# Ezoic Brand Guidelines

> Compact machine-readable index for the canonical Ezoic public brand system — Vol. 02 / 2026 — Light edition (experimental v0.1). Light, editorial, type-led: neutrals build the page, Ezoic Green #70A92A makes the point. Built so agents can create brand-perfect Ezoic materials via the Brand API or the ezoic-brand MCP server.

## Creation Workflow

- 1 · Load the standards: GET /api/ezoic-brand (or MCP read_brand_guide, section='style'). Cache for the session.
- 2 · Resolve real assets: GET /api/ezoic-brand/assets (or MCP list_brand_assets → get_brand_asset). Never infer meaning from filenames; never place retired assets.
- 3 · Pick the creation playbook for the material type and compose from the tokens and component rules.
- 4 · Place master files for every logo occurrence — one of the four pairings, clear space = emblem height. The wordmark is never typeset.
- 5 · Verify with the pre-ship checklist before shipping. Leave claim slots open unless a cited value exists.

## Use These URLs

- https://iheartezoic.com/ - live brand guide page
- https://iheartezoic.com/llms.txt - compact LLM discovery index
- https://iheartezoic.com/llms-full.txt - full guide markdown for LLM ingestion
- https://iheartezoic.com/api/ezoic-brand - complete structured JSON
- https://iheartezoic.com/api/ezoic-brand/sections/style - canonical style section JSON
- https://iheartezoic.com/api/ezoic-brand/sections/%7Bid%7D - any guide section as JSON
- https://iheartezoic.com/api/ezoic-brand/search?q=green - keyword search over standards
- https://iheartezoic.com/api/ezoic-brand/assets - asset catalog for approved public roots
- https://iheartezoic.com/api/mcp - Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint

## Canonical Source

- Document: docs/ezoic-style-design-bible.md
- Ratified spec truth: the Ezoic Brand Style Guide, experimental v0.1 (Brand standards / Vol. 02 — 2026 / Light edition). Where a draft asset sheet disagrees with the written spec, the written spec wins: ink is #252726 (not #222423) and heading/body line spacing is 125%/150% (not 105%/110%).
- Visual/style truth: current real repo homepage and components: app/page.tsx, components/brand-guide/*, app/globals.css, app/layout.tsx, and public assets explicitly used or exposed by the app.
- Asset truth: files returned by /api/ezoic-brand/assets from public/brand, public/images/design-elements, public/photo-backs, and public/fonts at request time.
- Font implementation truth: public font files in public/fonts (Inter Display 28pt, Inter Text 18pt, RedditMono-VF) and package-provided @fontsource/inter declared in package.json.
- Content integrity truth: claim, metric, partner, quote, and customer-specific details live under Content Integrity / Source Notes and are supporting metadata, not the creative brief.

## Critical Style Details

- Positioning: Ezoic is revenue infrastructure for the modern web and the operating layer for independent web businesses.
- Color: Surfaces are cloud or ink. Neutrals build the page; green makes the point. Ezoic Green is the single accent — the mark, primary actions, signature moments. Green measures 2.8:1 on light surfaces — never small text on cloud or white. White #FFFFFF and alpha/color-mix derivatives of the five declared values are permitted only as quiet surface tints (raised panels, washes) — never as new hues. Do not introduce new brand hues for surfaces, charts, or components. The previous mint-led dark system is retired. Light, always.
- Palette: Ezoic Green #70A92A, Charcoal #252726, Graphite #575757, Steel #969696, Cloud #E3E3E3.
- Logo: Primary lockup — emblem left, wordmark right (/brand/lockup-dark.png on light surfaces). Reversed lockup on ink surfaces only (/brand/lockup-light.png). The wordmark is never typeset — it is a file, placed. Keep clear space equal to the emblem height, labelled x, on every side of the lockup.
- Asset rule: The asset API is the source of truth for files actually present in this repo at request time. Component references identify intended usage, not proof that a binary exists. Retired assets remain served for URL stability but are never placed in new work.
- Available public assets referenced by source: /brand/lockup-dark.png, /brand/lockup-light.png, /brand/lockup-steel-cloud.png, /brand/lockup-steel-ink.png, /brand/emblem-white.svg, /brand/emblem-green.png, /brand/mark-muted.png, /brand/wordmark-light.png, /brand/wordmark-dark.png, /brand/ezid-light.png, /brand/ezid-dark.png, /images/design-elements/pixel-collage.png, /images/design-elements/wash-hero.jpg, /images/design-elements/wash-01.jpg, /images/design-elements/wash-02.jpg, /photo-backs/cover-wash.png, /fonts/Inter_18pt-Light.woff2, /fonts/Inter_18pt-Regular.woff2, /fonts/Inter_18pt-Medium.woff2, /fonts/Inter_18pt-SemiBold.woff2, /fonts/Inter_18pt-Bold.woff2, /fonts/Inter_28pt-SemiBold.woff2, /fonts/Inter_28pt-Bold.woff2, /fonts/Inter_28pt-Black.woff2, /fonts/RedditMono-VF.woff2.
- Missing or unavailable public assets: none verified.

