# Brand guidelines

A practical foundation for making with the Hedra brand.

## Brand foundations

Start with black and white, with a preference for dark backgrounds. A piece can stay entirely monochrome. Use color only occasionally; Coral is the first choice when a spot of color helps. Use the original logo assets and exact palette values, give the work room to breathe, and let meaningful headlines introduce their content. This toolkit covers brand and marketing work; product UI follows the product design system.

- Required rules protect the identity and must be followed.
- Recommended defaults are a confident starting point. Adapt the composition to the audience, message, and format.
- Flexible choices leave room for the audience, message, and format.
- When a decision is undocumented, treat it as an open choice. Do not present a guess as an approved brand rule.

## Applications

For a campaign, social post, or presentation, begin with the brand palette and original logo assets. For a marketing website, use the same foundations and adapt the composition to the viewport. For product UI, use the product system’s semantic surfaces, controls, and accessibility rules rather than substituting campaign colors.

- Preserve native, editable text in layouts and design files.
- Use meaningful headlines without section-label strips, category eyebrows, or chapter numbers.
- Explain the offer directly. Keep copy concrete, approachable, and concise.

## Color approach

Default to black and white, with a preference for dark backgrounds. Most pieces can stay entirely monochrome. Use small spots of color only occasionally; reach for Coral first when color helps. A colored background is not the default. Think in proportions: approximately 95% neutrals, 3% Coral, 1.5% Indigo, and 0.5% Volt. These describe a philosophy of restraint, not quotas for every piece.

These proportions describe the overall balance of the brand, not a quota for each piece. Think approximately 95% neutrals, 3% Coral, 1.5% Indigo, and 0.5% Volt. Many pieces can stay entirely monochrome. Do not add color just to use up a percentage.

## Exact palette

- Carbon: #141414 (`--color-carbon`). Preferred dark background; pair with White text and marks. Also used as ink on light grounds.
- Black: #0A0A0A (`--color-black`). Deep black background for monochrome layouts.
- White: #FFFFFF (`--color-white`). Text and marks on dark backgrounds; light background alternative.
- Stone: #F2F1ED (`--color-stone`). Neutral light background alternative.
- Coral: #FF6740 (`--color-coral`). First choice for an occasional spot of color. Optional; keep the overall composition neutral.
- Indigo: #5657FE (`--color-indigo`). Occasional background alternative; pair with a White mark; never use as text color.
- Volt: #E9FE14 (`--color-volt`). Occasional background alternative; pair with a Carbon mark; never use as text color.
- Taupe: #A79D91 (`--color-taupe`). Occasional background alternative; pair with a Carbon mark; never use as text color.
- Graphite: #333333 (`--color-graphite`). Supporting dark neutral.
- Grey 600: #525252 (`--color-grey-600`). Secondary text on light grounds.
- Grey 500: #8A8A8A (`--color-grey-500`). Supporting neutral; check contrast before using for text.
- Grey 400: #A8A6A0 (`--color-grey-400`). Supporting neutral; check contrast before using for text.
- Grey 200: #E4E2DE (`--color-grey-200`). Light rules and media wells.
- Stone Dark: #E4E2DB (`--color-stone-dark`). Supporting Stone surface.

## Approved logo pairings

- White mark on Carbon.
- White mark on Black.
- Carbon mark on White.
- Carbon mark on Coral.
- Carbon mark on Stone.
- White mark on Indigo.
- Carbon mark on Taupe.
- Carbon mark on Volt.

## Continue with your task

- [Logo rules](/logo.md)
- [Color rules](/color.md)
- [Asset catalog](/assets.json)
- [Structured rules](/rules.json)

## Agent prompt

Use https://brand.hedra.com/guidelines.md as the brand guide. Read the relevant chapter, use the exact tokens from /tokens.json, and select original assets from /assets.json. Default to black and white, with a preference for dark backgrounds. Use color only occasionally, reaching for Coral first when a spot of color helps. Think approximately 95% neutrals, 3% Coral, 1.5% Indigo, and 0.5% Volt as an overall philosophy, not quotas for each piece. A piece can stay entirely monochrome; do not add color to fill a percentage. Follow required rules, start from the recommended defaults, and remix the flexible choices. Preserve the logo proportions and keep all copy editable. If a decision is undocumented, say so rather than inventing a brand rule.