--- title: .md Studios Brand Guidelines version: "1.0" status: FINAL PRODUCTION CANDIDATE page_count: 24 canonical_domain: dotmdstudios.com approval: Human owner required --- # 01 — Cover ## From README to revenue. A venture studio that researches hard problems, kills weak theses, validates demand, and packages what survives for transfer. Version 1.0 · Final production candidate · No owner approval implied ### Interface and evidence labels - Brand guidelines / review candidate # 02 — Thesis ## Validated ventures, packaged for operators and buyers. We sell transferable operating opportunities—not ideas, demos, or AI theater. ### Find expensive friction. Start with repeated pain, budget ownership, and measurable operational burden. ### Demand earns build. Named thresholds and kill criteria govern every move toward product. ### Package the residue. IP, evidence, operating plans, liabilities, and handoff requirements travel together. External rule: the commercial outcome must remain clear after every file, cursor, or syntax metaphor is removed. ### Interface and evidence labels - Commercial promise - Mine - Prove # 03 — Operating model + evidence gates ## Every stage has an exit. #### Problem density Repeated pain, named buyer, existing spend. #### Adversarial test Disconfirm urgency, access, economics, and defensibility. #### Smallest proof Only enough product to answer the riskiest question. #### Paid behavior Evidence beats interest, compliments, and waitlists. #### Transferability Operator brief, IP, economics, risks, and handoff. ### Required receipt - **HYPOTHESIS:** Specific and falsifiable - **THRESHOLD:** Set before result - **OWNER:** Named person - **EVIDENCE:** Traceable artifact - **DECISION:** Advance · redesign · kill ### Interface and evidence labels - 01 / Mine - 02 / Kill - 03 / Build - 04 / Validate - 05 / Package # 04 — Audiences + proof matrix ## Different buyers require different receipts. ### Can I run this? Workflow map · implementation burden · unit economics · 90-day plan. **STATUS: 12–18% studio presence** ### Can I own this? IP inventory · liabilities · diligence index · transfer dependencies. **STATUS: 10–25% studio presence** ### Is the work real? Stage criteria · role map · decision rights · preserved failed learning. ### What happens next? Gate owner · threshold · due date · evidence location · decision record. Metaphor budget: no more than 20% of external language. File syntax may explain the method; it may not replace the value proposition. ### Interface and evidence labels - Priority 1 / Operators - Priority 2 / Acquirers - Priority 3 / Founders + collaborators - Priority 4 / Internal # 05 — Portfolio + co-brand architecture ## The venture stays dominant—and can leave cleanly. Endorsement width: 12–18% of venture wordmark. ### Removal without rework. The venture’s core identity, color, and customer UI never depend on studio artwork. **STATUS: TESTING OR LATER** Named owner required. Never publicly endorse a DRAFT concept. ### Monochrome always. If a venture uses red or orange, END remains Ink/Paper. Studio Oxide never wins. Approved copy: Built by .md Studios or A .md Studios venture . Ban “Powered by,” dual-primary lockups, and `.md × Venture`. ### Interface and evidence labels - Endorser system - Approved / Horizontal - Spinout rule - Public threshold - Accent conflict # 06 — Identity family ## One recognizable system. Distinct jobs. Path-only Cursor mark for studio identification. Outlined Plex wordmark master; path-only production file. Cursor stays subordinate to the name. ### Interface and evidence labels - Symbol, wordmark, lockup - SYM / Primary - WM / Proof - md_ Studios - LCK / Proof - Reverse # 07 — Mark anatomy ## The cursor is a state—not decoration. ### r = 6 Core Oxide in primary applications; Ink in mono END contexts. ### 5 units Canonical underscore thickness. Sixty percent of principal stem weight. ### Paths only No live-text dependency inside production SYM masters. Six-unit cursor geometry remains comparison-only and must never replace the owner-approved five-unit master. ### Interface and evidence labels - Custom geometry - Construction # 08 — Clearspace + minimum size ## Recognizable at sixteen. Quiet at one-sixty. Minimum protected area equals one dot diameter on every side. 16 · 24 · 32 · 64 · 160 ### Interface and evidence labels - Small-size proof - Reject: - cursor disappearance, collapsed counters, redrawn geometry, or decorative repetition. # 09 — Color ## Oxide attracts attention. Ink carries meaning. ### 4.178:1 Core Oxide fails AA for normal text on Paper. ### 4.560:1 Dark Oxide is the accessible text role. **STATUS: PASSED** #176B4D **STATUS: TESTING** #855A00 **STATUS: KILLED** #A92D2D ### Interface and evidence labels - Accessible roles - #171619 - #F3EFE4 - #C84630 - Restricted - Normal text allowed # 10 — Typography ## Commercial clarity first. Evidence metadata second. Plex Sans carries headlines, buyer outcomes, body copy, actions, and interface language. Mono is reserved for evidence labels, states, hashes, thresholds, and timestamps. 