---
name: convention-brand
type: convention
description: The per-domain brand and identity standard for Aled's ventures — what every domain's brand definition must specify (positioning, voice, palette, type, logo, imagery, design-system pointer), with BARA as the first instance. Read before any marketing or design work so output is on-brand in the right domain. Owned by Pixel (skill-brand-system), read by Reach and everyone producing customer-facing work. Grown as each brand is defined.
---

# convention-brand

How each venture's brand is defined and held, so Reach and Pixel produce work that is on-brand for the *right* domain. One brand per venture; this doc carries the shared shape plus an instance section per domain. Owned by Pixel via `skill-brand-system`.

## The shape — what every domain must define

Each venture's brand entry specifies:

- **Positioning line** — who it's for and the one thing it stands for.
- **Tone of voice** — how it speaks, with a pointer to the canonical voice reference (e.g. `cos.tov` for careerOS, the editorial voice for Mr Pritchard).
- **Palette** — core and accent colours, as tokens where a design system exists.
- **Type** — typefaces and the type scale.
- **Logo usage** — marks, clear space, what not to do.
- **Imagery** — photography and illustration style, art direction.
- **Design-system pointer** — where the living system/tokens live (Figma library, repo), maintained by `skill-brand-system` and `skill-design-tokens`.

A domain is "brand-defined" once all seven are filled. Until then, mark the gaps rather than inventing them.

## Instances

### BARA *(first instance — partial; 4 of 7 filled)*

Welsh craft homeware and lifestyle — handmade, small-batch. Name is Welsh for "bread" (everyday, artisanal). Domain `bara.house`. Legal/store entity is currently "Made by — Neud"; the rebrand from madebyneud / "vintage white" to BARA is in progress. Working reference doc: `bara.brand-definition` (mbn.brand project); this skill is the canon and is kept in step with it.

- **Positioning** — for design- and culture-conscious people who want their home to mean something, BARA turns everyday rituals (the table, scent, washing up) into small acts of meaning. Sits in the sweet spot between premium and accessible: priced for quality and craft, positioned for gifting, self-care and repeat purchase. Closest peer is TOAST; BARA goes further with Welsh craft at its core, a sharper editorial lens, and deeper maker involvement. Three pillars: cultural authenticity (Welsh identity, materials, language) · everyday ritual (products that invite slower living) · tactile quality (design-first, unpretentious luxury).
- **Voice** — warm, minimal, grounded, quietly luxurious. Story-first, never salesy; reads like a digital journal, not an ecommerce store. Bilingual where it earns its place (Welsh + English labelling, folklore/tradition references) — cultural, never cliché or "folksy". *Canonical voice reference: to be written (no `cos.tov` equivalent yet for BARA — gap).*
- **Palette** — earthy, natural: oatmeal, moss green, slate, black, warm earth tones. The old "vintage white" cue is retired with the rebrand. *Not yet tokenised — final palette lands with the visual identity (Meirion / Kutchibok). Gap: hex tokens.*
- **Type** — *to define* — part of the visual-identity system in progress (print + digital application). Gap.
- **Logo usage** — *to define* — primary + secondary logotype, marks, clear space, dos/don'ts; in progress with Meirion Pritchard (Creative Director) and Kutchibok. Gap.
- **Imagery / art direction** — natural, intimate, understated. Cues: Welsh landscape, domestic ritual, apothecary aesthetics, "wabi-welsh" (a Welsh take on wabi-sabi — imperfection, rootedness, slate, wool, weather). Rough textures, earthy palettes, slow moments; process- and maker-led. Avoid: over-polished/couture gloss, Welsh clichés, generic AI-UGC look. Leans visual (Instagram/Pinterest-shaped). Reference set: TOAST, Aesop, Frama, Margent Farm, Ffern.
- **Design system** — brand guidelines to live in Figma (in progress, led by Pixel/Meirion). Storefront theme: `assoc-one/mbn-theme`. Packaging system: Kutchibok. *Gap: living token library not yet stood up.*

Other ventures (careerOS, A1, Mr Pritchard, the apps) get their own instance sections as they're defined here.

## Guardrails

- Brand definitions are consequential — propose changes, never silently restyle a live brand.
- Keep voice references pointed at their canonical source rather than duplicated here.
- Do not let one venture's look or voice bleed into another's; the whole point of per-domain entries is separation.