you have not built yet.

Visual identity: See it on Plates 03–05

Specimen 02Voice · tone · lexicon

Verbal identity

Voice, tone, vocabulary and the words you never use. Written as rules with examples, so anyone can write on brand.

Verbal identity: See it on Plate 06

Specimen 03Moments · principles

Behavioural identity

How the brand acts in the moments that matter: first open, a mistake, a goodbye. Principles with worked examples.

Behavioural identity: See it on Plate 06

Specimen 04Motion · audio

Motion & sound

How the brand moves and, where it needs to, how it sounds. Timing, easing and a signature you can hear.

Motion & sound: See it on Plate 07

Specimen 05Living reference

Identity guidelines

One living reference for all three codes. Versioned, searchable, and built to be used rather than admired.

Identity guidelines: See it on Plate 10

Specimen 06Templates · training

Rollout & handover

Templates for the first touchpoints, a walkthrough for the team, and a review after the first month in the wild.

Rollout & handover: See it on Plate 09

Plate 03 · Mark constructionFive steps

A mark is drawn once, then used a million times.

So it is built like an engineering drawing. The grid, the corrections and the limits are written down with the mark, which is what lets it survive a favicon, a fascia and a file someone else exported.

Grid

Six units wide, four high. Every part of the mark sits on this grid, so anyone can redraw it exactly, in any tool, at any size.

Grid
6 × 4 units
Unit
1u = width ÷ 6

Geometry

Three primitives and a counter: a circle, a square and a quarter-disc. The construction lines are kept, because they become the rules for icons and layouts later.

Parts
3 + counter
Radius
2u

Optical corrections

Geometry that is right on paper can look wrong to the eye. The circle overshoots the flat top so it looks the same height, and the counter opens so it does not fill in when printed.

Overshoot
+4%
Counter
+6%

Clear space

The empty space around the mark equals the counter’s radius, x. Nothing enters it: not a headline, not the edge of a screen, not another logo.

Clear space
1x on all sides
x
1u

Minimum size

Below 24 pixels the counter closes up, so a solid version takes over. Each size is checked on screen and in print before it is signed off.

Digital
16 px minimum
Print
6 mm minimum

Plate 04 · ColourContrast, checked

A palette is a set of pairings, not a list of favourites.

Every colour ships with its role, its share of the page and the pairings it is allowed in. Try any two below: the ratio is calculated live against WCAG 2.2.

  1. Ink --ink · #19191D Primary text
  2. Graphite --ink-2 · #2A2A31 Dark surfaces
  3. Slate --txt · #4A4A52 Body copy
  4. Pewter --muted · #75757E Secondary text
  5. Signal blue --blue · #0082FB Action · accent
  6. Deep blue --blue-d · #006CD0 Pressed · links
  7. Mist --line · #E7E7EA Rules · borders
  8. Paper --paper · #FFFFFF Ground
Text colour
Background

17.53:1 contrast

  • AA · body text 4.5:1Pass
  • AA · large text 3:1Pass
  • AAA · body text 7:1Pass
  • AAA · large text 4.5:1Pass
  • UI parts & icons 3:1Pass

Agent · export checkThe same test runs on every file exported from the templates and flags failing pairs. A designer decides whether an exception is allowed, and the decision is logged.

Share of the page, by areaIllustrative

58%Paper 22%Ink 10%Signal blue 6%Mist 4%Deep blue

Plate 05 · TypeOne base, one ratio

Nine sizes, from a single decision.

A type scale is multiplied, not picked. Choose the ratio and every size recalculates from a 16 px base, so a headline and a caption stay related wherever they are set.

Scale ratio

Base16 px

  1. +6 Display Recognisable 61.0 px 3.815 rem · Outfit
  2. +5 Headline Everywhere it shows up 48.8 px 3.052 rem · Outfit
  3. +4 Heading 1 One brand, every touchpoint 39.1 px 2.441 rem · Outfit
  4. +3 Heading 2 Rules written with examples 31.3 px 1.953 rem · Outfit
  5. +2 Heading 3 A kit of parts, not a poster 25.0 px 1.563 rem · Outfit
  6. +1 Lead Leads introduce a section in a sentence or two. 20.0 px 1.250 rem · Montserrat
  7. 0 Body Body text is set for reading, at a measure of sixty to seventy-five characters. 16.0 px 1.000 rem · Montserrat
  8. -1 Caption Captions carry sources, credits and figure notes. 12.8 px 0.800 rem · Montserrat
  9. -2 Label LABEL · STEP 02 · STATUS 10.2 px 0.640 rem · JetBrains Mono

Outfit500 display · 400 large

To be seen: headlines, titles, statements.

