Volume V

Applications

The identity leaves the screen. This volume governs how the mark is applied across digital and physical surfaces, how Aros co-exists with other brands, and — most importantly — the exhaustive list of things you must never do to it. The misuse catalogue is not a suggestion; it is the boundary of the brand.

5.1 · Applications

Digital

Where the mark lives natively: app icons, product chrome, and the small surfaces (favicons, avatars, signatures) that carry the brand at a glance.

5.1.1 Favicon & app icon

The favicon is the mark only — shield + pulse, both in Pulse-500 on transparent or obsidian. At 16px the mark is recognisably the silhouette; never crush the full wordmark into a favicon.

16–32 · favicon

48 · md

64 · r-lg

84 · r-xl · live

reversed

MUSTApp-icon tiles use the radius scale (--r-lg / --r-xl) and centre the mark with clear space ≥ 25% of the tile on every side.

5.1.2 Product chrome & avatars

AROS

5.1.3 CLI banner

   ___   ____  ____  ___
  / _ | / __ \/ __ \/ __/     aros · control plane v1.0
 / __ |/ /_/ / /_/ /\ \       the estate, observed.
/_/ |_|\____/\____/___/

hlvm@iaccn01:~$ aros estate status
● operational  ·  3 hosts  ·  37 resources  ·  0 alerts

SHOULDThe CLI banner uses the wordmark in ASCII + the tagline in --slate. Status uses the same green dot / verdict language as the UI — one voice across surfaces.

5.1.4 Email signature & social

Ryan Taylor

Platform · Aros

hub.ryanit.com · the estate, observed.

Social avatar · 1:1, mark centred

5.2 · Applications

Physical

The brand on hardware and paper. Physical surfaces are where an instrument brand earns the most trust — the rack label on pve1 should feel like part of the same product as the dashboard.

5.2.1 Business card

AROS

The estate, observed

Ryan Taylor

PLATFORM

hub.ryanit.com
hi@ryantaylor.uk
pgp · 0x…

5.2.2 Rack & asset labels

Monospace, high-contrast, scannable from across a cold aisle. Host name, address, and role — nothing else.

pve1

192.168.1.251 · storage workhorse

pve2

192.168.1.157 · compute node

R740XD · pve4

primary PVE workhorse · offline

SHOULDAsset labels carry only identity (name · address · role). Resist adding QR codes, logos-within-logos, or decoration — a label is read in a hurry under bad light.

5.2.3 Stickers, patch & signage

die-cut round

AROSest. observed

embroidered patch

AROS

Operations

door / NOC signage

MUSTOn any physical surface, maintain the mark's clear space and minimum size. The embroidered patch is the one context where the shield may be rendered in thread-matched green throughout — the only sanctioned exception to the two-tone rule, because stitching can't hold a hairline.

5.3 · Applications

Co-branding

When Aros appears beside another mark — a partner, a host platform, an event — it holds its own space and never blends.

5.3.1 Approved lockups

Mark only

AROS

Horizontal lockup

AROSThe estate, observed

Stacked lockup

AROS

Monochrome (snow)

AROS

Reversed (on light)

PartnerAROS

Co-brand · divided

5.3.2 Clear space

Minimum clear space on all sides = the height of the pulse within the mark (≈ 0.25× the mark). Nothing — type, edges, other logos — enters this zone.

MUSTIn any co-brand lockup, separate the two marks with a vertical hairline divider and equal clear space. Marks are peers, never merged into a single composite.

NEVERLock the Aros mark inside another brand's container, tint it to match a partner palette, or imply endorsement by proximity. Each brand keeps its own colour and space.

5.4 · Applications · the boundary

Misuse

Everything below is prohibited. These are not stylistic preferences — each one breaks a foundation (geometry, the two-tone signal, the pulse, contrast) and makes the mark not-Aros. If you find yourself doing any of these, stop.

Stretch

Never distort proportions. Scale uniformly.

Squash

Never compress vertically.

Rotate

The shield stands upright. Never tilt.

Recolour

Never use off-palette colours.

Green shield

Two green elements. The shield is ink; only the pulse is green.

Glow / shadow

No glows, bevels, or drop shadows on the mark.

Busy background

Place only on obsidian, snow, or clear contrast.

Wrong wordmark

Aros

The wordmark is Archivo Expanded, all caps. Never substitute a face.

Altered pulse

Never redraw the ECG path. Use the official geometry only.

Crowding

labellabel

Respect clear space. Nothing enters the keep-out zone.

Low contrast

Never render the mark near-invisible on its surface.

Outline pulse

Never alter stroke weights — shield and pulse share one weight.

NEVERRecreate, trace, or "tidy up" the mark by hand. Always place the supplied vector. A redrawn mark is a misuse even if it looks close.

MUSTWhen in doubt, use the mark on obsidian, at its supplied geometry, with clear space — and stop. The brand is the discipline, not the decoration.

Colophon

End of the book

Five volumes — foundations, components, patterns, content, applications — plus the essence that precedes them. This is the whole system: enough to build any Aros surface, and strict enough that two people building a year apart produce the same product.

AROS · HIG v1.0

The estate, observed. · Archivo Expanded · IBM Plex Sans · IBM Plex Mono · Obsidian & Pulse.

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