Brand Guidelines 2020
Contents
Welcome
Who We Are
Tone of Voice
Visual Identity
Photography
Social
5
7
14
20
48
56
Welcome
to untold
These guidelines introduce the untold brand. It is the visual and verbal identity of who we are and what we stand for.
When in doubt, refer back to this book to help express untold in a consistent manner across all brand touchpoints.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
05
Who We Are
untold is a gift company based
in Los Angeles. Our mission is to highlight products from minority-owned small businesses, helping to tackle the racial wealth gap in BIPOC communities.
We believe there’s more than meets the eye, so we take every opportunity to help connect a curious listener to a story. By providing a platform to tell the stories of these business owners, we can add more purpose and intention behind the products that are being consumed.
Behind every box are people with stories, just like us.
07
Who We Are Our Mission
Value Propositions
We hope to change the future of gift giving by promoting meaningful and sustainable products from small, minority-owned businesses. Functional Benefit
Support for small businesses and minorities
01 Supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs
02 Promoting sustainable and artisinal products
03
Emotional Benefit
Telling the stories behind the brands
Personal fulfillment, guilt-free consumerism
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
09
Who We Are
It’s about striking the right balance.
We are
But never
Dynamic
Complicated
Vulnerable
Weak
Affordable
Cheap
Youthful
Naive
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
11
Who We Are
Target Personas Women
Eco-friendly and socially conscious
Young adults (21 - 35)
Reasons to purchase Those who want to support small, POC/
minority-owned businesses affected by COVID-19.
Those who are “bad� at gift-giving, but still want to give personalized & thoughtful gifts for loved ones.
Those who want to practice more self-care at an affordable price.
Those who are on the lookout for trendy, artisanal crafts and goods (hipsters), and will gladly share on their social profiles.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
12
Tone of Voice
14
Tone of Voice
We are... inclusive, authentic, mindful, and uplifting.
These personality traits guide the way we write and talk about untold across all digital and print applications. And remember that our style of writing is just as important as the content.
A consistent and appropriate tone of voice will help us craft messages that align with untold’s values and resonate with our target audience.
Stories behind commodities. There’s more than meets the eye. An experience with every purchase. It’s okay to sit in your own discomfort. Working towards a more inclusive and equitable future together. There’s always an untold story.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
16
Tone of Voice
Inclusive
Mindful
We are inclusive of all identies and our page should provide a safe space for everyone. Avoid using “you,” and use “we” instead. We’re all on the same playing field and there shouldn’t be a hierarchical or controlling tone portrayed in our writing.
Acknowleding current events or opportunities for improvement, especially around race, entrepreneurship, or sustainability. Our page should showcase continual growth and progress, and remain humble and grounded.
Authentic
Uplifting
We should provide authentic and honest content. Especially when discussing issues around race, we shouldn’t sugarcoat anything, but instead, provide thought-provoking and heartfelt content for our audience to reflect upon.
Our content should be positive and uplifting, and aim to shed more light on stories of encouragement. Our audience should leave feeling more empowered on their own journeys, and our page should be a place where they can continually find positivity.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
18
Visual Identity Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Montes, erat vulputate senectus nunc nibh. Ac cursus in nisi quam nunc massa. Malesuada velit nec, iaculis mi amet, tellus. Egestas est congue dolor quis nibh gravida vestibulum. Augue risus vel libero, quis ac.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
20
Visual Identity Primary logo
Logo Secondary logo lockup Our primary logo is designed with specific alterations to make it feel as balanced and legible when scaled up or down. Do not try to replicate or alter it in any way (refer to page ##).
Our logos appear only as black or white.
Use the secondary logo lockup when there’s no further context for who untold is.
Tagline
Download logos here.
Favicon/Graphic element
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
22
Visual Identity
Logo Clearspace Always maintain the minimum clear space around the logo to ensure legibility and prevent any distraction from the brand mark. This clear space should be kept free of any competing text, graphics, imagery, page borders, and edges.
The minimum amount of clear space is equal to the height of the letter “l” in the untold wordmark.
Minimum Size The untold logo should never appear smaller than the following sizes when reproduced. Note the difference in sizes for the two logomarks. The wordmark with the tagline should be slightly bigger to accommodate for the smaller tagline Digital: 50 px
Print: 0.75”
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
Digital: 80 px
Print: 1.25” 24
Visual Identity
Logo Misuse Do not stretch, squeeze, tilt, or distort. Always scale the logo proportionally.
Do not apply any special effects, like drop shadows or outlines.
Do not resize any parts of the logo.
Do not alter the spacing of the letters.
To preserve the integrity of the brand identity, avoid the following logo misuse scenarios.
untold Do not recreate the logo in another font.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
Do not set the logo in any other brand color.
26
Visual Identity
Eyebrow
in
Argesta Text Regular
Italic
Typography:
This is a headline set in
Primary Fonts
Argesta Display Regular. And this is a subheadline in
Typography is a powerful tool to help us
Argesta Text Bold. Kerning
achieve a consistent expression in our
should be set at -1%.
communication.
Lastly, this is body copy in Sk-Modernist Regular. Font size
Argesta Display Regular is our primary brand typeface. It’s used for all headlines and text that stands alone in a design.
should be half of the headline size to ensure visual hierarchy for maximum legibility. Use Sk-Modernist Bold for emphasis in between sentences.
For download:
Argesta
Sk-Modernist
“This is a quote in Argesta Display Regular. Life is too short to spend on doing things that don’t make you happy.”
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
28
Visual Identity Backup Google Fonts
Headline
Typography:
Backup Fonts
Frank Ruhl Libre Light Subheadline
Frank Ruhl Libre Medium
Body
When working within Google Suite, use fonts Frank Ruhl Libre for headlines and Inter for
Inter Normal
Inter Bold
body copy.