Montserrat400 · 500 · 600

To be read: body, leads, buttons, forms.

JetBrains Mono400 · 500

To be scanned: labels, figures, codes, data.

Plate 06 · Voice & toneTry it: the voice tuner

One voice, four moments. Tune the line, then sign it off.

Voice stays fixed; tone moves with the moment. An agent redrafts the line to your settings and checks it against the voice rules. A person decides whether it ships.

Voice agent
Redrafts to the settings using the voice rules and lexicon, then runs the checks. It cannot approve.
Brand lead
Reads the draft and the flags, then approves the line or sends it back.

Draft readySupport reply · Neutral · Balanced

Your refund went out today, so it should land within five working days. Not there by then? Reply here and we’ll look into it.

25 wordsIllustrative lines

  • Length for the settingPass
  • Lexicon: never-use wordsPass
  • No blame on the readerPass
  • One exclamation mark at mostPass

All four checks pass. Your call.

Approved lines · this session

  1. Nothing approved yet. Only a person can add a line here.

Plate 07 · Motion & soundTiming · easing · signature

Move like the brand. Sound like it, where it has to.

Four curves and their timings cover almost every movement a brand makes, from a button to a film title. Pick one, scrub it, and watch the spacing of the frames: that spacing is the personality.

Easing curvecubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1)

Onion skin · nine framesIllustrative · shown 3× slower

600 ms · 100%

Used forPanels, cards and page content arriving

Sonic signature

Three notes, 1.2 seconds.

Written for the few moments that are heard rather than seen: an app opening, a payment confirmed, the end of a film. Delivered with a short brief on where it plays, where it never plays, and how loud.

Plays a short, quiet tone synthesised in your browser. A sketch, not the final signature.

Plate 08 · Applied6 surfaces

Directions are judged on real surfaces, never on a poster alone.

A sign in the sky, a screen in a hand, a box on a doorstep, a van in traffic. The same kit of parts has to hold on each, which is why we test it on them from the concept stage.

  1. A blank rectangular sign on a pole against a pale blue sky, with the “Your brand” identity applied
    Wayfinding Site signage Mark · Ink panel · Outfit
  2. Two hands holding a phone with a blank white screen over a pale wooden desk, with the “Your brand” identity applied
    Product App launch screen Mark · Signal blue · Montserrat
  3. An empty poster frame on a terrace between apartment buildings, with the “Your brand” identity applied
    Out of home Poster Signal blue ground · Outfit display
  4. A plain white shipping box with open flaps on a white table, with the “Your brand” identity applied
    Packaging Shipping box Lockup · Ink on kraft white
  5. A plain white van parked on a city street, with the “Your brand” identity applied
    Fleet Vehicle side panel Lockup · Signal blue accent
  6. A person in an apron beside a closed metal shutter, in black and white, with the “Your brand” identity applied
    Retail Storefront shutter Mark at architectural scale

01 / 06

Plate 09 · ProcessA print run in 4 sheets

Sketch to press, one proof at a time.

Directions are shown on real touchpoints, never on a poster. The rules are written while the work is designed.

Discover Wk 01–02

Foundation read, audience read, category audit. What the identity has to carry and what it has to avoid.

On this sheet

  • Identity brief
  • Category audit
  • Audience read
Agents help
Agents gather and sort category examples, so the audit covers the whole field rather than the first page of results.
People decide
What the identity must carry, and what it must never look like.

Concept Wk 03–05

Two or three directions, each shown across real touchpoints rather than on a poster. One is chosen.

On this sheet

  • Direction boards
  • Touchpoint tests
  • Decision session
Agents help
Agents mock each direction onto dozens of real touchpoints overnight, using image tools such as Flux or Adobe Firefly per task.
People decide
Which direction goes forward, in one decision session with the people who own the brand.

