name: aos-brand-kit description: Applies Advisory OS brand identity to all documents, tools, and deliverables. Governs palette selection (core vs semantic), theme direction (dark vs light), color naming, and the boundary between AOS-branded and client-branded outputs. Use whenever producing any visual output — HTML documents, presentations, tools, SOPs, master plans, or client deliverables.

AOS Brand Kit Skill

Overview

This skill governs how Advisory OS brand identity is applied across all visual outputs. The brand kit HTML file (aos-brand-kit.html) is the reference — this document tells you how to use it.

The brand kit contains two layers:

• Core palette (sections 01–06): Charcoal, cream, gold, slate blue, stone, signature elements, typography, voice, usage rules, brand family positioning.
• Semantic palette (sections 07–08): Status colors, ownership colors, surface layering, opacity variants, canonical color names, and the context table that maps document types to palette layers.

Always consult the brand kit knowledge file (aos-brand-kit.html) for exact hex values. Do not use ad hoc color values.

Critical: All colors in output files use hardcoded hex values — never CSS custom properties (var()). The canonical names below (e.g., "charcoal," "gold") are reference labels for documentation and communication, not CSS variable names to use in code.

Decision Logic: Which Palette, Which Theme

Before producing any visual output, determine two things: palette layer and theme direction.

Palette Layer

Theme Direction

When a document is client-branded, the client's brand kit takes precedence for primary colors, logo, and identity. AOS semantic colors (status, ownership, surfaces) still apply for functional elements — they are data colors, not decoration.

Color Discipline by Context

Outward-facing (landing pages, tools, thought leadership): Colors serve design roles — accent, hover, depth, hierarchy. Gold is the signature decorative accent. Slate is the interaction color. No semantic layer needed because there is no data to represent.

Internal delivery (master plans, matrices, SOPs, blueprints, cadence tools): Every color carries one functional meaning. A color represents a status, an owner, or a state — not decoration. Client brand skills define the specific color-to-meaning mappings per engagement, but the one-color-one-meaning discipline is universal across all delivery documents.

Gold Form-Factor Rule

Gold serves both decorative and ownership roles in delivery documents. The form factor carries the distinction:

• Ownership: Always rendered as badges, dots, or tags
• Decoration: Always rendered as bars, underlines, or borders

Never use a gold-bordered card or gold-filled panel to indicate ownership. If the shape is a badge or dot, gold means "advisor owns this." If the shape is a bar or underline, gold is decorative structure.

Gold on Light Backgrounds

Gold (#b79d64) has insufficient contrast on cream (#f5f4f0) and off-white (#faf9f7) backgrounds. When gold text, accents, or emphasis appear on light sections, use #6b5d3e (gold-on-light) instead. This applies to:

• Section eyebrow labels on cream/off-white sections
• Big quote em text on light sections
• Definition box borders on light sections
• Comparison table highlight rows on light sections

On dark sections, use #b79d64 (gold) and #c4aa74 (gold-light) as normal.

Client Ownership Overrides

The AOS ownership colors (#b79d64 advisor, #5a8a9a client, #8a6a9a team) are defaults. Each client brand skill defines its own ownership color mappings based on the roles in that engagement. For example, Crulliance maps gold to team lead (Pooja), copper to client approver (Ruben), and steel blue to advisor (Kathryn). The AOS defaults apply only to AOS-branded internal documents where no client brand skill is loaded.

Core Palette — Quick Reference

All hex values hardcoded in output files. Canonical names are for documentation reference only.

Semantic Palette — Quick Reference

Typography Rules

Hard rules:

• Cormorant Garamond is never set below 18px. Below that, switch to Inter.
• Cormorant Garamond is never set to Bold (700). Max weight is Medium (500) for subheadings, Light (300) or Regular (400) for headlines.
• Inter is never used for headlines. Cormorant is never used for body copy.
• Google Fonts import: Cormorant+Garamond:ital,wght@0,300;0,400;0,500;0,600;0,700;1,400;1,500 and Inter:wght@300;400;500;600;700

Signature Elements

Every AOS-branded deliverable must include at least one:

1. Gold accent bar — 3px height, 40–80px width, beneath headers or as section dividers.
2. Gold border frame — 1px #b79d64 border on callout boxes. One per section maximum.
3. Gold underline — 2px #b79d64 border-bottom on section titles. Alternative to the bar in documents.
4. Gold scrollbar — Custom scrollbar on all web-based deliverables. Thumb in rgba(183,157,100,0.3) at rest, #b79d64 on hover. Track in #1a1a1a. Firefox: scrollbar-color: #b79d64 #1a1a1a;

Usage Constraints

Do:

• Use hardcoded hex values for all colors in output files
• Use gold (#b79d64) for accents only — never as a background fill or large area color
• Use #6b5d3e for gold text/accents on light backgrounds
• Maintain charcoal (#1a1a1a) as dominant background on dark layouts
• Use cream (#f5f4f0) for text on dark — not pure white (#ffffff)
• Use #232323 (panel) for cards layered on #1a1a1a backgrounds
• Apply semantic colors only for their designated function (status, ownership)

Don't:

• Use CSS custom properties (var()) in output HTML files
• Mix AOS charcoal palette with CYP teal palette in one document
• Use pure black (#000000) anywhere — always #1a1a1a or #2a2a2a
• Apply gold (#b79d64) to more than 2 elements in a single viewport
• Use #b79d64 for text on light backgrounds — use #6b5d3e instead
• Invent new colors without extending the semantic system

Client-Branded Documents

When producing documents branded for a specific client (SOPs, blueprints, project plans):

1. Load the client's brand kit for primary colors, logo, and identity.
2. Flip theme to light — warm white or cream background, dark body text.
3. Replace AOS structural colors with the client's equivalents (e.g., AOS charcoal headers become client navy).
4. Keep AOS semantic colors for functional elements — status badges, ownership tags, gate/flag indicators. These are data, not brand.
5. Remove AOS branding entirely — no AOS logo, no AOS wordmark. This is their document.
6. Typography can stay Cormorant Garamond + Inter unless the client's brand kit specifies otherwise.

Brand Family Context

Advisory OS sits within a three-brand ecosystem. Gold (#b79d64) is the through-line.

Never blend palettes across brands in a single deliverable. If a document references multiple brands (e.g., an architecture overview), use AOS as the host palette and reference the others by name only.

AOS Brand Kit Skill · v1.1 · February 2026