64/65 · 700 36/40 · 700 16/25 · 400 ### Interface and evidence labels - Two families - Validated ventures. - Transferable operations. - Plex Mono - VENTURE / EXAMPLE - STATUS DRAFT - OWNER UNASSIGNED - RESULT NOT EVALUATED - EVIDENCE NONE ATTACHED - Display - Heading # 11 — Layout + grid ## Editorial rhythm makes evidence navigable. ### 12 columns US Letter · 0.62-inch horizontal safe area · baseline rhythm from 8-point units. ### 12 → 4 Desktop grid collapses to four mobile columns without changing outcome order. ### 16:9 One claim, one receipt, one decision per slide whenever possible. ### Validated ventures, packaged for transfer. Depth is structural, not glossy: square corners, explicit borders, no floating glass panels, no gratuitous shadows. ### Interface and evidence labels - Structured restraint - Print - Web - Presentation - Outcome / 8 columns - Proof object - Risk / liability - Next decision # 12 — Status + evidence components ## A status without a receipt is decoration. **STATUS: DRAFT** Hypothesis exists; public endorsement forbidden. **STATUS: TESTING** Owner and exit criterion attached. **STATUS: PASSED** Threshold met with traceable evidence. **STATUS: KILLED** Legitimate result; reason preserved. **STATUS: READY TO TRANSFER** Diligence and handoff gates complete. Gate · hypothesis · threshold · result · owner · date · evidence · decision. - **GATE:** Pilot demand - **THRESHOLD:** 3 paid design partners - **RESULT:** Not evaluated - **OWNER:** Unassigned - **EVIDENCE:** None attached - **DECISION:** Remain DRAFT ### Interface and evidence labels - Accountable states - Required fields # 13 — Evidence grammar ## Receipts turn claims into operating decisions. ### Named buyer pain Plain-language burden, frequency, current workaround, and budget owner. ### Set before testing A number can appear only with source, method, date, and decision context. ### Known gaps travel too Dependencies, unresolved risks, consent limits, and operating burden remain visible. **STATUS: READY TO TRANSFER** Allowed only after documented diligence completion. Method motifs are secondary: file names, hashes, and states may organize evidence; they may not simulate technical sophistication. ### Interface and evidence labels - Dossier devices - Transfer badge # 14 — Syntax → structure ## Transformation must be mechanically legible. Vertices A/B/C retain identity through every frame. Flat vector, two weights, square endpoints, Ink/Paper plus Core Oxide only. Document icon + chart/building, glow, Cursor confetti, or any transformation whose geometry cannot be traced. ### Interface and evidence labels - Illustration system - FINAL SYSTEM MASTER — SHARED-VERTEX SEQUENCE - System rule ![Final syntax-to-structure sequence](../../imagery/ill/syntax-structure/syntax-structure-sequence.svg) # 15 — Photography ## Photograph accountable work—not startup theater. Annotated paper · physical prototypes · workshops · field environments · operators using products. Directional natural or practical light. Preserve material texture and purposeful negative space. 4:5 portrait · 3:2 landscape · 16:9 editorial. Sensitive text obscured. creator · date · context · location_or_set · releases · rights_end · permitted_surfaces · pii_redaction · ai_generated Server racks, hooded coders, neon terminals, handshakes, staged whiteboards, generic offices, purple/cyan light. AI photoreal may be labeled only as illustration or mood. It may never serve as customer, dossier, kill-test, or operating evidence. ### Interface and evidence labels - Evidence in the physical world - Subjects - Crops - Required provenance # 16 — Motion ## Motion clarifies state changes. It never performs intelligence. ### 400–600 ms Blink only in active digital application chrome. Static in print and identity lockups. ### 3–5 states Syntax-to-structure movement preserves shared geometry and readable causality. ### One transition Labels update with evidence; no celebratory confetti for PASSED. ### Interface and evidence labels - Reduced motion: - replace all transformation with the final still and explicit state label. - parallax theater, autonomous floating objects, typing simulations, glow, elastic overshoot. # 17 — Voice ## Say what changed, for whom, and how we know. #### “Three operators agreed to paid pilots.” Names the behavior and commercial commitment. #### “Revolutionary AI unlocks exponential value.” Unsupported superlatives and no accountable outcome. #### “Killed after procurement interviews.” A