Design Wk 06–08

The chosen direction built out across visual, verbal and behavioural codes. Rules written as they are designed.

On this sheet

  • Identity system
  • Voice & tone
  • Behaviour principles
Agents help
Agents draft rule examples and check contrast, clear space and voice across every template as it is built.
People decide
The design itself, and the final wording of every rule.

Deploy Wk 09–10

Guidelines, templates, asset library and a team walkthrough. Then a first-month review.

On this sheet

  • Guidelines
  • Asset library
  • Team walkthrough
Agents help
Agents export assets in every format and check each file against the rules before it reaches the library.
People decide
Sign-off for release, and what changes after the first month in use.

Plate 10 · Deliverables8 chapters

What you hold at the end: the book, and every file it points to.

Each chapter ships with the files your teams will actually open. The guidelines live online and export to PDF, so the book and the library never disagree.

Your brandIdentity guidelines · v1.0

Contents

iiIllustrative pagination

Chapter 01SVG · PDF

Logo system & clearspace rules

  • Master mark, wordmark and lockups
  • Clear space and minimum sizes
  • Misuse, drawn rather than described

Delivered asSVGPDF

Chapter 014

Chapter 02Figma · JSON

Colour system with tokens

  • Palette with roles and proportions
  • Approved contrast pairings
  • Tokens named for design tools and code

Delivered asFigmaJSON

Chapter 0210

Chapter 03Figma · font files

Type system & scale

  • Three faces and the job each one does
  • Scale, line height and measure
  • Fallbacks for Office and email

Delivered asFigmafont files

Chapter 0318

Chapter 04Guidelines

Voice, tone & lexicon

  • Voice principles with before-and-after lines
  • Tone for the moments that matter most
  • Words we use, and words we never use

Delivered asGuidelines

Chapter 0424

Chapter 05Guidelines

Behaviour principles & moments

  • Principles for first open, errors and goodbyes
  • Worked examples for each moment
  • What to do when two principles conflict

Delivered asGuidelines

Chapter 0532

Chapter 06Video · Lottie

Motion principles

  • Four curves and their timings
  • The mark in motion
  • Do and do-not clips

Delivered asVideoLottie

Chapter 0638

Chapter 07Web · PDF

Identity guidelines

  • Searchable online reference
  • Versioned PDF export
  • Change log and named owners

Delivered asWebPDF

Chapter 0744

Chapter 08Figma · Office

Launch templates

  • Presentation, document and email templates
  • Social and advertising frames
  • Signage and merchandise artwork

Delivered asFigmaOffice

Chapter 0850

Plate 11 · OutcomesWhat changes

An identity is working when nobody has to defend it.

Three things you should be able to see in the months after launch. Each is annotated in the margin, the way a specimen notes what a typeface was drawn to do.

People know it is yours before they read the name.1 Teams ship on brand without a queue at the door,2 and the touchpoint nobody has designed yet will fit3.

  1. Recognisable at a glance

    Take the logo off and it is still yours. Colour, type, tone and behaviour do the work together.

  2. Consistent without policing

    Rules written as examples, so the team ships on brand without a review queue.

  3. Ready for touchpoints you have not built

    A kit of parts, not a set of finished posters. It extends without breaking.

Questions, indexed4 entries

Colophon · Continue the bookBrand Design · 6 volumes

Close this chapter. Open the next one.

Identity is one volume of six. The two marked with a bookmark are the ones it leans on most: the foundation it expresses, and the system that keeps it running.

  1. 01 Growth Strategy Finding the next best customers and the market openings worth chasing. Open volume
  2. 02 Brand Identity The visual, verbal, and behavioral code that carries a brand across every touchpoint. You are here
  3. 03 Brand Foundation The core beliefs, positioning, and principles that guide every decision that follows. Pairs with identity
  4. 04 Brand Systems Rules for how a brand flexes and adapts without losing what makes it recognizable. Pairs with identity
  5. 05 Brand Architecture Structuring a brand's offerings and sub-brands so growth doesn't get messy. Open volume
  6. 06 Brand AI Tools AI-enabled tooling that keeps a brand system consistent and efficient at scale. Open volume
  7. Index Back to Brand Design All six capabilities, how a programme runs, and how we work with enterprise teams. The hub

Let’s build what happens next.

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