Both are Google Fonts and easily accessible by Backup Google Fonts
clicking on “More fonts” from the text selector.
Headline
Helvetica Light Subheadline
When the system fonts are unavailable, default to Helvetica for all text needs.
Helvetica Bold
Body
Helvetica Regular
Helvetica Bold
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
30
Visual Identity
Color Palette Our primary brand colors differentiate our identity and provide simplicity and consistency throughout all brand touchpoints.
Our primary palette consists of green, white, and black.
White is used most often. The green is an important color unique to untold and should be used sparingly for moments of delight, attention, and assurance. This makes the appearance of green that much more impactful. Refer to the proportion & ratio to maintain brand consistency.
Green
White
Black
RGB: 200, 216, 38
HEX: C8D826
CMYK: 7, 0, 82, 15
PMS: 2297 C
RGB: 255, 255, 255
HEX: FFFFFF
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 0
PMS: N/A
RGB: 0, 0, 0
HEX: 000000
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 100
PMS: N/A
Proportion & Ratio
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
32
Visual Identity
Brand Green Our color palette can be expanded by adding black and white to the brand green.
Use the following as accent colors to support designs when the primary palette does not suffice.
Dark 2
#646C13
+50% Black
Dark 1
#96A21D
+25% Black
Brand Green
#C8D826
Light 1
#D6E25C
+25% White
Light 2
#E4EC93
+50% White
Light 3
#F1F5C9
+75% White
Light 4
#F9FBE9
+90% White
Visual Identity
RGB: 246, 244, 244
HEX: F6F4F4
Supporting Colors
We use a range of warm neutral colors to balance the brightness of our accent green and the unknown range of colors from our
CMYK: 0, 1, 1, 4
RGB: 233, 227, 227
HEX: E9E3E3
CMYK: 0, 3, 3, 9
featured vendors.
This neutral palette appears in photography, and as background colors for both digital and print materials.
RGB: 221, 213, 213
HEX: DDD5D5
CMYK: 0, 4, 4, 13
RGB: 183, 172, 171
HEX: B7ACAB
CMYK: 0, 6, 7, 28
Visual Identity
Icons Icons are created in Adobe Illustrator with the vector pen tool to achieve a minimal, single line effect. Each icon represents an idea reduced to its essence to avoid unnecessary details and noise when scaled down to smaller sizes.
The stroke weight for the outlines are 2px.
Keep all icons black or white.
These icons should all be designed with a single, continuous line, from point A to B. End points of the line should never be touching.
If in need of specific icons for your design needs, contact Jackie at jkaodesigns@gmail.com untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
38
Visual Identity
Illustrations
Primary Illustrations
Illustrations are created first with Procreate on the iPad and then brought into Adobe Illustrator to vectorize to help preserve it’s quality when scaled up or down.
Primary illustrations have a clean, minimal style with black strokes and fills, and a splash of green.
Secondary illustrations are reserved only for replicating the products in gift boxes.
Illustrations are only intended to support messaging when photography does not suffice. Use selectively.
Secondary Illustrations
If in need of illustrations, contact Jackie at jkaodesigns@gmail.com
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
40
Visual Identity What the journey is NOT:
Graphic Element:
 Continuous Line The single, continuous line represents interconnectedness, story timeline, and multilayeredness. It paints the picture that no one journey is the same, and success is not linear.
It can be intertwined with photography, paired with typography, substituted for typography, and presented in backgrounds (see next page for examples).
What the journey is:
Be careful to not overdo it with the lines though. The visual impact is much greater when used sparingly.
Download continuous lines here.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
42
Visual Identity
Continuous Line:
In Use A few common applications of the continuous line. Use in only brand green or white. The lines can be animated to add another layer of visual interest.
Intertwined with photography
Paired with typography
Substituted for typography,
follow the curves of the subject
Presented in backgrounds
Presented in backgrounds, reversed colors
untold Brand Guidelines
44
Visual Identity Logomark In Use
Graphic Element: Logomark The logomark was created by combining the lowercase letters “u” and “n” of untold.
While intended to be used sparingly, these are a few common applications for the logomark. 1
2
“I hope women can reach equality in terms of professional opportunities and remuneration.”
Melody Lim
The flowy shape is inspired by ribbons, calligraphy, and waves from the refraction of light.
Mala the Brand
3
We just need to find our balance in this crazy world. We need to be in touch with ourselves and nature, and then we can thrive.
Used as background element in multi-photo posts for Instagram.
Used for branded collateral to add contrast and increase brand awareness
(i.e. packaging tape)
untold Brand Guidelines
46
Photography
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
48
Visual Identity
Photography Principles
Big, beautiful, photos are
Showcase positivity
Use natural environments
Our brand is all about
We portray people and
inclusiveness, authenticity, and
products in natural, real life
mindfulness. Its imagery should
environments specific to their
reflect these core attributes by
background stories.
incorporating light, warmth,
Photography is not overly
and dynamic compositions. All
staged or abstract. They are
touchpoints should give viewers
clear, intentional, and inclusive.
a sense of trust and delight.
an important part of untold’s visual language. They provoke thought and evoke emotion while helping us tell powerful stories at a glance.
Keep it fresh
Give it an artisanal feel
Photography should mirror our
All of our products are made
brand’s fresh and youthful
with love from small business
personality by showing natural
owners. The photography style
elements (i.e. foliage, flowers,
should convey this handmade
wood) when possible. But don’t
quality. Incorporate diverse
overpopulate with these, as the
hands interacting with
people and/or products should
products when appropriate to
still be the center of attention.
help our imagery feel more approachable.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
50
Visual Identity
Visual Attributes
Photography: People
Authentic Candid
Inclusive
People should be portrayed
Uplifting
authentically in natural environments best suited to their backgrounds. Facial expressions should feel effortless and genuine–it’s not always smiles and sunshine, and that’s okay.