## Typography And Mono Restrictions

- Type: Inter — one family, two optical sizes. Inter Display (28pt) carries headings; Inter Text (18pt) carries body and UI. Hierarchy comes from scale, spacing, line-height, and surface changes — never caps or repeated heavy weight.
- Mono: Reddit Mono is required brand mono (/fonts/RedditMono-VF.woff2; self-hosted). Reddit Mono is the required brand mono, but mono is not decoration. Allowed uses: code blocks and setup snippets, copy/paste boxes, file paths, hex values, and exact technical values, page numbers and numeric or code-like data labels.

## Photo, Layout, Surface, And Application Guidance

- Photography: Photography sits light-washed and quiet under the system — imagery never competes with the type or the mark.
- Photo-backdrop root: use /api/ezoic-brand/assets?root=photo-backs before placing public backdrop imagery; empty roots mean that category has no files.
- Layout: One dominant idea per sheet, oversized display headlines (Title Case, closed with a period), ruled rows divided by hairlines, generous negative space.
- Surfaces: Cloud is the default field; white raised panels lift content. Ink panels and bands are local accents, never a theme — dark mode is eliminated. Rounded surfaces per the guide's pages: 16px panels/tiles/swatches, 24px large bands, 999px pills. Hairlines: ink at low opacity (rgb(37 39 38 / 0.13)) on light; white at low opacity (rgb(255 255 255 / 0.12)) on ink. Never stock rounded-md SaaS chrome, never heavy drop shadows.
- Motion: Quiet entrance motion: opacity plus a slight vertical rise. Hover motion stays minimal — color change, line extension, arrow reveal, button state.
- UI: Primary action: rounded green pill (#70A92A fill, white text, weight 600–700); hover shifts to ink. One per composition. Secondary action on ink: rounded ghost outline (white at 12% alpha) with cloud text. Text link: ink text with an ink underline; hover extends or recolors the underline to green. Tag: small hairline pill, sentence case, graphite text — the guide's own 'experimental · v0.1' tag is the model. Panel: white raised panel, 16px radius, hairline border. Bands take 24px radius. Ruled rows: hairline-divided rows (no boxes) — label left in small graphite/steel, content right. Proof slot: a green-led signature moment whose value area stays empty until a cited value exists. Input field: white panel field with hairline border and graphite value text. Section header: standalone display heading, Title Case, closed with a period. Data visualization: green is the single highlighted series; charcoal, graphite, and steel carry structure and labels. Never multiple saturated colors.
- Case studies and collateral: Use one dominant idea per section. Use a prominent green-led proof slot for sourced metrics — green earns the proof moment. Leave metric, quote, and customer-detail slots open until the content is available. Do not invent customer names, outcomes, quotes, logos, screenshots, or benchmarks. Prefer ruled rows, editorial type, sparse proof treatments, and light-washed photography only when an approved photo asset exists. Use mono only for technical values, file paths, commands, or copy boxes. Do not link examples from the homepage unless they are approved for public navigation.
- Generation guidance: 1 · Load the standards: GET /api/ezoic-brand (or MCP read_brand_guide, section='style'). Cache for the session. 2 · Resolve real assets: GET /api/ezoic-brand/assets (or MCP list_brand_assets → get_brand_asset). Never infer meaning from filenames; never place retired assets. 3 · Pick the creation playbook for the material type and compose from the tokens and component rules. 4 · Place master files for every logo occurrence — one of the four pairings, clear space = emblem height. The wordmark is never typeset. 5 · Verify with the pre-ship checklist before shipping. Leave claim slots open unless a cited value exists. Start from the sheet rhythm, palette, typography, washes, surfaces, motion, and component rules in this guide. Use the asset API before placing any logo, mark, photo, design element, or font file. Build light: cloud surfaces, editorial type, ruled rows, a single ink accent band, one wash maximum, and one dominant idea per section. Use direct, technical prose. Headings Title Case closed with a period; body sentence case. Use mono only for commands, code, file paths, exact values, and copy/paste blocks. Structure pages with setup, operating change, proof slot, quote slot, asset usage, and next action. Use scale, spacing, and surface changes for hierarchy — never all-caps labels or heavy bold. Use Ezoic Green as the single accent; avoid default chart palettes. Design metrics as large proof slots; leave the number area open until the cited value is available. Build the story as situation, operating change, source-ready proof slot, quote slot, and next action. Never invent customers, quotes, logos, screenshots, outcomes, timelines, or metrics. Use light-washed photography when an approved photo exists; otherwise use a quiet editorial surface with an open media slot. Prefer editorial rows, restrained surfaces, and direct copy over generic SaaS card grids. Do not use grid-pattern filler, gradients, standalone blur blobs, fake dashboards, or decorative mono. Combine style rules, asset records, creation playbooks, and Content Integrity / Source Notes before generating production materials.
- Asset roots: root=brand for logos/marks, root=design-elements for reusable imagery, root=photo-backs for photo backdrops, and root=fonts for font binaries.

