Underfoot
Brand Guidelines
UNDERFOOT — COMPLETE BRAND KIT
1. Brand Manifesto
We are the Sage. We exist because a billion-dollar industry — one that touches every home and commercial space in New Zealand — has never had a publication worthy of it. Not a mouthpiece. Not a lead engine. A genuine independent authority, built for the people the industry has always underserved.
Our five structural commitments are non-negotiable: editorial independence (we have nothing to sell you), NZ-first relevance (your climate, your codes, your pricing), depth over thinness (we show our work), practical usefulness (information you can act on today), and respect across audiences (homeowner, installer, industry stakeholder — equal standing, always). These aren't values we aspire to. They're the architecture of what Underfoot is.
We are the trusted expert at the end of the bar. Quietly confident. Unpretentious. Recognisably Kiwi in the way that means direct, not flashy. We don't oversell. We don't hedge unnecessarily. We say what the evidence supports and flag where it doesn't.
Our promise: when you leave Underfoot, you feel calm and equipped. Not excited. Not inspired. Settled — with the genuine clarity that comes from having genuinely good information.
2. Positioning
Positioning Statement: For homeowners, installers, and industry stakeholders navigating New Zealand's flooring sector, Underfoot is the only independent, NZ-specific publication that delivers editorial depth without commercial conflict — at no cost to access, and no compromise to credibility. Where every other source has something to sell, Underfoot has only one obligation: accuracy.
Tagline: Underfoot. Know the ground.
The tagline operates on three registers simultaneously: literal (flooring), strategic (know your market), and emotional (the settled confidence of being well-informed). It is short enough for any application, specific enough to own, and impossible to claim for a retailer or manufacturer.
3. Colour Palette
Primary Colours
| Role | Name | HEX | RGB | CMYK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Text | Near-Black | #1C1C1C | 28, 28, 28 | 0, 0, 0, 89 |
| Background | Pure White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 |
| Secondary Text | Cool Gray | #6B7280 | 107, 114, 128 | 16, 11, 0, 50 |
| Functional Accent | Deep Teal | #2A5F5C | 42, 95, 92 | 56, 0, 3, 63 |
Secondary Colours
| Role | Name | HEX | RGB | CMYK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | Off-White | #F7F6F3 | 247, 246, 243 | 0, 0, 2, 3 |
| Divider | Light Gray | #E2E2DF | 226, 226, 223 | 0, 0, 1, 11 |
| Data Accent | Warm Earth | #7A4F35 | 122, 79, 53 | 0, 35, 57, 52 |
| Alert/Warning | Muted Amber | #B87333 | 184, 115, 51 | 0, 38, 72, 28 |
Usage rules: Teal (#2A5F5C) is applied to a maximum of 10% of any page surface — links, CTAs, active states, and audience segment indicators only. Warm Earth (#7A4F35) is reserved exclusively for secondary data visualisation contrast; it never appears as a brand flourish. Muted Amber is for cautionary callouts and disclaimers only. No second accent colour is ever introduced. The palette's authority comes from its restriction.
4. Typography
Primary Family: IBM Plex Mono — all editorial content, headlines, body, UI labels.
| Role | Weight | Size | Line-Height | Letter-Spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | Bold 700 | 36px | 1.2 | −0.02em |
| H2 | Bold 700 | 26px | 1.25 | −0.01em |
| H3 | SemiBold 600 | 20px | 1.3 | 0 |
| H4 | SemiBold 600 | 16px | 1.4 | 0 |
| Body | Regular 400 | 16px | 1.7 | +0.01em |
| Caption/Metadata | Medium 500 | 12px | 1.5 | +0.06em |
| Category Labels | Medium 500, UPPERCASE | 11px | 1.5 | +0.08em |
Max line length: 68 characters enforced via max-width on all body text containers. Non-negotiable — monospace at wider measures causes fatigue. Italic (Regular 400 Italic) is the only emphasis treatment permitted in body copy; bold within body text is reserved for data labels and key terms only.
Typographic hierarchy logic: One family, controlled through weight and size differential alone. This is Paula Scher's principle of typography as architecture — structure created through proportion, not decoration. The system reads as a specification document at every scale.
