Brand Setup

Depends on: FTR-07 — Folder Structure

What this is

The complete brand system for the project — logo handling, color palette, typography, a bounded style-preview round, and the generated Brand Standards document that every formatted document then references so all output looks like it came from the same place. This is one feature with internal stages (7-PRE through 7E) because the parts are only useful together: a color palette with no logo rules and no document produces nothing.

Assess first

Run the brand infrastructure check first — do not rebuild what works:

• Check Project Files for any file with "brand" or "standards" in the name (e.g., [ProjectCode]_Brand_Standards.md).
• Check the filesystem for brand\Brand_Standards.md or any file in a brand\ folder containing "brand" or "standards".
• Check admin\AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md — is the BRAND STANDARDS section already populated with colors, fonts, and a named style?
• Confirm whether the logo ([ProjectCode]_Logo.png) is in Project Files.
• If brand infrastructure exists: read it, check for a complete color palette (all roles with hex), confirmed logo, both typography tiers, and at least one named document style. Fill only the specific gaps — do not rebuild from scratch.

Ask, only if needed

Work through the stages, asking only what assessment can't determine:

• 7A Logo: "Have you uploaded your logo to Project Files? If yes, confirm the filename ([ProjectCode]_Logo.png). If not, upload now (PNG, white background, tightly cropped) — or tell me to proceed without it and we'll flag it."
• 7B Colors: either "Drop your logo and I'll extract the dominant colors and render swatches" or "Tell me your colors — describe them or give hex codes." Render swatches inline; colors aren't locked until the user confirms.
• 7C Typography: present the two-tier defaults for the project type; "Does this work, or do you have specific fonts in mind? If you have a document with your preferred fonts, drop it in and I'll pull the typography."
• 7D Preview: render 2-3 style variations inline; "Pick your default style. Flag any others to keep as alternates." Cap at 2 preview rounds, then redirect.

Write

Produce two brand files and one instruction block.

1. Generate [ProjectCode]_Brand_Standards_v1.0.md (working standard) and its .docx twin (visual reference with real color swatches), both same version. Save the .md to brand\Brand_Standards.md AND upload to Project Files. The Brand Standards document follows this structure (generate all applicable sections — do not produce a stub):

   1. Document header (logo, title, version, date, status)
   2. Organization/company identity (legal name, short name, entity type, positioning, tagline)
   3. Logo usage (filename, source locations, description, placement rules by context, don'ts, background rules)
   4. Color palette (named roles + hex, extended palette, proportions, prohibitions, named schemes if any)
   5. Typography (Tier 1 Web/Digital, Tier 2 Word/Print, font sources, rules)
   6. Design elements (headers, cover page, footer band, section headings, callout boxes, tables, stat boxes, badges, sidebar stripes, trend/status indicators)
   7. Document types & standards (per-type layout specs)
   8. Voice & tone standards (attributes, dos/don'ts, positioning statement)
   9. Social media & digital standards (handles, profile image, post color assignments)
   10. Cross-document consistency checklist
   11. Version history

2. Add this section to admin\AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md:

◆ BRAND STANDARDS

Brand Standards file: brand\Brand_Standards.md
Version: [vX.X]
Logo: [ProjectCode]_Logo.png in Project Files
  Format: PNG · White background · Tightly cropped

PROJECT FILES REQUIREMENT — MANDATORY
Both must be present in Project Files before branded documents are produced:
- Brand Standards file: [ProjectCode]_Brand_Standards.md
- Logo file: [ProjectCode]_Logo.png (PNG, white background, tightly cropped)
If either is missing from Project Files: prompt the user to upload before
proceeding. Do not produce formatted branded output without both confirmed.

Color palette: [Primary / Accent / Background / Text — hex codes]
Default document style: [Style name from preview selection]
Alternate styles on file: [List if applicable, with intended use]
Typography (Word/Print): [Font, sizes]
Typography (Web/Digital): [Font, sizes]

Brand rule: all formatted documents refer to Brand_Standards.md for fonts,
colors, logo, and layout — unless Markdown is explicitly requested.

Document output rules:
- Markdown requested -> render in conversation + present .md for download
- Draft requested -> versioned .md, write to file system or present
- Word requested -> .docx, write or present inline
- PDF -> from final Word only — publication, not production. Never go from
  session content directly to PDF. Keep master Word documents.

LOGO STANDARDS (reference)
PNG preferred, pure white background (never transparent on dark), tightly
cropped, named [ProjectCode]_Logo.png. Never recolor, tint, stretch, add
shadows or outlines. Minimum 1.5" wide print / 120px screen. If not
confirmed in Project Files: flag as a High-priority Bootstrap
Reconciliation Item and block branded document production with: "Your logo
isn't in Project Files yet. Upload [ProjectCode]_Logo.png (PNG, white
background, tightly cropped) and confirm the filename before I produce
this document."

COLOR PALETTE ROLES (populate from confirmed swatches)
Primary Dark · Primary Accent · Secondary Accent · Background Light · Base
White · Body Text · Subtext/Captions · Table Row Alt · Divider Lines ·
Success · Alert/Warning · Error/Urgent. Proportion guide: 60% white/
background · 25% Primary Dark · 10% Primary Accent · 5% Secondary Accent.
Record any color prohibitions explicitly.

TYPOGRAPHY (two tiers)
Tier 1 Web/Digital and Tier 2 Word/Print, each with role/weight/size for
display, headings, body, captions, tables, footers. Arial is the safe
.docx default (no substitution risk).

If the logo is not confirmed in Project Files by the end: flag it as a High-priority Bootstrap Reconciliation Item.

Confirm

Confirm: your brand is built — Brand Standards document (markdown + Word) generated and saved to brand\ and Project Files, and the brand rule is in your agent instructions so every formatted document matches automatically. Want to install another, or is that everything for now?