branding/BRANDING-GUIDE.md

Keylink IT - Branding Guide

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: April 2026
Logo Designed: May 2023

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1. Brand Overview

Keylink IT (Keylink Innovative Technology) is a managed service provider based in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The brand identity communicates reliability, technical expertise, and approachable professionalism. The visual system is built around a bold, clean wordmark with a distinctive stylized "K" that doubles as the brand's icon.

Tagline: Relax, I Can Fix IT!
Alternate Tagline: Relax, We Can Fix IT!
Website: keylinkit.com
Phone: (615) 475-0145

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2. Logo System

The Keylink IT logo system consists of four marks:

2.1 Primary Logo (Wordmark)

The full Keylink IT wordmark is the primary brand identifier. The stylized "K" features a distinctive crossbar element that makes it immediately recognizable. A space separates "Keylink" from "IT" to emphasize the technology focus.

Files:

• logos/primary/keylink-it-blue.png - Standard use
• logos/primary/keylink-it-white.png - Dark backgrounds
• logos/primary/keylink-it-black.png - Mono/print use
• svg/primary/keylink-it-blue.svg - Vector (preferred for all production)
• svg/primary/keylink-it-white.svg - Vector, white
• svg/primary/keylink-it-black.svg - Vector, black

2.2 Alternate Logo (KIT)

The abbreviated KIT mark uses the same stylized "K" followed by block "IT" letters. Use when the full wordmark is too wide for the application or when the brand is already established in context.

Files:

• logos/alternate/kit-alt-blue.png

2.3 Monomark (K)

The standalone stylized K serves as the brand icon. The crossbar element is the signature design feature. Use for small-scale applications, app icons, and favicon contexts.

Files:

• logos/monomark/keylink-k-blue-bg.png - White K on cobalt background
• logos/monomark/keylink-k-dark-blue-bg.png - White K on darker cobalt
• logos/monomark/keylink-k-transparent.png - White K, no background

2.4 Colormark

The circular "K" badge, used for social media profiles and small circular crop contexts. White K on cobalt blue circular background.

Files:

• icons/favicon/keylink-favicon.png

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3. Color Palette

Primary Colors

Color	Hex	RGB	CMYK	Usage
Cobalt	#0541AD	R5 G65 B173	C97 M63 Y0 K32	Primary brand color
White	#FFFFFF	R255 G255 B255	C0 M0 Y0 K0	Backgrounds, reversed logos
Black	#000000	R0 G0 B0	C0 M0 Y0 K100	Text, mono applications

Usage Rules

• Cobalt Blue is the dominant brand color. It appears on the primary logo, vehicle graphics, apparel embroidery, and all digital assets.
• White is used for reversed logos on dark or blue backgrounds.
• Black is reserved for single-color print situations (fax headers, stamps, mono laser printing).
• Never place the blue logo on a background that does not provide sufficient contrast.
• Never recolor the logo in unapproved colors.

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4. Typography

Primary Typeface: Lato Bold

Lato is used across all brand touchpoints. The bold weight is used for the wordmark and headlines. Lato Regular may be used for body copy in branded materials.

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
0123456789!@$%^&

Fallback Stack (digital): 'Lato', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif

Google Fonts: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Lato

Type Hierarchy for Branded Materials

Element	Weight	Size Guidance
Headlines	Lato Bold	24-48pt / 2-3rem
Subheads	Lato Bold	16-20pt / 1.25-1.5rem
Body Copy	Lato Regular	10-14pt / 1rem
Captions/Legal	Lato Regular	8-10pt / 0.75rem

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5. Clear Space

The logo requires clear space around it equal to the height of the lowercase "e" in "Keylink" on all four sides. No other graphic elements, text, or edges should intrude into this zone.

For the monomark (K), maintain clear space equal to 25% of the mark's height on all sides.