Take advantage of the compositions as a way to frame the narrative. Use light to bring focus to the subjects.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
52
Visual Identity
Visual Attributes
Photography:
BRIGHT

Product
CLEAN
Inclusive
ENGAGING
Product photography should feel just as real as the faces behind them. They should be the center of attention when photographed in natural environments.
When possible, showcase
diverse hands interacting with these products to add more life to otherwise static objects.
Optional: use mirrors as props
to portray authenticity and
self awareness.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
54
1
Esha Chhabra meet the founders
Social
4
& Smita Satiani
2
Our main social media channels will be Instagram and TikTok.
5
For Instagram, we’ll be focusing on the following types of content:
1 Meet the founder
2 Quotes on social equality/minorities/small business
3
3 Questions of the week to provoke thought 4 Photos of gift box/products/branded collateral
5 BIPOC Artist Spotlights
Q of the week:
What is one thing I can do to become a more thoughtful and proactive ally?
56
Social
These company spotlights are multi-photo Instagram posts that shed light on the faces behind each product in our gift box.
1 Meet the Founder 2
3
4
5
1080 x 1080 px
1
Include company background, Q&A with the founder, fun facts, and company photos (more photos with people if possible).
2
3
4
Design within any of the two accepted dimensions: 1080px by 1080px or 1350px by 1080px
Get creative with the designs: overlap photos, extend imagery to the next slide, change up the layout of the text and imagery, etc.
1350 x 1080 px
1
Keep each posts between 4-6 photos to provide enough context for each company but avoid oversaturating the audience with information.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
58
Social
2 Quotes Quotes inspire personal reflection and should be related to minority/BIPOC/small businesses, entrepreneurship, and racial equality.
There are two types of treatments for quotes:
1. Image of quotes on a small piece of textured paper photographed in nature (keep colors compatible with brand colors).
2. Text-based posts that follow untold’s typography hierarchy rules (see page ##) to ensure legibility.
Placeholder
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
60
Social
3 Q of the Week
of the week:
What scares me? How does it hold me back?
Q of the week are personal reflection posts intended to spark dialogue within yourself and the online community.
Design is not limited to one style. Experiment with color pairings, layouts, grids, shapes, and creative ways to use the “Q” and “?” as graphic elements and patterns.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
62
Social
4 Product Photos
Highlight products from the vendors featured in our boxes as well as untold’s branded collateral (i.e. newsprint, custom notecards, packaging).
When choosing which photos to post on Instagram, look at the photos’ colors to keep the overall feed more neutral (to accommodate for the bright brand green).
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
64
Social
5 BIPOC Artist Spotlights
We reach out to BIPOC up-and-coming artists on Instagram to ask for their permission to share their work and feature them on our page.
Refer to this script to ensure common messaging across the board.
When choosing which artwork to repost, think about content and design. Is the essence/
meaning of the specific artwork aligned with untold’s values? Does the work’s color palette pair well with untold’s aesthetic?
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
66
Social
Instagram:
At a Glance
untold_co
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
untold_co
68
Social
TikTok Video Strategy? placeholder for Tiff
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur dictum nulla at pellentesque egestas vel tellus. In non tempor tincidunt nec viverra est condimentum sed. Iaculis facilisis ut nibh elementum amet purus nunc nunc blandit. Elit elementum vel et cras amet ornare. Elit quam dolor, ornare orci, fermentum. Est, risus, lacus, sapien lorem mi id risus. Diam massa, non facilisis mi. Tellus velit sagittis pellentesque vel eu arcu.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
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Thank You For questions regarding these materials or specific brand applications, please contact Jackie Kao at jkaodesigns@gmail.com
Brand Guidelines 2020
Contents
Welcome
Who We Are
Tone of Voice
Visual Identity
Photography
Social
5
7
14
20
48
56
Welcome
to untold
These guidelines introduce the untold brand. It is the visual and verbal identity of who we are and what we stand for.
When in doubt, refer back to this book to help express untold in a consistent manner across all brand touchpoints.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
05
Who We Are
untold is a gift company based
in Los Angeles. Our mission is to highlight products from minority-owned small businesses, helping to tackle the racial wealth gap in BIPOC communities.
We believe there’s more than meets the eye, so we take every opportunity to help connect a curious listener to a story. By providing a platform to tell the stories of these business owners, we can add more purpose and intention behind the products that are being consumed.
Behind every box are people with stories, just like us.
07
Who We Are Our Mission
Value Propositions
We hope to change the future of gift giving by promoting meaningful and sustainable products from small, minority-owned businesses. Functional Benefit
Support for small businesses and minorities
01 Supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs
02 Promoting sustainable and artisinal products
03
Emotional Benefit
Telling the stories behind the brands
Personal fulfillment, guilt-free consumerism
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
09
Who We Are
It’s about striking the right balance.
We are
But never
Dynamic
Complicated
Vulnerable
Weak
Affordable
Cheap
Youthful
Naive
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
11
Who We Are
Target Personas Women
Eco-friendly and socially conscious
Young adults (21 - 35)
Reasons to purchase Those who want to support small, POC/
minority-owned businesses affected by COVID-19.
Those who are “bad� at gift-giving, but still want to give personalized & thoughtful gifts for loved ones.
Those who want to practice more self-care at an affordable price.
Those who are on the lookout for trendy, artisanal crafts and goods (hipsters), and will gladly share on their social profiles.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
12
Tone of Voice
14
Tone of Voice
We are... inclusive, authentic, mindful, and uplifting.
