AOS Brand Kit — Quality Control

Applies to: Every visual output produced under the Advisory OS brand — HTML documents, tools, presentations, deliverables.

Reference files: aos-brand-kit.html (hex values, canonical names), aos-brand-kit-skill.md (usage rules, decision logic).

Pre-Flight: Document Classification

Before checking anything else, classify the document:

• [ ] Palette layer identified: Core only (outward-facing) or Core + Semantic (internal delivery)
• [ ] Theme direction identified: Dark (AOS-branded) or Light (client-branded)
• [ ] If client-branded: Client brand kit loaded, AOS branding removed, client colors applied to structural elements

Color Compliance

Hardcoded Hex Values

• [ ] All colors use hardcoded hex values — no CSS variables (var(--name)) in output files
• [ ] Every hex value matches a canonical color from the brand kit — no ad hoc colors
• [ ] No pure black (#000000) anywhere — must be #1a1a1a (charcoal) or #2a2a2a (deep charcoal)
• [ ] No pure white (#ffffff) for text — must be #f5f4f0 (cream)
• [ ] #ffffff only used for light-theme backgrounds if needed
• [ ] Gold on light backgrounds (cream, off-white) uses #6b5d3e for accessibility — not #b79d64

Palette Discipline

• [ ] Outward-facing docs use core palette only (no status or ownership colors)
• [ ] Internal delivery docs use semantic colors only for their designated function
• [ ] One color = one meaning — no color serves two different purposes in the same document
• [ ] Gold (#b79d64) appears on no more than 2 elements in any single viewport

Gold Form-Factor Rule

• [ ] Gold badges, dots, tags → always mean ownership (advisor)
• [ ] Gold bars, underlines, borders → always mean decorative structure
• [ ] No gold-bordered cards or gold-filled panels used to indicate ownership

Typography Compliance

Font Pairing

• [ ] Headings use Cormorant Garamond — never Inter
• [ ] Body copy uses Inter — never Cormorant Garamond
• [ ] Google Fonts import includes both families with correct weights

Size and Weight Rules

• [ ] Cormorant Garamond never set below 18px
• [ ] Cormorant Garamond never set to Bold (700) — max is Medium (500)
• [ ] Display text uses Light (300) or Regular (400)
• [ ] Labels use Inter 10px, SemiBold (600), 0.25em tracking, uppercase

Typography Roles

• [ ] Display (48px), Heading (32px), Subheading (22px) sizes follow spec
• [ ] Body (15px), Small (13px), Label (10px), Micro (11px) sizes follow spec
• [ ] Letter-spacing matches role: Display 0.02em, Labels 0.25em, body normal

Signature Elements

• [ ] At least one gold signature element present (bar, border, underline, or scrollbar)
• [ ] Gold accent bars: 3px height, 40–80px width
• [ ] Gold border frames: 1px gold border, max one per section
• [ ] Gold underlines: 2px gold border-bottom on section titles
• [ ] Gold scrollbar: rgba(183,157,100,0.3) thumb at rest, #b79d64 on hover, #1a1a1a track

Structural Integrity

Surface Layering (Dark Theme)

• [ ] #1a1a1a (charcoal) as body background
• [ ] #232323 (panel) for cards on charcoal
• [ ] #2a2a2a (deep charcoal) for gradient depth or nested panels
• [ ] #3a3a3a (muted) for borders and dividers
• [ ] No same-color nesting (panel on panel, charcoal on charcoal)

Surface Layering (Light/Client Theme)

• [ ] #f9f7f4 (warm cream) or client equivalent as body background
• [ ] Cards use white or near-white
• [ ] Borders use light gray equivalents
• [ ] AOS semantic colors retained for functional elements (status, ownership)

Semantic Color Usage (Internal Delivery Only)

Status Colors

• [ ] #4a7c6f (success) → solved, completed, deployed, active engagements
• [ ] #a08347 (warning) → changed status, presented, pattern tags, informational themes
• [ ] #8b4049 (danger) → escalated, critical themes, urgent items

Ownership Colors

• [ ] #b79d64 (owner-advisor) → Kathryn's action items, advisor tasks
• [ ] #5a8a9a (owner-client) → client-owned tasks, client approvals
• [ ] #8a6a9a (owner-team) → team member tasks
• [ ] Ownership rendered as badges or dots (not bars or borders)

Brand Family Separation

• [ ] No CYP teal palette mixed with AOS charcoal palette in one document
• [ ] No brand crossover — AOS gold, CYP teal, KHB navy stay in their own deliverables
• [ ] If referencing multiple brands, AOS is host palette, others mentioned by name only

HTML File Standards

• [ ] Single self-contained HTML file (no external CSS/JS files)
• [ ] Google Fonts loaded via CDN link in
• [ ] All CSS in