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6. Minimum Sizes

Mark	Minimum Width (Print)	Minimum Width (Digital)
Primary Wordmark	1.5 inches / 38mm	150px
KIT Alternate	0.75 inches / 19mm	80px
K Monomark	0.375 inches / 10mm	32px
Favicon	-	16px

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7. Logo Misuse

Do not:

• Stretch, skew, or distort the logo
• Rotate the logo
• Add drop shadows, outlines, or effects
• Place on busy or low-contrast backgrounds
• Rearrange logo elements
• Change the typeface
• Use unapproved colors
• Crop any part of the logo
• Add a tagline directly inside the logo lockup without using approved tagline files

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8. Apparel Applications

Shirts, Polos, and Jackets

Use the apparel-optimized SVG for embroidery and screen printing:

• svg/apparel/keylink-it-apparel-white.svg

This file is sized and optimized for garment decoration. The white version is standard for dark-colored apparel (navy, black, charcoal).

Placement guidelines:

Garment	Placement	Recommended Size
Polo shirt	Left chest	3.5-4" wide
T-shirt	Left chest	3.5-4" wide
T-shirt	Full back	10-12" wide
Jacket	Left chest	3.5-4" wide
Jacket	Full back	10-12" wide
Hat/Cap	Front center	2.5-3" wide (KIT alt or K monomark)

Embroidery thread colors:

• Cobalt Blue: Madeira Polyneon 1842 or equivalent
• White: Standard white thread on dark garments

Screen print ink:

• Cobalt: Pantone 2146 C (closest match to #0541AD)
• White: Standard white

Hats and Caps

For hats, use either:

• The KIT alternate logo (preferred for structured caps)
• The K monomark (for smaller or unstructured caps)

The full wordmark is generally too wide for hat fronts.

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9. Vehicle Graphics

The service van wrap mockup (mockups/service-van-wrap.png) demonstrates the approved vehicle application including:

• Side panel: Wordmark + circuit board graphic
• Rear: Full wordmark with tagline, service list, contact info
• Hood/Front: Wordmark with tagline

Vehicle graphics should always include:

• The primary wordmark
• Phone number: (615) 475-0145
• Website: Keylinkit.com
• Tagline: "Relax, I Can Fix IT!"

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10. Digital Applications

Social Media Profiles

Use the circular colormark (favicon) for profile images. The K monomark on blue background works for square profile crops.

Email Signatures

Use the primary blue wordmark, sized to approximately 200px wide, with contact info in Lato or system sans-serif.

Website

Primary blue logo on white/light backgrounds. White logo on dark sections. Always link the logo to the homepage.

Favicon

Use icons/favicon/keylink-favicon.png sized to 32x32, 16x16, and 180x180 (Apple touch icon).

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11. Tagline Lockups

Two tagline SVG lockups are available:

• "Relax, I Can Fix IT!" - svg/taglines/relax-i-can-fix-it.svg (white, for dark backgrounds)
• "KeylinkIT.com" - svg/taglines/keylinkit-com.svg (white, full URL lockup with wordmark)

These are standalone assets for use on marketing materials, signage, and promotional items. They are not part of the primary logo and should not be combined with the wordmark in a single lockup without approved layout.

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12. Source Files

Master editable files are in the source/ directory:

• keylink-it-logos.ai - Adobe Illustrator file with all logo variants
• keylink-logo-sheet.pdf - Visual reference sheet showing all marks, colors, and type

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13. File Format Guide

Use Case	Recommended Format	Directory
Print (large format)	SVG or AI source	svg/ or source/
Print (standard)	SVG (preferred) or PNG	svg/ or logos/
Web/Digital	SVG (preferred) or PNG	svg/ or logos/
Embroidery	AI source + apparel SVG	source/ + svg/apparel/
Screen printing	SVG	svg/
Social media	PNG (monomark or favicon)	logos/monomark/ or icons/
Presentations	PNG or SVG	logos/primary/
Vinyl cutting	SVG	svg/

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14. Contact

For questions about brand usage or to request additional assets:

Keylink IT
Hendersonville, TN
(615) 475-0145
keylinkit.com