direct decision with preserved reason. #### “Autonomous ideas become inevitable companies.” Anthropomorphic hype pretending to be the offer. Prefer active verbs, concrete nouns, sourced numbers, explicit uncertainty, and decisions that can be challenged. ### Interface and evidence labels - Precise, commercial, skeptical, human # 18 — Messaging ## One studio. Four decisions. ### Take over something runnable. “A validated workflow, operating plan, and known implementation burden—ready for a named owner.” ### Buy with the liabilities visible. “Evidence, IP inventory, economics, dependencies, and diligence index travel together.” ### Work inside explicit gates. “Decision rights, thresholds, and preserved failed learning replace performative momentum.” ### Know the next test. “Every venture names its owner, threshold, evidence location, and review point.” ### Interface and evidence labels - Audience-specific hierarchy # 19 — Flagship web ## The homepage sells the transfer—not the metaphor. ### Validated ventures, packaged for operators and buyers. Primary CTA: Review available ventures · Secondary: How the gates work Commercial headline precedes mark explanation. No animated terminal, fake ticker, or invented metric. Same hierarchy in four columns. Navigation and proof labels remain visible. ### Interface and evidence labels - Outcome-first surface - Hero - Current ventures - Status + named proof - Five evidence gates - Transfer package - What the buyer receives # 20 — Venture package ## A transferable venture arrives with receipts—and known gaps. Workflow · buyer · measurable value · implementation burden · 90-day plan. **STATUS: DRAFT EXAMPLE** Price, delivery cost, margin, cash needs, assumptions. IP · data room · risks · dependencies · handoff. - **GATE:** Pilot demand - **THRESHOLD:** 3 paid design partners - **RESULT:** Not evaluated - **OWNER:** Unassigned - **EVIDENCE:** None attached - **DECISION:** Remain DRAFT ### Kill-test plate Named buyer pays to remove a specific burden. Kill or redesign if threshold misses review point. Notes, objections, economics, failed assumptions, reusable parts. ### Interface and evidence labels - Transfer dossier # 21 — Capital surfaces ## Capital sees the factory and the asset separately. ### Portfolio learning compounds. Show gate economics, capital allocation, kill rate, transfer model, and preserved reusable capability—with sourced numbers only. ### The venture stands alone. Lead with buyer pain, evidence, economics, risks, and transaction shape. Keep studio endorsement small and removable. Audited pipeline data · named receipts · documented diligence · explicit assumptions. Portfolio-logo walls of DRAFT concepts, unsourced TAM, decorative traction charts, dual-primary endorsement. ### Interface and evidence labels - Studio thesis + venture teaser - Studio-funder thesis - Venture teaser - Allowed proof # 22 — Business system ## Every artifact carries one claim and one owner. #### .md Studios Name · role · direct contact. No QR theater. Name Role · .md Studios Canonical domain #### VENTURE / DOSSIER STATUS DRAFT OWNER UNASSIGNED #### Problem → proof → operator No fake customer marks or vanity metrics. #### Claim / receipt / decision One accountable unit per slide. #### Version + owner Source path and approval state always visible. ### Interface and evidence labels - Operational surfaces - Business card - Signature - Document cover - Launch card - Governance # 23 — Misuse ## Distinctive is not the same as decorated. #### Validated ventures, packaged for transfer. #### “The file is alive.” RESULT NOT EVALUATED EVIDENCE NONE ATTACHED MARKET SIGNAL 82% STATUS PASSED Merge/network marks, File→Company as logo, Markdown hex clones, Git forks. Inherited Oxide, dual-primary lockup, or endorsement on public DRAFT. ### Interface and evidence labels - The system refuses - Do / Offer first - Don’t / Metaphor swallow - Do / Honest evidence - Don’t / Fake signal - Do / Canonical identity - Don’t / Historical revival - Do / Mono END - Don’t / Studio takeover # 24 — Governance + asset index ## The system ends in accountable files. Production: Herman Identity review: Brick Approval + merge: Human owner SOURCE editable master GENERATED deterministic derivative HISTORICAL quarantined record SYM · masters/svg/dotmd-sym-* WM · masters/svg/dotmd-wm-* LCK · masters/svg/dotmd-lck-* END · masters/svg/dotmd-end-* RSTR · masters/png/{sym|lck|end}/ COB · masters/svg/dotmd-cob-dont-01…04 VOICE · voice/VOICE.md ANTI-SLOP · voice/ANTI-SLOP.md PROVENANCE · imagery/provenance.schema.json TOKENS · docs/gate-a/TOKEN-TABLE.md MANIFEST · docs/gate-a/ASSET-MANIFEST.md BOOK · gate-c/source/book.html Review the source. Verify the receipt. Human merges. ### Interface and evidence labels - Ownership + custody - Classes