These personality traits guide the way we write and talk about untold across all digital and print applications. And remember that our style of writing is just as important as the content.
A consistent and appropriate tone of voice will help us craft messages that align with untold’s values and resonate with our target audience.
Stories behind commodities. There’s more than meets the eye. An experience with every purchase. It’s okay to sit in your own discomfort. Working towards a more inclusive and equitable future together. There’s always an untold story.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
16
Tone of Voice
Inclusive
Mindful
We are inclusive of all identies and our page should provide a safe space for everyone. Avoid using “you,” and use “we” instead. We’re all on the same playing field and there shouldn’t be a hierarchical or controlling tone portrayed in our writing.
Acknowleding current events or opportunities for improvement, especially around race, entrepreneurship, or sustainability. Our page should showcase continual growth and progress, and remain humble and grounded.
Authentic
Uplifting
We should provide authentic and honest content. Especially when discussing issues around race, we shouldn’t sugarcoat anything, but instead, provide thought-provoking and heartfelt content for our audience to reflect upon.
Our content should be positive and uplifting, and aim to shed more light on stories of encouragement. Our audience should leave feeling more empowered on their own journeys, and our page should be a place where they can continually find positivity.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
18
Visual Identity Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Montes, erat vulputate senectus nunc nibh. Ac cursus in nisi quam nunc massa. Malesuada velit nec, iaculis mi amet, tellus. Egestas est congue dolor quis nibh gravida vestibulum. Augue risus vel libero, quis ac.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
20
Visual Identity Primary logo
Logo Secondary logo lockup Our primary logo is designed with specific alterations to make it feel as balanced and legible when scaled up or down. Do not try to replicate or alter it in any way (refer to page ##).
Our logos appear only as black or white.
Use the secondary logo lockup when there’s no further context for who untold is.
Tagline
Download logos here.
Favicon/Graphic element
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
22
Visual Identity
Logo Clearspace Always maintain the minimum clear space around the logo to ensure legibility and prevent any distraction from the brand mark. This clear space should be kept free of any competing text, graphics, imagery, page borders, and edges.
The minimum amount of clear space is equal to the height of the letter “l” in the untold wordmark.
Minimum Size The untold logo should never appear smaller than the following sizes when reproduced. Note the difference in sizes for the two logomarks. The wordmark with the tagline should be slightly bigger to accommodate for the smaller tagline Digital: 50 px
Print: 0.75”
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
Digital: 80 px
Print: 1.25” 24
Visual Identity
Logo Misuse Do not stretch, squeeze, tilt, or distort. Always scale the logo proportionally.
Do not apply any special effects, like drop shadows or outlines.
Do not resize any parts of the logo.
Do not alter the spacing of the letters.
To preserve the integrity of the brand identity, avoid the following logo misuse scenarios.
untold Do not recreate the logo in another font.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
Do not set the logo in any other brand color.
26
Visual Identity
Eyebrow
in
Argesta Text Regular
Italic
Typography:
This is a headline set in
Primary Fonts
Argesta Display Regular. And this is a subheadline in
Typography is a powerful tool to help us
Argesta Text Bold. Kerning
achieve a consistent expression in our
should be set at -1%.
communication.
Lastly, this is body copy in Sk-Modernist Regular. Font size
Argesta Display Regular is our primary brand typeface. It’s used for all headlines and text that stands alone in a design.
should be half of the headline size to ensure visual hierarchy for maximum legibility. Use Sk-Modernist Bold for emphasis in between sentences.
For download:
Argesta
Sk-Modernist
“This is a quote in Argesta Display Regular. Life is too short to spend on doing things that don’t make you happy.”
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
28
Visual Identity Backup Google Fonts
Headline
Typography:
Backup Fonts
Frank Ruhl Libre Light Subheadline
Frank Ruhl Libre Medium
Body
When working within Google Suite, use fonts Frank Ruhl Libre for headlines and Inter for
Inter Normal
Inter Bold
body copy.
Both are Google Fonts and easily accessible by Backup Google Fonts
clicking on “More fonts” from the text selector.
Headline
Helvetica Light Subheadline
When the system fonts are unavailable, default to Helvetica for all text needs.
Helvetica Bold
Body
Helvetica Regular
Helvetica Bold
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
30
Visual Identity
Color Palette Our primary brand colors differentiate our identity and provide simplicity and consistency throughout all brand touchpoints.
Our primary palette consists of green, white, and black.
White is used most often. The green is an important color unique to untold and should be used sparingly for moments of delight, attention, and assurance. This makes the appearance of green that much more impactful. Refer to the proportion & ratio to maintain brand consistency.
Green
White
Black
RGB: 200, 216, 38
HEX: C8D826
CMYK: 7, 0, 82, 15
PMS: 2297 C
RGB: 255, 255, 255
HEX: FFFFFF
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 0
PMS: N/A
RGB: 0, 0, 0
HEX: 000000
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 100
PMS: N/A
Proportion & Ratio
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
32
Visual Identity
Brand Green Our color palette can be expanded by adding black and white to the brand green.
Use the following as accent colors to support designs when the primary palette does not suffice.
Dark 2
#646C13
+50% Black
Dark 1
#96A21D
+25% Black
Brand Green
#C8D826
Light 1
#D6E25C
+25% White
Light 2
#E4EC93
+50% White
Light 3
#F1F5C9
+75% White
Light 4
#F9FBE9
+90% White
Visual Identity
RGB: 246, 244, 244
HEX: F6F4F4
Supporting Colors
We use a range of warm neutral colors to balance the brightness of our accent green and the unknown range of colors from our
CMYK: 0, 1, 1, 4
RGB: 233, 227, 227
HEX: E9E3E3
CMYK: 0, 3, 3, 9
featured vendors.
