# Give us a mood. Get a starting point.

A few words and a couple of references turn into a starter palette, a type pairing, a voice and a sample page you can react to. Below are four we made for brands we invented. Switch between them, and try each one at phone size.

## Same tool, four different moods.

### Saltnap (Coffee roaster in a surf town)

**The prompt:** "sun-faded, salty, slow mornings, a little scruffy"
**References:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risograph

The mood and the Risograph reference both point to ink printed a little off: translucent color, grain, and layers that do not quite line up. The kit is built on one idea: a sun-faded print where a coral sun sits slightly out of register above teal water.

**Palette**

- Dry Sand (Background) #F4EBDD: Page background, a warm paper tone like unbleached stock.
- Wet Sand (Surface) #EADCC6: Cards and panels, a step darker than the page.
- Roast Ink (Text) #2A2622: Body text and headings, near black with a brown cast.
- Driftwood (Muted text) #6B5F54: Captions, meta text and secondary lines.
- Deep Swell (Primary) #1F5F63: Links, buttons and accent words, the teal ink layer.
- Foam (On primary) #F4EBDD: Text on teal buttons and bands.
- Faded Coral (Accent) #CC4B30: The sun, large display type and graphic shapes only.

**Text pairs, checked for WCAG AA**

- Body text on the page background: #2A2622 on #F4EBDD, 12.71:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Secondary text (captions, meta) on the background: #6B5F54 on #F4EBDD, 5.24:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Body text on cards and panels: #2A2622 on #EADCC6, 11.12:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Links, eyebrows and accent words on the background: #1F5F63 on #F4EBDD, 6.18:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Button labels and text on primary bands: #F4EBDD on #1F5F63, 6.18:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Large display text, icons and graphic shapes on the background: #CC4B30 on #F4EBDD, 3.85:1 (needs 3:1)

**Type:** Fraunces 800 for headings, Karla for body. Fraunces at heavy weight has soft, slightly wonky serifs that feel like a worn sign painted by hand. Karla is relaxed and a bit quirky, so body copy stays easy and unfussy. Together they read friendly and a little scruffy without losing legibility.

**Voice:** Easygoing and plain, like a barista who has been up since five and is in no rush.

- Coffee for slow mornings by the water.
- Roasted small, a few miles from the break.
- Come in sandy. We will save you a seat.

**Mark idea:** A coral sun sits slightly off from its teal twin, like two ink passes that missed registration, above a pair of wave lines.

### Brightwren (Pediatric dental practice)

**The prompt:** "precise and calm, clinical but warm, the opposite of scary"

Precise and calm, clinical but warm: the look of a clean, quiet room where nothing is rushed. The kit is built on one idea: a steady teal that signals care, with one small warm coral spark so kids and parents see a person, not a procedure.

**Palette**

- Clean Porcelain (Background) #F7FAF9: Page background. A cool, almost-white tint that feels clean without glare.
- Soft Rinse (Surface) #E8F1EF: Cards, panels and form areas. Just off the background.
- Deep Spruce (Text) #16302F: Body text and headings. Dark teal-black, softer than pure black.
- Quiet Pine (Muted text) #4A6462: Captions, meta and secondary text.
- Calm Teal (Primary) #0B6B66: Links, buttons, eyebrows and accent words. The steady, trustworthy color.
- Fresh White (On primary) #FFFFFF: Button labels and text on teal bands.
- Warm Coral (Accent) #C95F3C: Shapes, icons and large display only. The friendly spark.

**Text pairs, checked for WCAG AA**

- Body text on the page background: #16302F on #F7FAF9, 13.35:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Secondary text (captions, meta) on the background: #4A6462 on #F7FAF9, 6.08:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Body text on cards and panels: #16302F on #E8F1EF, 12.19:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Links, eyebrows and accent words on the background: #0B6B66 on #F7FAF9, 6.04:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Button labels and text on primary bands: #FFFFFF on #0B6B66, 6.35:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Large display text, icons and graphic shapes on the background: #C95F3C on #F7FAF9, 3.86:1 (needs 3:1)

**Type:** Fraunces 600 for headings, Figtree for body. Fraunces has soft, rounded curves that feel gentle and human without turning childish. Figtree is clean and open, easy for parents to read quickly on a phone. Together they read as careful and kind.

**Voice:** Plain, steady and kind, like a nurse who explains each step before it happens.

- Gentle dental care for growing smiles
- Every visit, no surprises
- Bring them in. We will take it slow.

**Mark idea:** A rounded tooth in teal with a small coral dot, like a bird's eye or a spark of cheer. Simple enough to read as a favicon.

### Hotstaple (Small-batch hot sauce)

**The prompt:** "loud, joyful, hand-made, 90s photocopied zine"
**References:** an image (zine-moodboard.png)

The mood board is flat yellow, a hot pink slab, a black slab and one teal dot, all tilted like pasted paper with a casual italic caption. The kit is built on one idea: every page looks cut out, stapled down and run through a copier once too often.

