Wordmark first
Use the full lockup for mastheads, partner pages, presentations, and any first introduction to the brand.
Official identity system · 2026
Built to look as enduring as we intend to be.
The visual and verbal standards for presenting Shiny Brands with institutional clarity, editorial warmth, and operator-level directness.
01 · Brand foundations
Institutional discipline. Human judgment.
01
Operator-led
The identity should feel informed by people who do the work, not detached financial abstraction.
02
Long-term
Favor enduring forms, restrained composition, and language that will age well.
03
American
Use grounded, contemporary imagery of businesses, places, and people across the United States without leaning on cliché.
04
Shiny
The yellow smile arc carries optimism. It is a precise signal within an otherwise disciplined system.
02 · Logo and mark
A wordmark with one unmistakable gesture.
The primary lockup uses tightly tracked uppercase SHINY, the yellow smile arc, and a small spaced BRANDS label. Keep the relationship between all three elements intact.
Arc as shorthand
Use the smile arc alone only where Shiny Brands is already identified: favicon, avatar, compact badge, or repeat touchpoint.
Clear space
Keep open space around the lockup. For the standalone arc in avatars, preserve the documented 24% clear space on every side.
03 · Color
Warm paper, near-black ink, one vivid signal.
Ink and Warm Paper carry most compositions. Shiny Yellow is a deliberate accent. Stone and Hairline organize secondary information without competing with the message.
Ink
#14120F
RGB 20, 18, 15
Primary text, dark fields, and core wordmark color
Shiny Yellow
#FFC233
RGB 255, 194, 51
Smile arc, rules, highlights, and focused emphasis
Warm Paper
#F6F2EA
RGB 246, 242, 234
Primary page field and warm negative space
Stone
#8C857A
RGB 140, 133, 122
Supporting labels, metadata, and secondary information
Hairline
#E2DCCF
RGB 226, 220, 207
Rules, dividers, borders, and quiet structure
Accessible pairing: use Ink text on Shiny Yellow for buttons and functional labels.
Keep yellow focused: do not use it for long text, broad backgrounds, or low-contrast decoration.
04 · Typography
Editorial character. Operational clarity.
Headlines & interface · Archivo 400–700
Built for the long run.
Use Archivo for headlines, navigation, buttons, labels, and practical body copy. Headlines are compact, decisive, and tightly tracked.
Editorial · Newsreader Regular
Acquisition is the beginning.
Use Newsreader for considered introductions, quotations, founder voice, and narrative moments. It adds warmth; it should not take over UI.
Labels & data · IBM Plex Mono 400–500
Operator-led · Long-term · Est. 2025 · USA
Use the mono face for eyebrows, metadata, dimensions, dates, figures, and restrained calls to action. Keep labels short and never set paragraphs in mono.
05 · Voice
Direct enough for operators. Thoughtful enough for a transition.
Operator to operator
Write with firsthand clarity. Prefer useful detail and direct language over corporate distance.
Specific, not inflated
Use concrete facts when they are current and verified. Avoid hype, superlatives, and unsupported claims.
Long-term in tone
Sound steady, accountable, and patient. The voice should feel built for an enduring partnership, not a transaction.
Warmly plainspoken
Keep sentences human and readable. Confidence comes from precision, not jargon.
Write this way
- Lead with the useful point
- Use active voice and concrete nouns
- State verified numbers with context
- Speak plainly about ownership and operations
Avoid
- Private-equity jargon
- Breathless growth language
- Promises the business cannot substantiate
- Clichés about disruption, synergy, or domination
06 · Photography & art direction
Document the work and the people behind it.
Choose
Real operators, teams, businesses, and locations; available light; purposeful framing; tactile detail; honest environments.
Avoid
Generic handshakes, staged boardrooms, luxury-for-luxury’s-sake, oversaturated presets, artificial smiles, and visual clutter behind the mark.
07 · Layout & interface
Editorial grids. Decisive hierarchy. Minimal ornament.
Structure
Use broad margins, column grids, visible rules, and strong section rhythm. Let negative space signal confidence.
Shape
Favor square or nearly square corners. Containers should feel architectural rather than soft or app-like.
Interaction
Primary actions use Ink or Shiny Yellow with high-contrast text. Focus states must be visible and motion restrained.
Approved action hierarchy
Primary actionSecondary action
Composition pattern
09 · Do / don’t
Protect the restraint.
Stretch, squash, rotate, or redraw the smile arc
Retype or rearrange the wordmark lockup
Change the approved colors or add effects to the mark
Place the mark over busy, low-contrast photography
Use the full wordmark as a social avatar
Crop the arc or let a circular avatar frame touch it
Use yellow for long passages or small text on Warm Paper
Add ornamental type, glossy gradients, or rounded app-style decoration
Approved downloads
Use the supplied files.
These files are the source of truth for current digital and social use. Preserve dimensions, colors, spacing, and aspect ratios.
Brand guidelines
PDF · social specifications and approved compositions
Smile mark
SVG · scalable compact mark and favicon
Primary social avatar
PNG · 1200 × 1200 · gold on ink
Alternate social avatar
PNG · 1200 × 1200 · ink on gold
LinkedIn company cover
PNG · 1128 × 191
Facebook page cover
PNG · 1640 × 624
When in doubt, use the full wordmark on a quiet Warm Paper or Ink field and the standalone arc only where the brand name is already present.
08 · Social media
Design for the crop, not just the canvas.
Profile avatar · 1:1 · export at 1200 × 1200
Use the smile arc alone, centered, occupying 53% of the tile width. Keep 24% clear space on all sides. Never use the wordmark at avatar size on LinkedIn or Facebook; circular crops make it illegible and can clip the mark.
LinkedIn company cover · 1128 × 191
Use the supplied wide cover without recomposing it. Keep key type away from edge and profile-image overlap zones.
Facebook page cover · 1640 × 624
Use the supplied page cover at its native dimensions. Do not move the wordmark or statistics without checking desktop and mobile crops.