This neutral palette appears in photography, and as background colors for both digital and print materials.
RGB: 221, 213, 213
HEX: DDD5D5
CMYK: 0, 4, 4, 13
RGB: 183, 172, 171
HEX: B7ACAB
CMYK: 0, 6, 7, 28
Visual Identity
Icons Icons are created in Adobe Illustrator with the vector pen tool to achieve a minimal, single line effect. Each icon represents an idea reduced to its essence to avoid unnecessary details and noise when scaled down to smaller sizes.
The stroke weight for the outlines are 2px.
Keep all icons black or white.
These icons should all be designed with a single, continuous line, from point A to B. End points of the line should never be touching.
If in need of specific icons for your design needs, contact Jackie at jkaodesigns@gmail.com untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
38
Visual Identity
Illustrations
Primary Illustrations
Illustrations are created first with Procreate on the iPad and then brought into Adobe Illustrator to vectorize to help preserve it’s quality when scaled up or down.
Primary illustrations have a clean, minimal style with black strokes and fills, and a splash of green.
Secondary illustrations are reserved only for replicating the products in gift boxes.
Illustrations are only intended to support messaging when photography does not suffice. Use selectively.
Secondary Illustrations
If in need of illustrations, contact Jackie at jkaodesigns@gmail.com
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
40
Visual Identity What the journey is NOT:
Graphic Element:
 Continuous Line The single, continuous line represents interconnectedness, story timeline, and multilayeredness. It paints the picture that no one journey is the same, and success is not linear.
It can be intertwined with photography, paired with typography, substituted for typography, and presented in backgrounds (see next page for examples).
What the journey is:
Be careful to not overdo it with the lines though. The visual impact is much greater when used sparingly.
Download continuous lines here.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
42
Visual Identity
Continuous Line:
In Use A few common applications of the continuous line. Use in only brand green or white. The lines can be animated to add another layer of visual interest.
Intertwined with photography
Paired with typography
Substituted for typography,
follow the curves of the subject
Presented in backgrounds
Presented in backgrounds, reversed colors
untold Brand Guidelines
44
Visual Identity Logomark In Use
Graphic Element: Logomark The logomark was created by combining the lowercase letters “u” and “n” of untold.
While intended to be used sparingly, these are a few common applications for the logomark. 1
2
“I hope women can reach equality in terms of professional opportunities and remuneration.”
Melody Lim
The flowy shape is inspired by ribbons, calligraphy, and waves from the refraction of light.
Mala the Brand
3
We just need to find our balance in this crazy world. We need to be in touch with ourselves and nature, and then we can thrive.
Used as background element in multi-photo posts for Instagram.
Used for branded collateral to add contrast and increase brand awareness
(i.e. packaging tape)
untold Brand Guidelines
46
Photography
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
48
Visual Identity
Photography Principles
Big, beautiful, photos are
Showcase positivity
Use natural environments
Our brand is all about
We portray people and
inclusiveness, authenticity, and
products in natural, real life
mindfulness. Its imagery should
environments specific to their
reflect these core attributes by
background stories.
incorporating light, warmth,
Photography is not overly
and dynamic compositions. All
staged or abstract. They are
touchpoints should give viewers
clear, intentional, and inclusive.
a sense of trust and delight.
an important part of untold’s visual language. They provoke thought and evoke emotion while helping us tell powerful stories at a glance.
Keep it fresh
Give it an artisanal feel
Photography should mirror our
All of our products are made
brand’s fresh and youthful
with love from small business
personality by showing natural
owners. The photography style
elements (i.e. foliage, flowers,
should convey this handmade
wood) when possible. But don’t
quality. Incorporate diverse
overpopulate with these, as the
hands interacting with
people and/or products should
products when appropriate to
still be the center of attention.
help our imagery feel more approachable.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
50
Visual Identity
Visual Attributes
Photography: People
Authentic Candid
Inclusive
People should be portrayed
Uplifting
authentically in natural environments best suited to their backgrounds. Facial expressions should feel effortless and genuine–it’s not always smiles and sunshine, and that’s okay.
Take advantage of the compositions as a way to frame the narrative. Use light to bring focus to the subjects.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
52
Visual Identity
Visual Attributes
Photography:
BRIGHT

Product
CLEAN
Inclusive
ENGAGING
Product photography should feel just as real as the faces behind them. They should be the center of attention when photographed in natural environments.
When possible, showcase
diverse hands interacting with these products to add more life to otherwise static objects.
Optional: use mirrors as props
to portray authenticity and
self awareness.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
54
1
Esha Chhabra meet the founders
Social
4
& Smita Satiani
2
Our main social media channels will be Instagram and TikTok.
5
For Instagram, we’ll be focusing on the following types of content:
1 Meet the founder
2 Quotes on social equality/minorities/small business
3
3 Questions of the week to provoke thought 4 Photos of gift box/products/branded collateral
5 BIPOC Artist Spotlights
Q of the week:
What is one thing I can do to become a more thoughtful and proactive ally?
56
Social
These company spotlights are multi-photo Instagram posts that shed light on the faces behind each product in our gift box.
1 Meet the Founder 2
3
4
5
1080 x 1080 px
1
Include company background, Q&A with the founder, fun facts, and company photos (more photos with people if possible).
2
3
4
Design within any of the two accepted dimensions: 1080px by 1080px or 1350px by 1080px
Get creative with the designs: overlap photos, extend imagery to the next slide, change up the layout of the text and imagery, etc.
1350 x 1080 px
1
Keep each posts between 4-6 photos to provide enough context for each company but avoid oversaturating the audience with information.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
58
Social
2 Quotes Quotes inspire personal reflection and should be related to minority/BIPOC/small businesses, entrepreneurship, and racial equality.