## Content Integrity / Source Notes

- Supporting metadata for agents, docs, APIs, and LLM ingestion. These notes protect factual claims while keeping creative guidance focused on Ezoic design outcomes.
- Use the live asset catalog before placing logos, marks, design elements, photo backdrops, or font files.
- Use filenames as locators, not as proof of what an asset depicts or means.
- Leave claim slots empty or clearly open when a metric, customer name, partner name, quote, product fact, or outcome is not available.
- Do not invent metrics, customers, outcomes, screenshots, quotes, partners, product capabilities, or asset meanings.
- Keep integrity notes in this support area; do not present them as the headline design philosophy.
- Metrics slots may be designed as prominent green-led proof moments, but the value area stays empty until a cited value is available.
- Case-study templates should define the story structure first: situation, operating change, proof slot, quote slot, and next action.
- Marketing pages, docs, slides, and one-pagers may include labeled claim slots for later substantiation without weakening the visual system.
- When facts are unavailable, write direct structural copy around the missing claim instead of hedging or inventing.

## Voice

- Direct: Say what you mean. Cut the fog. If a claim is weak, sharpen it or drop it.
- Confident: State verified things plainly. Confidence is about truth, not volume.
- Technical: Ezoic is revenue infrastructure for the modern web — never a generic vendor, ad network, or plugin.
- Ezoic: Never EZOIC or lowercase ezoic outside logo/domain contexts.
- ezID: Lowercase ez, capital ID — the identity sub-brand.
- EPMV: All caps; expand to Earnings Per Thousand Visitors on first use.
- JS snippet: Preferred wording for the lightweight integration.
- Open.Video: The period is part of the name.

## Banned Patterns

- fake logos, fake lockups, or unapproved logo stand-ins presented as real
- a typeset wordmark — the wordmark is a file, placed
- asset meaning inferred from filenames alone
- unsourced metrics, proof points, product claims, partner claims, workflow claims, customer names, or quotes
- decorative monospace or mono-heavy layouts
- all-caps label systems, all-caps headings, or all-caps eyebrows — nothing is set in all caps
- any color outside the five declared values (plus documented white/alpha surface tints) — including the retired mint/lime/frog set
- dark-led layouts or a global dark theme — ink is a local accent; light, always
- gradients — no sanctioned brand gradient exists in this system
- more than one wash per surface, a wash over the mark, or a wash above its approved opacity
- grid-pattern filler as brand atmosphere
- standalone gradient blur blob backgrounds
- generic SaaS card grids
- heavy cards and heavy drop shadows
- dashboard-like layouts when the use case is brand or collateral
- heavy bold everywhere
- invented iconography or illustration systems
- default chart palettes
- negative competitor-trashing

## MCP Tools

- read_brand_guide - read the full guide or one section, including style
- search_brand_standards - search standards, copy, palette, type, assets, application rules, and voice
- list_brand_assets - list real public assets from approved roots
- get_brand_asset - fetch metadata and direct URL for one public asset

## Section IDs

- style
- intro
- logo
- variants
- color
- type
- voice
- elements
- case-study
- access
- footer