# DRKNYT brand usage policy Revision 5 · October 21, 2026 Current reference: https://www.drknyt.com/brand Applies to DRKNYT teams, contractors, collaborators and external references. ## Use one current source, inside and outside DRKNYT. Teams, contractors, partners and editorial users should start with this versioned kit. Keep the name, symbol, proportions and supplied colors intact. A shared source keeps a sign-in control, a report and a website recognizably connected instead of allowing each team to redraw the identity. ## Choose a supplied variant for its background. Use the light lettering on dark surfaces and the dark lettering on light surfaces. The light-surface artwork includes an infrared accent: it is a deliberate variant, not permission to tint the original. Check the actual placement, including focus, hover and disabled states. Brand color does not replace readable contrast. ## Keep the artwork together and give it space. A lockup is the fixed arrangement of the gateway mark, divider and wordmark. Keep them together. Leave clear space around it at least equal to the central portal gap, and increase that space in busy layouts. Preserve the original proportions. At small sizes, use the supplied compact mark or icon; do not make an unreadable full lockup. ## Use the original artwork for each output. Vector artwork describes shapes with paths rather than a fixed grid of pixels, so its edges stay clean when resized. Our SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) logo files store the lettering as shapes too, so an installed font cannot change the name. A PNG (Portable Network Graphics) file has a fixed pixel size and is useful where vector files are unsupported. Export it from the master at the required size; do not enlarge a small screenshot. A vector file can still become illegible if the placement is too small. ## Keep the sign-in artwork and its meaning intact. Use only the supplied dark, white or cyan Sign in with DRKNYT artwork, at 176 × 60 or proportionally larger. Keep “Sign in with” above the outlined name in the approved arrangement. Place the artwork inside a real keyboard-operable control with an accessible name and visible focus. Connect it only to the actual DRKNYT sign-in journey. OpenID Connect (OIDC) is a sign-in protocol, not a property an image can enable. Sign-in identifies a person; access to a product, Space or report is a separate permission. ## Use the right font for the job. DRKNYT Display is our proprietary uppercase face for short display headings. Use its supplied regular weight; do not synthesize a new bold or italic style, and use a fallback for unsupported characters. IBM Plex Sans handles body copy, controls and forms; IBM Plex Mono handles short utility and data labels. Do not type the logo with any font. DRKNYT Display font binaries are not part of the public download or a public font license; request files for authorized DRKNYT work. ## Name the parent, the practice and the product clearly. The parent brand is DRKNYT. “Create what comes next.” is the primary tagline. “Strategy. Research. Technology.” describes the practice; “Detroit” can identify the location. Research and Strategy and Applied Sciences Division are named divisions within DRKNYT. Research and Strategy has a supplied report composition; Applied Sciences has a quieter report-cover composition with an Ash division label. Keep products, divisions and service labels distinct. The Lab is an area of DRKNYT, not a reason to rename the parent “DRKNYT Labs.” New combined identities still need reviewed artwork. ## Preserve division identity and the limits of each file. A division lockup identifies which part of DRKNYT is responsible for the work; it does not create a separate company or a product. Research and Strategy and Applied Sciences Division use their supplied quieter compositions, with an outlined Ash label beneath the parent name. All lettering in these files is stored as shapes, so no installed font is needed to render it. Preserve the source files and check legibility at the actual destination size. The earlier cyan Research and Strategy report composition remains in revision 3 as history. Do not invent a division symbol or imply qualifications or accreditation from a division name. ## Keep briefing signatures in their existing roles. Discovery and Technical briefing signatures identify service experiences within DRKNYT. The compact sharing stack and the private-briefing or tagline pairings are existing page compositions, not separate corporate logos or divisions. Use the supplied fixed exports intact on dark surfaces; keep their transparent clear space. In the interface, reuse the shared layout with real text so it can reflow. The wide header and footer exports preserve their desktop arrangement; use the responsive interface composition on narrow screens. Outlined labels render without installed fonts and do not grant a font license. A private-briefing label does not make an otherwise public file private or enforce access. ## Make external references accurate. Use the supplied assets intact when accurately referring to DRKNYT. Keep your own identity distinct. Do not imply a partnership, endorsement, certification or sign-in integration that has not been agreed. Ask us before creating a combined logo, applying the identity to merchandise, or changing artwork. This kit does not transfer ownership of the identity or grant rights to redistribute the proprietary font. ## Check the use before it leaves the team. For DRKNYT work, record the asset version and check the actual smallest placement, background, proportions, clear space and text alternatives. Keep source files and transformation history with exported files. DRKNYT reviews new brand artwork and approves variants and exceptions. An approved image does not approve a deployment, provider integration or access change. ## Keep these limits visible - Do not stretch or compress. - Do not recolor the artwork yourself; choose a supplied variant. - Do not rearrange the lockup or sign-in composition. - Do not retype or reconstruct the wordmark. - Do not add effects, crop out identity elements or generate a look-alike. Questions and proposed exceptions: https://www.drknyt.com/contact?interest=brand-kit