v 1.0 Cohort 1 · 2026 Internal & press

The brand book.
Built, not memorised.

A short, opinionated reference for everyone who writes, designs, ships or speaks for FINLiT.AI. If something here fights with what looks right — argue, don't ignore.

Designed inBoston, MA

Maintained byFINLiT studio

Last updatedMay 2026

01 · Principles

Three rules. Everything else is a preference.

When you're stuck choosing — between a word, a colour, a layout — read these and pick the one that respects them most. They're written down so we can hold each other to them.

/ 01

Built, not memorised.

Show the work. Specifics over slogans, screenshots over claims, working artefacts over decks. If a fellow can't ship it, we don't market it.

/ 02

AI is a power tool, not the teacher.

We always show humans first — Cap, the mentors, the fellows. AI is the pencil in their hand. Never centre a model name; always centre the person using it.

/ 03

A finished artefact beats a passing grade.

Tone is confident, specific, numeric. Avoid hype, avoid hedging, avoid exclamation marks. If a sentence could appear on a Mastercard ad, rewrite it.

02 · Logo system

Four lockups. One personality.

The wordmark is the centre of the system — Geist 500 with a serif i and the bracketed AI chip. Everything else extends from it.

01 · Editorial wordmarkPrimary

02 · Monogram lockupFavicon · 24px

04 · Chart-bar accentDecks & press

FINLiTAI

05 · Live wordmarkLaunch + product UI

✓

FINLiT

Use the wordmark as drawn — Geist 500 + Instrument Serif italic i.

✗

FINLiT

Don't recolour the wordmark or the italic i.

✗

FINLiT

Don't rotate, skew or set the wordmark on a curve.

✗

FINLiT

Don't stretch, condense or apply outline weight.

03 · Colour

Ink. Paper. A signal blue. A live green.

Editorial first: 80% of any surface should be ink, paper or a soft neutral. Signal blue is for the brand voice; neon green is for "live" — sparingly, never decoratively.

Ink · core

Ink

#0F1729 · rgb(15, 23, 41)

Body type, headlines, primary surfaces on dark sections, the wordmark itself.

Paper · base

Paper

#FCFDFE · rgb(252, 253, 254)

Default page background. Almost-white but warmer than #FFF, easier on the eyes for long-form reading.

Signal · primary accent

Signal blue

#1E5BC8 · rgb(30, 91, 200)

The italic i, primary CTAs, link underlines, brand emphasis. Never use as a large background fill.

Neon · live

Live green

#D4FF3A · rgb(212, 255, 58)

Reserved for "now live" states, cohort countdowns, dot in the AI chip. Always pair with ink — never with signal blue.

Soft blue · supporting

Soft blue

#DCE7F8 · rgb(220, 231, 248)

Selected states, quiet card backgrounds, the highlighted "right answer" in compound-hook posts.

Cream · editorial

Cream

#F5EFD9 · rgb(245, 239, 217)

Manifesto cards, long-form quote pages, anything that should feel like a printed page.

04 · Typography

Three faces. No exceptions.

Geist for everything functional. Instrument Serif italic for emphasis and feeling. Geist Mono for system labels — eyebrows, dates, numbers, code. That's it.

Geist · Sans Display + UI

Wordmark at 500 weight. Body at 400 / 500. Headlines at 500 with -0.04em tracking. Set numerals tabular for tables.

Build it.

Aa Aa Aa Aa Aa

Instrument Serif · Italic Editorial emphasis

Used only in italic, only for one or two words at a time. Always paired with Geist on the same line. Never set body copy in serif.

not memorised.

Geist Mono System labels

Eyebrows, dates, post numbers, hex codes, the AI chip. ALL CAPS at 11–13px with 0.06em tracking. Never set sentences in mono.

FINLIT · 04.20.26 · NOW LIVE

05 · Voice

Confident. Specific. Numeric.

We are writing for sharp 11-year-olds and their sceptical parents. Both can spot a marketing voice in three words. Don't use one.

✓ Do

Use specifics."$200/mo for 10 yrs at 8% becomes $36.6k" — not "the magic of compounding".
Lead with the human."Marcus, 10yr buy-side analyst, designed the rubric." Not "AI-powered curriculum".
Use lowercase + a period."applications open." reads like a fact. "Applications Open!" reads like a banner ad.
Show the artefact.Screenshot of the budget app, not a stock photo of a laptop.
Use the italic i as a wink.One italicised phrase per block — earned, not sprinkled.

✗ Don't

No exclamation marks.Ever. They are a confidence leak.
No "unlock", "empower", "journey".If you wouldn't say it across a kitchen table, don't write it on the site.
No emoji in product copy.The exception is a single ▸ or → as a directional cue.
Don't centre a model name.Never lead with "GPT-5" or "Gemini" — lead with what the fellow built with it.
Don't decorate with neon.Green only signals "live". If it's not live, it's blue.