Brand Bible

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Brand Foundations

Purpose

East Village Hub exists to make living in East Village easier, clearer, and less opaque.
It brings together information that is otherwise scattered across private messages, noticeboards, social posts, and half-remembered conversations - and presents it in a way that’s practical, readable, and easy to return to.
 

The problem it solves

Local knowledge is:
  • fragmented
  • repeatedly re-explained
  • often locked inside small groups
  • hard to verify after the fact
 
East Village Hub turns that informal knowledge into a shared, evolving reference.
 

What success looks like

Success is not traffic or reach.
 
Success looks like:
  • people checking EVH before asking WhatsApp
  • links being quietly shared
  • residents trusting it instinctively
  • information being updated, corrected, and improved over time
 

Long-term intent

East Village Hub is designed to be:
  • long-lived
  • steadily maintained
  • independent of platforms
  • recognisable even when stripped back
 
It should feel like something that accumulates value rather than chases attention.
 

What East Village Hub is (and is not)

What it is

East Village Hub is:
  • resident-run
  • editorially opinionated
  • practically useful
  • informal but rigorous
  • written by someone who lives here
  • designed to be returned to
 
It behaves like a well-edited reference rather than a feed.
 

What it isn’t

East Village Hub is not:
  • a magazine
  • a news outlet
  • a blog
  • a marketing platform
  • a social network
  • a noticeboard free-for-all
  • an official mouthpiece
 
If it starts to resemble any of these, something has drifted.
 

Relationship to ‘News’

EVH does not chase news.
It documents changes only when they affect residents and when there is something useful to say. Updates are contextual, dated, and open to revision.
Accuracy matters more than speed.
 

Relationship to authority

EVH is confident without pretending to represent everyone.
It earns trust through clarity, specificity, and consistency - not position or formality.
When something is uncertain, it says so.
 

Brand personality & tone of voice

Personality sliders

East Village Hub sits here:
  • Serious ◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◻︎ Playful
  • Practical ◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◻︎ Expressive
  • Opinionated ◼︎◼︎◼︎◻︎◻︎ Neutral
  • Warm ◼︎◼︎◼︎◻︎◻︎ Friendly
  • Polished ◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◻︎ Casual
 
Dry humour is present but never performs.
 

Voice principles

The voice should feel:
  • informed
  • calm
  • slightly wry
  • unforced
  • human
 
Writing assumes shared context and lived experience.
 

Humour

Humour is:
  • dry
  • observational
  • occasional
 
It comes from phrasing, not jokes.
If it draws attention to itself, it’s wrong.
 

Authority

Authority comes from:
  • clarity
  • dates
  • references
  • restraint
  • visible updates
 
Never from grand statements or official-sounding language.
 

One internal rule

Write like someone who lives here and wants to be useful - not like someone building an audience.
 

Typography System

Principle

Typography is the primary expression of the brand.
If everything else is removed, black text on white should still feel unmistakably East Village Hub.
 

Typefaces

Primary

Helvetica Now Display
Used for:
  • logo
  • headlines
  • navigation
  • labels
  • emphasis
 
Weights:
  • Black (primary)
  • Bold
  • Medium
 
ALL CAPS preferred for headings and navigation.
 

Secondary

Inter
Used for:
  • body copy
  • long reads
  • metadata
  • supporting UI
 
Weights:
  • Regular
  • Medium
 
Inter supports. Helvetica leads.
 

Spacing and rhythm

  • Headlines: tight but readable
  • Body copy: generous line height
  • No decorative typography
  • No novelty styling
 
If typography feels playful, it’s wrong.
 

Colour system

Philosophy

Colour is punctuation, not atmosphere.
It highlights, interrupts, and orients. It does not decorate.
 

Base colours

  • White - #FFFFFF
  • Off-white - #F7F7F5
These dominate the page.
 

Ink colours

  • Black - #000000 (headlines, logo)
  • Near-black - #1A1A1A (body copy)
  • Grey - #6E6E6E (metadata)
Contrast is non-negotiable.
 

Signal colour

Acid Lime - #C7F000
Used sparingly for:
  • logo block variants
  • dividers
  • highlights
  • key indicators
Never used for body text or decoration.
 

Interaction colour

Blue - #2F5BFF
Used only for:
  • links
  • hover states
  • active UI
Never used as brand colour.
 

Ratios

  • 80–85% base
  • 10–15% ink
  • 2–5% signal
If the page feels colourful, it’s wrong.
 

Logo system

Logo definition

The logo is a typographic wordmark set in Helvetica Now Display Black, contained within a solid rectangular block.
No icons. No symbols. No embellishment.
 

Primary logo

  • Text: EAST VILLAGE HUB
  • Case: ALL CAPS
  • Default: black text on acid green block
  • Corners: square
 

Approved variants

  • Black on white
  • White on black
  • Black on acid green
Blue is never used in the logo.
 

Compact logo

EVH, same rules, same block.
Used only where space demands it.
 

Padding (inside block)

Padding scales by size tier:
  • Small: 8px
  • Standard: 12px
  • Large: 16–20px
Padding is even on all sides.
 

Clear space (outside block)

Clear space equals the height of the capital H in HUB.
Applied equally on all sides.
The letter is a measurement reference only and is never rotated or reused visually.
 

Placement

Preferred:
  • top-left
  • footer
  • deliberate section openers
 
Never:
  • over imagery
  • as decoration
  • repeated excessively
 

Layout and Spacial System

Principle

Pages should feel edited, calm, and deliberate.
Nothing exists by accident.
 

Grid

  • Max width: 1200–1300px
  • 12-column grid
  • Column gap: 32px (desktop)
 

Vertical spacing scale

  • 8px
  • 16px
  • 24px
  • 32px
  • 48px
  • 64px
No other values.
 

Cards

  • Square corners
  • No shadows
  • Flat backgrounds
  • Internal padding: 24px
Cards are containers, not design objects.
 

Dividers

  • Solid black rules
  • 1–2px
  • Used sparingly
 

Navigation

  • White background
  • No visual theatrics
  • Clear active state
Navigation gets out of the way.
 

Mobile

  • Single column
  • Generous spacing
  • No cramming
Scrolling is cheaper than confusion.
 

Content principles

Writing

  • Clear
  • Specific
  • Dated
  • Revisable
 
Avoid:
  • filler
  • marketing language
  • institutional tone
 

Structure

  • Short paragraphs
  • Useful headings
  • Lists only when needed
 

Updates

Every page should make it obvious:
  • when it was written
  • when it was last updated
  • what has changed
 

Imagery and visual language

Role of imagery

Imagery supports context.
It never carries the message.
 

Rules

  • No text in images
  • No filters
  • No gradients
  • No overlays
  • Hard edges only
Images should feel observed, not styled.
 

Component behaviour

  • No shadows
  • No rounded corners
  • No animation for its own sake
  • Interaction is subtle and functional
If a component draws attention to itself, simplify it.
 

Accessibility and longevity

  • High contrast at all times
  • Text-first approach
  • Pages must work when printed
  • Design must survive trends
Longevity beats novelty.
 

Governance

Change discipline

Changes are:
  • intentional
  • documented
  • reversible
Nothing drifts quietly.
 

The kill rule

If something:
  • adds noise
  • reduces clarity
  • duplicates effort
  • exists “just because”
Remove it.
 

The final test

Every decision must answer:
Does this make the site more useful for someone who actually lives here?
If not, it doesn’t belong.