Metis Strategy Brand Identity

Metis Strategy is a strategy and management consulting firm that propels leaders' companies and careers forward. The brand conveys focused trajectory, visionary direction, and dynamic momentum — every output should feel confident, clean, forward-moving, and professional.

BrandLine: "Driving change. Elevating leaders."

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Output-Type Quick Guide

Before diving into the full brand specs, read the right reference for your output type:

Both reference files include ready-to-use code constants for the full color palette.

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Color Palette

These are the exact values to use whenever applying color programmatically.

⚠️ In pptxgenjs, never use the # prefix — it corrupts the file. Use bare hex strings: "20216f" not "#20216f".

Primary Brand Anchors

Sequence Greens

Sequence Blues

Neutrals

Color Usage Principles

• Metis Green and Dark Blue are the two anchors — one or both should appear on every page/slide.
• Supporting colors (Medium Green, Light Blue, Medium Blue) are accent and secondary elements.
• Tints (opacity reductions) of any brand color are permitted for backgrounds and supporting shapes.
• Do not introduce colors outside this palette.
• When using light colors (Metis Green, Light Blue) for text, use SemiBold or Bold weight to maintain readability.

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Typography

Primary Font: Open Sans (all brand materials)

Download: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Open+Sans

Key rules:

• Max three type sizes per layout — use scale and weight for hierarchy, not variety.
• Italics only in body copy, sparingly — never in headlines or subheads.
• The brand voice is balanced and understated; let scale and weight do the work.

Microsoft Applications Fallback: Calibri

When Open Sans is unavailable (Word, PowerPoint, pptxgenjs), use Calibri with the same hierarchy logic. Body copy at 10–11pt / 13pt line spacing.

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The BrandLine

"Driving change. Elevating leaders."

Include on most client-facing materials. Acceptable placements:

• Near the logo — Open Sans Regular or Light
• As a headline — Open Sans Regular or SemiBold, large display size
• As a sign-off — Open Sans SemiBold, end of body copy
• Separated by an image — "Driving change." left / "Elevating leaders." right
• Stacked (space-constrained only) — two lines, as headline or sign-off

Do not: render in italics, non-brand color, with drop shadows or effects, or locked up as part of the logo.

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Graphic Devices

Metis Strategy has four proprietary graphic devices. The image files are in this skill's assets/ folder. Their colors must never be altered.

Trajectory Device

File: assets/trajectory_device.png (also assets/trajectory_device_large.jpg) A fan of green/blue streaks converging to a right-pointing tip — represents thrust and forward direction.

• Use on title and section slides, bleeding off the right edge for dynamism
• On dark backgrounds: place at 45% transparency over a Dark Blue overlay
• Always points upward or forward — never downward or to the left
• Can be cropped on any edge; the tip may bleed off the page

Energy Device

File: assets/energy_device.png Repeating arrow pattern — conveys dynamic, collaborative energy. Use as a background texture or to bookend images.

• Always flows to the right
• Both devices must face the same direction when bookending
• Works on light and dark backgrounds; use at 20–65% transparency as wallpaper

Nexus Device

File: assets/nexus_device.png (opaque) / assets/nexus_device_transparent.png Symmetric starburst expanding from center — represents the intersection of technology and business.

• Always horizontal — never rotate or angle
• Background must be white/transparent or Dark Blue only
• Place messaging in the darkest areas for legibility

Arrow Device

File: assets/arrow_device.png / assets/arrow_device_single.png A solid Metis Green arrow used to direct the viewer's eye to content.

• Points right or left only — never up, down, or at an angle
• Scale to match the text it accompanies
• Use sparingly — one per slide/page maximum
• Do not recolor

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Logo

The Metis Strategy logo: wordmark "METIS STRATEGY" + reflective "M" icon (one side Metis Green).

Primary colorway: Black wordmark + Metis Green M on white background.

