{
  "schema": "mhl-brand-guidelines",
  "schemaVersion": "1.1",
  "brand": {
    "name": "Memphis Housing Lab",
    "shortName": "MHL",
    "website": "https://memphishousinglab.org",
    "version": "1.4",
    "lastReviewed": "2026-08-25",
    "sourceOfTruth": "Memphis Housing Lab brand guidelines",
    "positioning": "A national affordable housing initiative, built with the communities most affected.",
    "mission": "Memphis Housing Lab is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) advancing affordable housing at scale through community-driven design, modular construction, technical assistance, and catalytic capital. We put development power in community hands.",
    "vision": "Memphis first. Designed to scale anywhere the same gap exists. MHL builds practical, high-quality housing solutions for the people and places that need them most."
  },
  "messaging": {
    "pillars": [
      {
        "name": "Community-Powered",
        "description": "Align design, development, and capital around the communities most affected by the housing gap."
      },
      {
        "name": "Integrated Delivery",
        "description": "Combine product, process, and capital to move projects from concept to placed in service."
      },
      {
        "name": "Memphis First",
        "description": "Build proof in Memphis, then scale the model to places facing the same shortage."
      }
    ],
    "preferredLanguage": [
      "Delivering solutions to increase the supply of affordable housing.",
      "Product, process, and capital, aligned to get projects built.",
      "Real housing. Built for people who need it."
    ],
    "avoidLanguage": [
      "Leveraging synergies to disrupt the housing paradigm.",
      "We transform outcomes through a best-in-class platform.",
      "An innovative, end-to-end ecosystem of solutions."
    ],
    "keywords": [
      "community-powered development",
      "modular housing",
      "catalytic capital",
      "technical assistance",
      "affordable housing",
      "Memphis-first scaling",
      "product, process, and capital"
    ]
  },
  "logo": {
    "name": "Memphis Housing Lab wordmark",
    "description": "The bold, stacked typographic wordmark is the most recognizable MHL brand asset. Its form conveys strength, structure, and clarity.",
    "do": [
      "Use the logo at a minimum width of 100px for digital.",
      "Maintain the stacked typographic arrangement.",
      "Use only approved color combinations.",
      "Allow sufficient breathing room around the mark.",
      "Maintain clear space equal to the height of the L in LAB on all sides."
    ],
    "doNot": [
      "Rotate, skew, or distort the logo.",
      "Apply drop shadows, gradients, or effects.",
      "Rearrange the stacked text to a single line.",
      "Place the logo on busy or low-contrast backgrounds.",
      "Recreate, redraw, or convert the logo into a new mark."
    ],
    "backgrounds": {
      "black": "Use the black or Ink logo on white, Mist, or other light backgrounds.",
      "white": "Use the white logo on Ink, Graphite, Aqua, or other dark backgrounds.",
      "aqua": "Use the white logo on Aqua backgrounds."
    }
  },
  "assets": {
    "logos": [
      {
        "id": "logo-black-svg",
        "name": "MHL black logo",
        "format": "SVG",
        "mimeType": "image/svg+xml",
        "url": "/MHL-Logo-Black.svg",
        "downloadable": true,
        "scalable": true,
        "transparent": true,
        "recommendedUse": "Web, print, presentations, and any workflow requiring scalability.",
        "backgrounds": ["white", "mist", "light backgrounds"]
      },
      {
        "id": "logo-white-svg",
        "name": "MHL white logo",
        "format": "SVG",
        "mimeType": "image/svg+xml",
        "url": "/MHL-Logo-White.svg",
        "downloadable": true,
        "scalable": true,
        "transparent": true,
        "recommendedUse": "Web, print, presentations, and any workflow requiring scalability.",
        "backgrounds": ["ink", "graphite", "aqua", "dark backgrounds"]
      },
      {
        "id": "logo-black-png",
        "name": "MHL black logo",
        "format": "PNG",
        "mimeType": "image/png",
        "url": "https://brand.memphishousinglab.org/assets/brand/mhl-logo-black.png",
        "downloadUrl": "https://brand.memphishousinglab.org/assets/brand/mhl-logo-black.png?download=1",
        "sourceAlternatives": [
          {
            "provider": "Google Drive",
            "type": "shared-folder",
            "url": "https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Le_34l8wZYQYGH3JsjQ1cEdv38x9mQ6d?usp=share_link",
            "description": "User-supplied alternate source directory for official MHL logo files."