There are two types of treatments for quotes:
1. Image of quotes on a small piece of textured paper photographed in nature (keep colors compatible with brand colors).
2. Text-based posts that follow untold’s typography hierarchy rules (see page ##) to ensure legibility.
Placeholder
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60
Social
3 Q of the Week
of the week:
What scares me? How does it hold me back?
Q of the week are personal reflection posts intended to spark dialogue within yourself and the online community.
Design is not limited to one style. Experiment with color pairings, layouts, grids, shapes, and creative ways to use the “Q” and “?” as graphic elements and patterns.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
62
Social
4 Product Photos
Highlight products from the vendors featured in our boxes as well as untold’s branded collateral (i.e. newsprint, custom notecards, packaging).
When choosing which photos to post on Instagram, look at the photos’ colors to keep the overall feed more neutral (to accommodate for the bright brand green).
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
64
Social
5 BIPOC Artist Spotlights
We reach out to BIPOC up-and-coming artists on Instagram to ask for their permission to share their work and feature them on our page.
Refer to this script to ensure common messaging across the board.
When choosing which artwork to repost, think about content and design. Is the essence/
meaning of the specific artwork aligned with untold’s values? Does the work’s color palette pair well with untold’s aesthetic?
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
66
Social
Instagram:
At a Glance
untold_co
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
untold_co
68
Social
TikTok Video Strategy? placeholder for Tiff
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur dictum nulla at pellentesque egestas vel tellus. In non tempor tincidunt nec viverra est condimentum sed. Iaculis facilisis ut nibh elementum amet purus nunc nunc blandit. Elit elementum vel et cras amet ornare. Elit quam dolor, ornare orci, fermentum. Est, risus, lacus, sapien lorem mi id risus. Diam massa, non facilisis mi. Tellus velit sagittis pellentesque vel eu arcu.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
70
Thank You For questions regarding these materials or specific brand applications, please contact Jackie Kao at jkaodesigns@gmail.com
Brand Guidelines 2020
Contents
Welcome
Who We Are
Tone of Voice
Visual Identity
Photography
Social
5
7
14
20
48
56
Welcome
to untold
These guidelines introduce the untold brand. It is the visual and verbal identity of who we are and what we stand for.
When in doubt, refer back to this book to help express untold in a consistent manner across all brand touchpoints.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
05
Who We Are
untold is a gift company based
in Los Angeles. Our mission is to highlight products from minority-owned small businesses, helping to tackle the racial wealth gap in BIPOC communities.
We believe there’s more than meets the eye, so we take every opportunity to help connect a curious listener to a story. By providing a platform to tell the stories of these business owners, we can add more purpose and intention behind the products that are being consumed.
Behind every box are people with stories, just like us.
07
Who We Are Our Mission
Value Propositions
We hope to change the future of gift giving by promoting meaningful and sustainable products from small, minority-owned businesses. Functional Benefit
Support for small businesses and minorities
01 Supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs
02 Promoting sustainable and artisinal products
03
Emotional Benefit
Telling the stories behind the brands
Personal fulfillment, guilt-free consumerism
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09
Who We Are
It’s about striking the right balance.
We are
But never
Dynamic
Complicated
Vulnerable
Weak
Affordable
Cheap
Youthful
Naive
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11
Who We Are
Target Personas Women
Eco-friendly and socially conscious
Young adults (21 - 35)
Reasons to purchase Those who want to support small, POC/
minority-owned businesses affected by COVID-19.
Those who are “bad� at gift-giving, but still want to give personalized & thoughtful gifts for loved ones.
Those who want to practice more self-care at an affordable price.
Those who are on the lookout for trendy, artisanal crafts and goods (hipsters), and will gladly share on their social profiles.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
12
Tone of Voice
14
Tone of Voice
We are... inclusive, authentic, mindful, and uplifting.
These personality traits guide the way we write and talk about untold across all digital and print applications. And remember that our style of writing is just as important as the content.
A consistent and appropriate tone of voice will help us craft messages that align with untold’s values and resonate with our target audience.
Stories behind commodities. There’s more than meets the eye. An experience with every purchase. It’s okay to sit in your own discomfort. Working towards a more inclusive and equitable future together. There’s always an untold story.
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Tone of Voice
Inclusive
Mindful
We are inclusive of all identies and our page should provide a safe space for everyone. Avoid using “you,” and use “we” instead. We’re all on the same playing field and there shouldn’t be a hierarchical or controlling tone portrayed in our writing.
Acknowleding current events or opportunities for improvement, especially around race, entrepreneurship, or sustainability. Our page should showcase continual growth and progress, and remain humble and grounded.
Authentic
Uplifting
We should provide authentic and honest content. Especially when discussing issues around race, we shouldn’t sugarcoat anything, but instead, provide thought-provoking and heartfelt content for our audience to reflect upon.
Our content should be positive and uplifting, and aim to shed more light on stories of encouragement. Our audience should leave feeling more empowered on their own journeys, and our page should be a place where they can continually find positivity.
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Visual Identity Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Montes, erat vulputate senectus nunc nibh. Ac cursus in nisi quam nunc massa. Malesuada velit nec, iaculis mi amet, tellus. Egestas est congue dolor quis nibh gravida vestibulum. Augue risus vel libero, quis ac.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
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Visual Identity Primary logo
Logo Secondary logo lockup Our primary logo is designed with specific alterations to make it feel as balanced and legible when scaled up or down. Do not try to replicate or alter it in any way (refer to page ##).
Our logos appear only as black or white.
Use the secondary logo lockup when there’s no further context for who untold is.
Tagline
Download logos here.
Favicon/Graphic element
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Visual Identity
Logo Clearspace Always maintain the minimum clear space around the logo to ensure legibility and prevent any distraction from the brand mark. This clear space should be kept free of any competing text, graphics, imagery, page borders, and edges.