5. Grid and Spacing
Base unit: 8px. All spacing values are multiples of 8.
Page grid: 12-column, 1200px max-width container. Column gutter: 24px. Outer margin: 48px desktop / 24px mobile.
Content column: Primary editorial content occupies 8 of 12 columns (centred). Sidebar/metadata occupies 3 columns with 1 column gap. On mobile: single column, full width.
Vertical rhythm: Minimum 48px between content sections. Component-level spacing:
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Paragraph spacing | 24px |
| Section break | 48px |
| Major section break | 80px |
| Inline element padding | 8px / 16px |
| Card padding | 24px |
| Table cell padding | 12px / 16px |
Whitespace as editorial signal: Generous margins are not wasted space — they are the visual equivalent of the publication's restraint. Any layout that feels crowded has violated the brand's core promise.
6. Graphic Elements
Structural rules: Flat system only. No gradients, no drop shadows, no visual effects. All decorative illustration is prohibited.
Dividers: 1px rules at #E2E2DF. Used to separate content sections, table rows, and navigation elements. Never decorative — only functional.
Callout boxes: Background #F7F6F3, 2px left border in #2A5F5C, 24px internal padding. Used for methodology notes, editorial standards disclosures, and key findings. These are structurally equivalent to editorial content — they must never read as asides.
Data tables: Header row background #F7F6F3, alternating row fills #FFFFFF / #F7F6F3. Column headers in uppercase tracked Medium 500. Two-colour data visualisation palette: #2A5F5C (primary) and #7A4F35 (secondary). Bar charts and structured tables only — no pie charts.
Iconography: Thin-line geometric, 24px grid, 1.5px stroke, squared terminals. Colour states: #1C1C1C (default), #6B7280 (inactive), #2A5F5C (active). 24-icon launch set covering product categories, audience segments, and functional symbols. No rounded, organic, or personality-driven icon styles.
Photography: Documentary editorial. Natural daylight (5500–6000K), diffuse and even. NZ-specific contexts only. Installer process photography is a content priority. Minimal post-processing — white balance correction only. No lifestyle staging, no aspirational interiors, no stock photography.
7. Tone of Voice
Underfoot speaks as a knowledgeable colleague — mid-register, direct without bluntness, rigorous without dryness. Kiwi without performing it. The voice is calibrated differently by audience: jargon-translated and never condescending for homeowners; peer-level and technically precise for installers; analytical and willing to name uncomfortable truths for industry stakeholders.
We say / We never say:
| We Say | We Never Say |
|---|---|
| "Here's what the evidence shows." | "We're excited to share…" |
| "This product has a known limitation." | "Industry-leading solution." |
| "NZ Building Code requires…" | "As seen in international markets…" |
| "We tested this ourselves. Here's how." | "Experts agree…" (unattributed) |
| "The honest answer is: it depends." | "The best choice for your home." |
| "Installers we spoke to noted…" | "Simply follow these steps." |
Communication by context:
Celebration (new content, milestone): "We've published our first independent installer survey. 214 respondents. Here's what they actually said — including the parts the industry won't like." No fanfare. The work speaks.
Crisis (correction, error): "We got this wrong. In our March review of XYZ vinyl, we cited an installation temperature range that was incorrect. The correct range is [X]. We've updated the article and noted the correction with a timestamp. Here's what changed and why it matters." Full transparency, no hedging.
Sales (sponsorship, subscription): "Underfoot's industry analysis is free to read. If it's useful to your business, a membership supports the editorial independence that makes it worth reading." No urgency, no discounting, no pressure.
Channel adaptation:
- LinkedIn: Analytical register. Industry-facing. Lead with data or a specific finding. No inspirational copy.
- Instagram: Functional visual content — product comparisons, process photography, methodology explainers. Captions are concise and factual. No lifestyle aesthetics.
- Email: Direct subject lines ("March supply chain update: three things worth knowing"). No click-bait. Subscriber-first framing throughout.
8. Brand Applications
Business card: 85mm × 55mm, 350gsm uncoated stock. #1C1C1C text on #FFFFFF front. Back: #1C1C1C background, #FFFFFF IBM Plex Mono logotype and single teal rule. No gloss laminate — matte only. Uncoated stock reinforces the material honesty register.