          }
        ],
        "storage": {
          "provider": "Replit App Storage",
          "objectName": "brand-assets/mhl-logo-black.png"
        },
        "downloadable": true,
        "scalable": false,
        "transparent": true,
        "width": 2000,
        "height": 2000,
        "recommendedUse": "Raster workflows, social graphics, and presentations.",
        "backgrounds": ["white", "mist", "light backgrounds"]
      },
      {
        "id": "logo-white-png",
        "name": "MHL white logo",
        "format": "PNG",
        "mimeType": "image/png",
        "url": "https://brand.memphishousinglab.org/assets/brand/mhl-logo-white.png",
        "downloadUrl": "https://brand.memphishousinglab.org/assets/brand/mhl-logo-white.png?download=1",
        "sourceAlternatives": [
          {
            "provider": "Google Drive",
            "type": "shared-folder",
            "url": "https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Le_34l8wZYQYGH3JsjQ1cEdv38x9mQ6d?usp=share_link",
            "description": "User-supplied alternate source directory for official MHL logo files."
          }
        ],
        "storage": {
          "provider": "Replit App Storage",
          "objectName": "brand-assets/mhl-logo-white.png"
        },
        "downloadable": true,
        "scalable": false,
        "transparent": true,
        "width": 2000,
        "height": 2000,
        "recommendedUse": "Raster workflows, social graphics, and presentations.",
        "backgrounds": ["ink", "graphite", "aqua", "dark backgrounds"]
      }
    ],
    "selectionRule": "Prefer SVG for scalable web, print, or design work. Use the 2000 x 2000 transparent PNG when a raster image is required. Select black for light backgrounds and white for dark or Aqua backgrounds.",
    "alternateSourceDirectory": {
      "provider": "Google Drive",
      "type": "shared-folder",
      "url": "https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Le_34l8wZYQYGH3JsjQ1cEdv38x9mQ6d?usp=share_link",
      "description": "User-supplied alternate source directory for official MHL logo files. Verify contents before use."
    }
  },
  "colors": {
    "primary": [
      {
        "name": "MHL Ink",
        "hex": "#232323",
        "hsl": "0° 0% 14%",
        "usage": "Primary text, dark fields, and the black logo."
      },
      {
        "name": "MHL Graphite",
        "hex": "#2D2D2D",
        "hsl": "0° 0% 18%",
        "usage": "High-contrast surfaces and image overlays."
      },
      {
        "name": "MHL Gray",
        "hex": "#4A4A4A",
        "hsl": "0° 0% 29%",
        "usage": "Secondary text and supporting structure."
      }
    ],
    "accent": [
      {
        "name": "MHL Aqua",
        "hex": "#02A7A7",
        "hsl": "180° 98% 33%",
        "usage": "Primary action color for calls to action, active states, and highlights."
      },
      {
        "name": "MHL Bright Aqua",
        "hex": "#00C4C4",
        "hsl": "180° 100% 38%",
        "usage": "Hover and energetic highlight color."
      },
      {
        "name": "MHL Deep Aqua",
        "hex": "#018888",
        "hsl": "180° 99% 27%",
        "usage": "Pressed states and accessible aqua-on-light applications."
      },
      {
        "name": "MHL Orange",
        "hex": "#F4A300",
        "hsl": "40° 100% 48%",
        "usage": "Editorial accent for links, key data, and select emphasis."
      }
    ],
    "neutral": [
      {
        "name": "MHL Mist",
        "hex": "#E7F2F3",
        "hsl": "184° 31% 92%",
        "usage": "Primary page canvas and light brand field."
      },
      {
        "name": "MHL White",
        "hex": "#FFFFFF",
        "hsl": "0° 0% 100%",
        "usage": "Content surfaces and reversed logo space."
      },
      {
        "name": "MHL Light Gray",
        "hex": "#D1D1D1",
        "hsl": "0° 0% 82%",
        "usage": "Borders, rules, and restrained structure."
      },
      {
        "name": "MHL Silver",
        "hex": "#99A1AF",
        "hsl": "221° 11% 64%",
        "usage": "Secondary visual detail and quiet metadata."
      }
    ],
    "semantic": [
      {
        "name": "Build Green",
        "hex": "#2D8C4E",
        "hsl": "145° 50% 36%",
        "usage": "Success states, positive indicators, and approvals."
      },
      {
        "name": "Caution Amber",
        "hex": "#D4920D",
        "hsl": "40° 88% 44%",
        "usage": "Warning states, attention needed, and pending items."
      },
      {
        "name": "Alert Red",
        "hex": "#B82F2F",
        "hsl": "0° 60% 45%",
        "usage": "Error states, destructive actions, and critical alerts."
      },
      {
        "name": "Info Blue",
        "hex": "#2A7ABF",
        "hsl": "210° 63% 46%",
        "usage": "Informational callouts, help text, and guidance."
      }
    ],
    "ratios": {
      "mist": "60%",
      "ink": "25%",
      "aqua": "10%",
      "orange": "5%",
      "guidance": "Lead with Mist or white surfaces. Use Ink for typographic weight, Aqua for actions and navigation, and Orange as a controlled editorial signal rather than a second CTA color."