Approved alternates:

• White wordmark + Metis Green M on Dark Blue / Dark Green / Black
• White wordmark + White M on Metis Green or Gray
• White wordmark + White M over photography (highest-contrast area)

Rules: Min 54px (digital) / 0.75" (print). Clear space = ½ the M height on all sides. Never invert, rotate, add effects, or alter proportions.

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Iconography

• Source from Microsoft Office's built-in icon library for consistent style
• Filled/solid only — never outlined versions
• Single brand color per icon (no multicolor)
• Use purposefully — icons reinforce content, not decoration
• Sparingly — too many dilutes impact

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Photography

Inspiring Leaders Photography

Portraits or collaboration shots conveying confidence and growth.

• Rich, full-color: saturated, vivid; increase brightness if too dark
• Black & white: high contrast, background as white as possible (used with Nexus device)

Storytelling Imagery

Conceptual/abstract images (landscapes, motion). Always carry a color tint overlay:

• Blue tint: 60% opacity Light Blue (#00bdef) in Multiply blending mode
• Green tint: 80% opacity Metis Green (#3cdbc0) in Multiply blending mode

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Tone and Voice

Metis Strategy's voice should feel:

• Confident and direct — speak from expertise, not hedging
• Forward-looking — orient toward possibility, progress, and impact
• Substantive — grounded in insight, not buzzwords; say something real
• Elevated but accessible — senior executive audience; clear, precise, no jargon for its own sake

In practice:

• Lead with the insight or recommendation, not the process
• Use active voice
• Avoid filler: "it is worth noting that," "in order to," "at the end of the day"
• Headers should be declarative or evocative — not just labels
• The BrandLine captures the spirit: crisp, paired, punchy

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Quick Reference Checklist

Before finalizing any Metis output:

• Colors come only from the Metis palette (exact HEX values above)
• Metis Green (#3cdbc0) or Dark Blue (#20216f) anchors the primary accent or header
• Font is Open Sans (or Calibri in Microsoft/programmatic apps), with proper hierarchy
• Body copy has adequate line spacing (10/13pt equivalent)
• BrandLine present on client-facing or public-facing pieces
• Tone is confident, forward-looking, and substantive — leads with insight
• No unapproved colors, fonts, or design effects
• Icons (if used): filled, single-color, brand-colored
• Photography (if used): Inspiring Leaders or Storytelling Imagery treatment
• Graphic devices (if used): correct file from assets/, correct orientation, colors unaltered
• No decorative lines under titles (use whitespace instead)
• Every content slide has a page number
• "Proprietary & Confidential, Metis Strategy LLC [YEAR]" in footer of every content slide
• "Source: Metis Strategy Research & Analysis" included on data/analysis slides
• If prepared for a client: title slide reads "Prepared for [Client] | [Date] | [Title]"

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Troubleshooting

Font not rendering correctly

• Cause: Open Sans not installed on the machine or not available in the output tool.
• Fix: Use Calibri as fallback in Microsoft/programmatic apps (Word, PowerPoint, pptxgenjs). For HTML/PDF outputs, load Open Sans via Google Fonts CDN. Body copy at 10-11pt / 13pt line spacing with either font.

Colors look different on screen vs print

• Cause: Mint/Green (#3cdbc0) renders darker in CMYK print than on screen.
• Fix: For print-heavy materials, request a proof print before final delivery. Dark Blue (#20216f) is safe for both screen and print without adjustment.

Brand asset files missing

• Cause: Google Drive for Desktop not running, or shared drive not mounted.
• Fix: All brand assets live on G:\Shared drives\Knowledge Management\New Brand Assets\. If Drive is unavailable, the skill still provides hex codes, font names, and rules inline. Trajectory device PNG is also in the skill's assets/ folder.

Output skill using wrong brand colors

• Cause: Some skills maintain local copies of brand specs that may drift from this canonical source.
• Fix: Verify colors against this skill's palette table. Canonical values: Dark Blue #20216f, Metis Green #3cdbc0. Report drift to the skill maintainer.