Letterhead / Papelaria: A4, 20mm margins. IBM Plex Mono logotype top-left, 14px. Footer: URL, editorial standards URL, and conflict-of-interest disclosure in 10px Cool Gray. The editorial standards footer is non-negotiable — it appears on every formal document.
Website: 12-column grid, 1200px max-width. Audience segment navigation (HOMEOWNER / INSTALLER / INDUSTRY) in uppercase tracked labels, persistent header. Article pages: 8-column content, generous vertical rhythm, methodology callout box visible on all product reviews. No pop-ups, no sidebar advertising clutter.
Social media profiles:
- Profile image: Logotype mark on
#1C1C1Cbackground, centred, 80% container width. - Cover/banner:
#1C1C1Cbackground, IBM Plex Mono logotype left-aligned, tagline right-aligned in Cool Gray. No photography in profile assets — the identity carries itself. - Post templates: Two formats — (1) text-on-
#F7F6F3for findings and data points; (2) documentary photography with IBM Plex Mono caption overlay in#FFFFFFat 13px.
Email newsletter: Single-column, 600px max-width. #FFFFFF background. Section headers in H3 SemiBold. Dividers at #E2E2DF. Teal CTAs (#2A5F5C) with #FFFFFF text, 4px border-radius only. Plain-text fallback must be fully readable — the content is the product, not the template.
Accessible price tier application: All primary touchpoints are digital-first and free-to-access. Print is not a launch priority. Premium applications (events, data reports) use the same visual system — no separate premium aesthetic. The brand's credibility is the premium signal; no visual upgrade is required or appropriate.
9. Usage Guidelines
Correct use:
- Logotype in
#1C1C1Con#FFFFFFor#F7F6F3backgrounds only - Logotype in
#FFFFFFon#1C1C1Cbackground only - Minimum logotype size: 80px wide digital / 25mm print
- Clear space: equal to the cap-height of the logotype on all sides
- Teal accent used exclusively for interactive and functional elements
Incorrect use:
- Logotype in teal, gray, or any colour other than near-black or white
- Logotype on photography backgrounds without a solid colour block
- Logotype stretched, condensed, or modified in any dimension
- Adding drop shadows, outlines, or effects to any brand element
- Combining IBM Plex Mono with any decorative, serif, or script typeface
- Using Warm Earth (
#7A4F35) outside data visualisation contexts - Placing advertiser logos at equivalent visual weight to the Underfoot logotype
- Any sponsored content that deviates from the established visual system — all commercial content must be structurally labeled ("SUPPORTED BY") in uppercase tracked labels, visually consistent with editorial content
10. Brand Glossary
Calm and Equipped: The primary emotional state Underfoot is designed to produce. Not excitement, not inspiration — the settled confidence of having genuinely good information. Every editorial and design decision is evaluated against this outcome.
Category Vacuum: The structural market condition in which Underfoot operates. No direct competitor exists. Underfoot is not competing to be better — it is competing to exist in a space that has never been filled.
Documentary Editorial: Underfoot's photographic register. Functional, NZ-specific, honest. The opposite of lifestyle staging. Photography that answers practical questions rather than creating aspirational desire.
Editorial Independence: Underfoot's primary structural differentiator. Not a value claim — a design commitment. Separation of editorial and commercial decisions, visible conflict-of-interest policy, and willingness to publish findings that contradict advertiser interests.
Methodology Visibility: The practice of publishing editorial standards, testing criteria, and conflict-of-interest policies as content — not fine print. Borrowed from Wirecutter's model; applied to the NZ flooring vertical.
NZ-First Relevance: Content that addresses NZ climate conditions, NZ Building Code requirements, NZ product availability, and NZ pricing. The modifier that no international publication can replicate.
Trusted Expert at the End of the Bar: The personality archetype that defines Underfoot's voice. Someone who knows the industry cold, has nothing to sell, and gives you the straight answer. Quietly confident. Unpretentious. Direct.
Workbench Precision: The visual tone of the Underfoot identity system. Functional, restrained, technically credible. The design register of a skilled craftsperson's workspace — organised for efficiency, free of decoration, honest about materials.
Logo System
Primary Logo
Monochrome