    },
    "accessibility": {
      "preferredCombinations": [
        {
          "foreground": "#232323",
          "background": "#E7F2F3",
          "label": "Ink on Mist",
          "usage": "Preferred body text and content surface."
        },
        {
          "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
          "background": "#02A7A7",
          "label": "White on Aqua",
          "usage": "Primary action and navigation treatment."
        },
        {
          "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
          "background": "#232323",
          "label": "White on Ink",
          "usage": "Dark surfaces and reversed logo treatment."
        }
      ],
      "guidance": [
        "Use Deep Aqua when smaller text needs additional contrast.",
        "Reserve Orange for links, large type, data marks, and emphasis.",
        "Do not use Orange as small body copy on white."
      ]
    }
  },
  "typography": {
    "display": {
      "family": "Montserrat",
      "weight": "700",
      "size": "3rem / 48px",
      "tracking": "-0.02em",
      "usage": "Hero headlines and primary brand statements."
    },
    "h1": {
      "family": "Montserrat",
      "weight": "700",
      "size": "3rem / 48px",
      "tracking": "-0.015em",
      "usage": "Page titles and lead statements."
    },
    "h2": {
      "family": "Montserrat",
      "weight": "600",
      "size": "2rem / 32px",
      "tracking": "-0.01em",
      "usage": "Section headers and card titles."
    },
    "h3": {
      "family": "Montserrat",
      "weight": "600",
      "size": "1.25rem / 20px",
      "tracking": "-0.005em",
      "usage": "Component headers and list titles."
    },
    "body": {
      "family": "Open Sans",
      "weight": "400",
      "size": "1.125rem / 20px",
      "tracking": "0em",
      "usage": "Body text, paragraphs, and descriptions."
    },
    "caption": {
      "family": "Open Sans",
      "weight": "600",
      "size": "0.875rem / 14px",
      "tracking": "0.01em",
      "usage": "Captions, labels, metadata, and form labels."
    },
    "mono": {
      "family": "JetBrains Mono",
      "weight": "400",
      "size": "0.875rem / 14px",
      "tracking": "0em",
      "usage": "Code, technical specs, hex values, and data."
    }
  },
  "voiceAndTone": {
    "description": "MHL speaks with practical conviction: community-rooted, specific about the work, and focused on homes built and people served.",
    "attributes": [
      {
        "name": "Practical",
        "description": "Lead with what MHL does: design, finance, build, and deliver affordable housing."
      },
      {
        "name": "Community-Rooted",
        "description": "Center residents, local partners, and the neighborhoods most affected by the housing gap."
      },
      {
        "name": "Specific",
        "description": "Use concrete details, project phases, locations, and housing outcomes instead of abstractions."
      },
      {
        "name": "Action-Oriented",
        "description": "Use active language that moves from the challenge to a credible next step."
      }
    ],
    "toneSpectrum": {
      "casualToFormal": 65,
      "playfulToSerious": 75,
      "complexToSimple": 70,
      "passiveToActive": 80
    }
  },
  "imagery": {
    "description": "Lead with architectural renderings and real project imagery: practical, people-aware, and grounded in the neighborhoods MHL serves.",
    "prioritize": [
      "Finished work, site progress, and architectural renderings over generic stock photography.",
      "Housing within the street, block, and landscape that give a project its civic context.",
      "Lived community and everyday use rather than posed lifestyle scenes.",
      "Plans, modular details, and high-quality renderings that make the product and process tangible."
    ]
  },
  "spacing": {
    "baseUnit": "8px",
    "scale": ["8px", "16px", "24px", "32px", "48px", "64px", "80px", "96px", "128px"],
    "guidance": "Use the 8px base unit for predictable, harmonious layouts."
  },
  "applications": [
    {
      "name": "Business card",
      "guidance": "Use a dark Ink front with the white logo or a Mist reverse with Ink typography."
    },
    {
      "name": "Email signature",
      "variants": ["light", "reversed"],
      "guidance": "Use the light version on white email clients and the reversed version on dark email clients. Keep the logo, name, role, contact details, and website in a compact hierarchy. Replace sample contact details before use."
    },
    {
      "name": "Letterhead",
      "guidance": "Use the black logo on white with restrained Ink, Gray, and Aqua details."
    },
    {
      "name": "Google Sheets project pipeline",
      "guidance": "Use a Mist title bar, Ink column headers, Open Sans cell text, JetBrains Mono metadata, and Aqua status accents. Organize project, neighborhood, typology, status, units, and next milestone into clear columns."
    },
    {
      "name": "Google Slides deck",
      "variants": ["dark cover", "light content"],
      "guidance": "Use an Ink or Graphite cover with a white logo, then a white or Mist content slide with Ink headlines, Aqua section labels, and concise housing-specific data."
    },
    {
      "name": "Digital banner",
      "guidance": "Use Ink-to-Graphite dark surfaces, an Aqua CTA, and direct action-oriented messaging."
    }
  ]
}