The minimum amount of clear space is equal to the height of the letter “l” in the untold wordmark.
Minimum Size The untold logo should never appear smaller than the following sizes when reproduced. Note the difference in sizes for the two logomarks. The wordmark with the tagline should be slightly bigger to accommodate for the smaller tagline Digital: 50 px
Print: 0.75”
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
Digital: 80 px
Print: 1.25” 24
Visual Identity
Logo Misuse Do not stretch, squeeze, tilt, or distort. Always scale the logo proportionally.
Do not apply any special effects, like drop shadows or outlines.
Do not resize any parts of the logo.
Do not alter the spacing of the letters.
To preserve the integrity of the brand identity, avoid the following logo misuse scenarios.
untold Do not recreate the logo in another font.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
Do not set the logo in any other brand color.
26
Visual Identity
Eyebrow
in
Argesta Text Regular
Italic
Typography:
This is a headline set in
Primary Fonts
Argesta Display Regular. And this is a subheadline in
Typography is a powerful tool to help us
Argesta Text Bold. Kerning
achieve a consistent expression in our
should be set at -1%.
communication.
Lastly, this is body copy in Sk-Modernist Regular. Font size
Argesta Display Regular is our primary brand typeface. It’s used for all headlines and text that stands alone in a design.
should be half of the headline size to ensure visual hierarchy for maximum legibility. Use Sk-Modernist Bold for emphasis in between sentences.
For download:
Argesta
Sk-Modernist
“This is a quote in Argesta Display Regular. Life is too short to spend on doing things that don’t make you happy.”
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
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Visual Identity Backup Google Fonts
Headline
Typography:
Backup Fonts
Frank Ruhl Libre Light Subheadline
Frank Ruhl Libre Medium
Body
When working within Google Suite, use fonts Frank Ruhl Libre for headlines and Inter for
Inter Normal
Inter Bold
body copy.
Both are Google Fonts and easily accessible by Backup Google Fonts
clicking on “More fonts” from the text selector.
Headline
Helvetica Light Subheadline
When the system fonts are unavailable, default to Helvetica for all text needs.
Helvetica Bold
Body
Helvetica Regular
Helvetica Bold
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Visual Identity
Color Palette Our primary brand colors differentiate our identity and provide simplicity and consistency throughout all brand touchpoints.
Our primary palette consists of green, white, and black.
White is used most often. The green is an important color unique to untold and should be used sparingly for moments of delight, attention, and assurance. This makes the appearance of green that much more impactful. Refer to the proportion & ratio to maintain brand consistency.
Green
White
Black
RGB: 200, 216, 38
HEX: C8D826
CMYK: 7, 0, 82, 15
PMS: 2297 C
RGB: 255, 255, 255
HEX: FFFFFF
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 0
PMS: N/A
RGB: 0, 0, 0
HEX: 000000
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 100
PMS: N/A
Proportion & Ratio
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Visual Identity
Brand Green Our color palette can be expanded by adding black and white to the brand green.
Use the following as accent colors to support designs when the primary palette does not suffice.
Dark 2
#646C13
+50% Black
Dark 1
#96A21D
+25% Black
Brand Green
#C8D826
Light 1
#D6E25C
+25% White
Light 2
#E4EC93
+50% White
Light 3
#F1F5C9
+75% White
Light 4
#F9FBE9
+90% White
Visual Identity
RGB: 246, 244, 244
HEX: F6F4F4
Supporting Colors
We use a range of warm neutral colors to balance the brightness of our accent green and the unknown range of colors from our
CMYK: 0, 1, 1, 4
RGB: 233, 227, 227
HEX: E9E3E3
CMYK: 0, 3, 3, 9
featured vendors.
This neutral palette appears in photography, and as background colors for both digital and print materials.
RGB: 221, 213, 213
HEX: DDD5D5
CMYK: 0, 4, 4, 13
RGB: 183, 172, 171
HEX: B7ACAB
CMYK: 0, 6, 7, 28
Visual Identity
Icons Icons are created in Adobe Illustrator with the vector pen tool to achieve a minimal, single line effect. Each icon represents an idea reduced to its essence to avoid unnecessary details and noise when scaled down to smaller sizes.
The stroke weight for the outlines are 2px.
Keep all icons black or white.
These icons should all be designed with a single, continuous line, from point A to B. End points of the line should never be touching.
If in need of specific icons for your design needs, contact Jackie at jkaodesigns@gmail.com untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
38
Visual Identity
Illustrations
Primary Illustrations
Illustrations are created first with Procreate on the iPad and then brought into Adobe Illustrator to vectorize to help preserve it’s quality when scaled up or down.
Primary illustrations have a clean, minimal style with black strokes and fills, and a splash of green.
Secondary illustrations are reserved only for replicating the products in gift boxes.
Illustrations are only intended to support messaging when photography does not suffice. Use selectively.
Secondary Illustrations
If in need of illustrations, contact Jackie at jkaodesigns@gmail.com
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
40
Visual Identity What the journey is NOT:
Graphic Element:
 Continuous Line The single, continuous line represents interconnectedness, story timeline, and multilayeredness. It paints the picture that no one journey is the same, and success is not linear.
It can be intertwined with photography, paired with typography, substituted for typography, and presented in backgrounds (see next page for examples).
What the journey is:
Be careful to not overdo it with the lines though. The visual impact is much greater when used sparingly.
Download continuous lines here.
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Visual Identity
Continuous Line:
In Use A few common applications of the continuous line. Use in only brand green or white. The lines can be animated to add another layer of visual interest.
