Academy track
Look like a business
Consistency over polish: every surface counted, two typefaces, five colours with one job each, and your things named the way customers search.
- 5 steps
- 3 hours 15 minutes in total
- A check you run at the end of every step
Step one is open to everyone, in full. No account, no card.
The other 4 steps are included in Membership, £79 a month.See Membership
By the end of this track you will have
- Step 1One file listing every surface a customer sees, with four counts written at the top of it.
- Step 2One block of text naming two typefaces and five colours, each colour with the job it is allowed to do.
- Step 3A two-column file mapping every internal name you use to the name a customer would actually type.
- Step 4Four captured surfaces in one folder, each one carrying your two typefaces and your five colour roles.
- Step 5One plain text file, stored in every project, holding your two typefaces, your five hex values, your name table and your four surfaces.
The running example
Every worked example follows one invented case from the first step to the last: a two-person landscaping firm.
Who it is for
Your website, your invoices and your emails each look like they came from a different company.
Who it is not for
Not for you if you want a new logo. This makes the look you already have match everywhere.
The steps
Each one ends with a check you run yourself. The box is yours to tick when it passes.
0 of 5 steps ticked, kept in this browser
- Step 1.Consistency beats quality30 minutesOpen to everyone
Done means
The file lists at least eight surfaces, each with a screenshot or a link, and carries four counts at the top.
- Step 2.Two typefaces, five colours, one set of rules45 minutes
Done means
The file names exactly two typefaces with a fallback each, and exactly five hex values, every hex value followed by the job it does. Ink on Paper and Muted on Paper both measure 4.5 or higher.
- Step 3.Name things the way a customer would search for them40 minutes
Done means
The file has a customer-facing name in every row, and a search for each of your internal codenames across your site, email templates and invoice template returns zero results.
- Step 4.The four surfaces people judge you on50 minutes
Done means
Four captures in one folder, each with three written answers beside it. The sender name on your automatic email matches your business name character for character.
- Step 5.Write it down so it survives you30 minutes
Done means
The file exists under the same name in at least two projects, and the five hex values in one copy match the five in the other character for character. A model handed the file returns your Accent hex exactly.
I keep this tick in this browser and send it nowhere. It goes when you close the browser.
Included in Membership
The rest of this track is included in Membership.
Step one is open to everyone, in full. Every step after it opens on a member account.
Included in Membership — £79/month.
What comes next
It looks like one business now. Next is getting it in front of people.
See all the tracks