**Palette**

- Copy Shop Yellow (Background) #FFE14D: Page background, the loud flat sheet everything is pasted onto.
- Pale Paper (Surface) #FFF3B8: Cards and panels, a lighter scrap sitting on the yellow.
- Toner Black (Text) #111111: Body text and the heavy black slabs.
- Burnt Newsprint (Muted text) #4D4400: Captions, dates and small meta text.
- Scorched Pink (Primary) #B3004F: Links, buttons and accent words on the yellow.
- Bright Stock (On primary) #FFFFFF: Button labels and text on pink bands.
- Teal Dot (Accent) #00857A: Circles, stickers and big display shapes only.

**Text pairs, checked for WCAG AA**

- Body text on the page background: #111111 on #FFE14D, 14.5:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Secondary text (captions, meta) on the background: #4D4400 on #FFE14D, 7.53:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Body text on cards and panels: #111111 on #FFF3B8, 16.87:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Links, eyebrows and accent words on the background: #B3004F on #FFE14D, 5.32:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Button labels and text on primary bands: #FFFFFF on #B3004F, 6.93:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Large display text, icons and graphic shapes on the background: #00857A on #FFE14D, 3.48:1 (needs 3:1)

**Type:** Anton 400 for headings, Libre Baskerville for body. Anton is tall, tight and shouty, like headlines cut from a flyer and pasted crooked. Libre Baskerville gives the quieter typed-caption feel from the mood board, so the loud parts stay loud and the reading stays easy.

**Voice:** Loud, friendly and a little messy, like a zine page written by someone who really loves hot sauce.

- Hot sauce, cut and pasted.
- Three bottles, zero chill.
- Staple it to your fridge.

**Mark idea:** A tilted pink pepper cut from paper, with a teal dot beside it and a black staple across the stem.

### Vellum & Vane (Antiquarian bookseller and rare manuscript appraisal)

**The prompt:** "quiet luxury, archival, a library at night, brass and oxblood"

The mood points to a private library after hours: dark wood, lamp light, old paper, a little brass. The kit is built on one idea, a dark room lit by a single brass lamp, with oxblood used only as the leather spine.

**Palette**

- Reading Room Night (Background) #14100E: Warm near-black page background, like varnished shelves with the lights low.
- Walnut Shelf (Surface) #201815: Cards and panels, a half step lighter than the page.
- Aged Vellum (Text) #EFE6D6: Body text and headings, soft cream instead of stark white.
- Dust Jacket (Muted text) #B8A890: Captions, dates and other secondary text.
- Lamp Brass (Primary) #C9A24D: Links, eyebrows, buttons and accent words.
- Ink Black (On primary) #14100E: Button labels and text set on brass bands.
- Oxblood Binding (Accent) #BA4054: Large display shapes and icons only, never small text.

**Text pairs, checked for WCAG AA**

- Body text on the page background: #EFE6D6 on #14100E, 15.28:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Secondary text (captions, meta) on the background: #B8A890 on #14100E, 8.14:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Body text on cards and panels: #EFE6D6 on #201815, 14.1:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Links, eyebrows and accent words on the background: #C9A24D on #14100E, 7.89:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Button labels and text on primary bands: #14100E on #C9A24D, 7.89:1 (needs 4.5:1)
- Large display text, icons and graphic shapes on the background: #BA4054 on #14100E, 3.56:1 (needs 3:1)

**Type:** Cormorant Garamond 700 for headings, EB Garamond for body. Cormorant Garamond has the high-contrast, bookish elegance of old specimen pages, and the bold weight keeps it readable on a dark ground. EB Garamond is a true text serif, so long passages feel like printed pages. Together they stay quiet and a little archival without looking costume.

**Voice:** Measured and warm, like a librarian who knows where everything is and never raises her voice.

- Old pages, kept with care.
- Every volume has a history.
- Come in. The lamp is on.

**Mark idea:** A brass feather-shaped weather vane (the vane) set over an oxblood closed book, so the mark reads as both a pointer and a spine.

## A first draft, read by a person.

1. **You send a mood.** A few words on how the brand should feel, and any references you like: sites, photos, a mood board, a shop you walked past. A name and what you do help, but aren't required.
2. **We make a starter kit.** A designer at #10 runs it through our kit tool, checks the colors and type, and edits what doesn't fit. It comes back to you by email within a few business days.
3. **Then we talk.** The kit is a starting point, not a finished brand. It gives us something concrete to react to: what feels right, what's off and what's missing. From there we can take it further together, or you can run with it.

Every font is free and open-licensed, so you can use it anywhere. Every text color pair passes WCAG AA.

## Tell us the mood. We'll send a kit.

Free, and there's no catch. A person at #10 reads every request. [Request a kit](https://nr10.com/labs/brand-in-a-prompt/#request) or write to info@nr10.com.

Human version: https://nr10.com/labs/brand-in-a-prompt/