Intertwined with photography
Paired with typography
Substituted for typography,
follow the curves of the subject
Presented in backgrounds
Presented in backgrounds, reversed colors
untold Brand Guidelines
44
Visual Identity Logomark In Use
Graphic Element: Logomark The logomark was created by combining the lowercase letters “u” and “n” of untold.
While intended to be used sparingly, these are a few common applications for the logomark. 1
2
“I hope women can reach equality in terms of professional opportunities and remuneration.”
Melody Lim
The flowy shape is inspired by ribbons, calligraphy, and waves from the refraction of light.
Mala the Brand
3
We just need to find our balance in this crazy world. We need to be in touch with ourselves and nature, and then we can thrive.
Used as background element in multi-photo posts for Instagram.
Used for branded collateral to add contrast and increase brand awareness
(i.e. packaging tape)
untold Brand Guidelines
46
Photography
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
48
Visual Identity
Photography Principles
Big, beautiful, photos are
Showcase positivity
Use natural environments
Our brand is all about
We portray people and
inclusiveness, authenticity, and
products in natural, real life
mindfulness. Its imagery should
environments specific to their
reflect these core attributes by
background stories.
incorporating light, warmth,
Photography is not overly
and dynamic compositions. All
staged or abstract. They are
touchpoints should give viewers
clear, intentional, and inclusive.
a sense of trust and delight.
an important part of untold’s visual language. They provoke thought and evoke emotion while helping us tell powerful stories at a glance.
Keep it fresh
Give it an artisanal feel
Photography should mirror our
All of our products are made
brand’s fresh and youthful
with love from small business
personality by showing natural
owners. The photography style
elements (i.e. foliage, flowers,
should convey this handmade
wood) when possible. But don’t
quality. Incorporate diverse
overpopulate with these, as the
hands interacting with
people and/or products should
products when appropriate to
still be the center of attention.
help our imagery feel more approachable.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
50
Visual Identity
Visual Attributes
Photography: People
Authentic Candid
Inclusive
People should be portrayed
Uplifting
authentically in natural environments best suited to their backgrounds. Facial expressions should feel effortless and genuine–it’s not always smiles and sunshine, and that’s okay.
Take advantage of the compositions as a way to frame the narrative. Use light to bring focus to the subjects.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
52
Visual Identity
Visual Attributes
Photography:
BRIGHT

Product
CLEAN
Inclusive
ENGAGING
Product photography should feel just as real as the faces behind them. They should be the center of attention when photographed in natural environments.
When possible, showcase
diverse hands interacting with these products to add more life to otherwise static objects.
Optional: use mirrors as props
to portray authenticity and
self awareness.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
54
1
Esha Chhabra meet the founders
Social
4
& Smita Satiani
2
Our main social media channels will be Instagram and TikTok.
5
For Instagram, we’ll be focusing on the following types of content:
1 Meet the founder
2 Quotes on social equality/minorities/small business
3
3 Questions of the week to provoke thought 4 Photos of gift box/products/branded collateral
5 BIPOC Artist Spotlights
Q of the week:
What is one thing I can do to become a more thoughtful and proactive ally?
56
Social
These company spotlights are multi-photo Instagram posts that shed light on the faces behind each product in our gift box.
1 Meet the Founder 2
3
4
5
1080 x 1080 px
1
Include company background, Q&A with the founder, fun facts, and company photos (more photos with people if possible).
2
3
4
Design within any of the two accepted dimensions: 1080px by 1080px or 1350px by 1080px
Get creative with the designs: overlap photos, extend imagery to the next slide, change up the layout of the text and imagery, etc.
1350 x 1080 px
1
Keep each posts between 4-6 photos to provide enough context for each company but avoid oversaturating the audience with information.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
58
Social
2 Quotes Quotes inspire personal reflection and should be related to minority/BIPOC/small businesses, entrepreneurship, and racial equality.
There are two types of treatments for quotes:
1. Image of quotes on a small piece of textured paper photographed in nature (keep colors compatible with brand colors).
2. Text-based posts that follow untold’s typography hierarchy rules (see page ##) to ensure legibility.
Placeholder
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
60
Social
3 Q of the Week
of the week:
What scares me? How does it hold me back?
Q of the week are personal reflection posts intended to spark dialogue within yourself and the online community.
Design is not limited to one style. Experiment with color pairings, layouts, grids, shapes, and creative ways to use the “Q” and “?” as graphic elements and patterns.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
62
Social
4 Product Photos
Highlight products from the vendors featured in our boxes as well as untold’s branded collateral (i.e. newsprint, custom notecards, packaging).
When choosing which photos to post on Instagram, look at the photos’ colors to keep the overall feed more neutral (to accommodate for the bright brand green).
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
64
Social
5 BIPOC Artist Spotlights
We reach out to BIPOC up-and-coming artists on Instagram to ask for their permission to share their work and feature them on our page.
Refer to this script to ensure common messaging across the board.
When choosing which artwork to repost, think about content and design. Is the essence/
meaning of the specific artwork aligned with untold’s values? Does the work’s color palette pair well with untold’s aesthetic?
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
66
Social
Instagram:
At a Glance
untold_co
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
untold_co
68
Social
TikTok Video Strategy? placeholder for Tiff
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur dictum nulla at pellentesque egestas vel tellus. In non tempor tincidunt nec viverra est condimentum sed. Iaculis facilisis ut nibh elementum amet purus nunc nunc blandit. Elit elementum vel et cras amet ornare. Elit quam dolor, ornare orci, fermentum. Est, risus, lacus, sapien lorem mi id risus. Diam massa, non facilisis mi. Tellus velit sagittis pellentesque vel eu arcu.
untold Brand Guidelines 1.0
70
Thank You For questions regarding these materials or specific brand applications, please contact Jackie Kao at jkaodesigns@gmail.com