# ProphetX — AI Brand Context · Marketing
**Version 2.1 · August 2026** · Supersedes v2.0 (2026-08-11).
Machine-readable brand context for AI / MCP consumers producing **consumer-facing creative and reporting/internal work**: paid social, OOH, CTV, digital display, campaign creative, event graphics, organic social, matchup posts — **and also** performance reports, internal decks, and internal docs.
> **Scope.** Consumer-facing surfaces are this file's primary job. The system is **also valid on reporting and internal surfaces** (performance reports, decks, internal docs), where Corporate is the more natural fit but not a requirement. Everything in §K applies on those surfaces too, with the reporting-surface provisions in §K.1a. For messaging-only work with no visual output, use [`prophetx-ai-context-messaging.md`](./prophetx-ai-context-messaging.md).
>
> **Sync note:** The messaging block below is byte-identical to `prophetx-ai-context-messaging.md`. Never edit inside the `MESSAGING BLOCK` markers by hand — the source is the messaging file, and `scripts/rebuild-ai-contexts.mjs` re-injects it here on every rebuild.
---
## What this file is
Instructions for AI models and MCP servers generating on-brand ProphetX **consumer-facing creative** — ads, social, OOH, event campaigns, matchup graphics. Everything here loads before any generative work.
The file has two parts:
1. **Messaging block** — voice, hierarchy (pillars, audiences), approved lines, vocab bans, content rules, features, competitor angles, craft standard. Identical across all ProphetX AI context files.
2. **Marketing visual system** — the visual rules specific to consumer creative: Big Shoulders type, Marketing color palette, gradient allowlist for consumer surfaces, logo integrity, craft standard.
---
## How to apply these rules (default behavior)
These rules **shape every ProphetX generation by default**. When a user asks for on-brand ProphetX copy — script, ad line, deck narrative, PR — follow the guidance below without prompting. Correct vocabulary, approved lines only, vocab bans applied silently.
## Elastic override with affirmation
The rules are the default, not an absolute cage. If a user explicitly asks for something outside brand — a test variant, an internal experiment, a satirical / creative exploration, or a specific line the user knows is off-brand — an AI assistant may proceed, but only after this two-step:
1. **Warn.** Name the specific rule the request violates and describe the on-brand default. Example: *"Your requested headline uses 'Bet Big Now,' which conflicts with the 'trade is the default' rule (no A/B carve-out in v2.0). The on-brand alternative would be 'Trade Now.' Do you still want the off-brand version?"*
2. **Wait for explicit affirmation.** Do not generate the off-brand output until the user confirms (a clear yes, "proceed anyway," "I know it's off-brand, do it," etc.). Silence, ambiguity, or a follow-up unrelated question is NOT confirmation.
Once affirmed, generate the off-brand output but **label it clearly as off-brand** (e.g., preface with `⚠ OFF-BRAND — user override`), and never present it as sanctioned brand copy. If the request also wants the on-brand version, produce both, clearly separated.
**What this override is NOT:**
- Not a workaround for regulatory / legal rules. The following stay non-negotiable regardless of user affirmation:
- Logo integrity (never redraw / regenerate the wordmark from scratch — always place the approved SVG).
- CFTC-required paid-marketing disclaimer on paid ads.
- "All 50 states" claim (never — states drop offline during litigation).
- Guaranteed-return language ("risk-free," "guaranteed," "sure thing," "lock").
- Not automatic. Every off-brand request needs its own warn + affirm cycle. A prior affirmation does not carry into a new request.
- Not a default. If the user hasn't asked for off-brand output, don't ask if they want it — just generate on-brand.
The point of the override is creative elasticity, not brand erosion. When in doubt, warn and default to on-brand.
---
## A. Brand fundamentals
### WHO
Sports fans who take the game seriously — at any level. Product designed around disciplined traders (sharps). Most marketing aims at enthusiasts (~90% of campaigns) — strategy-driven fans who shop the line and consider themselves sharp-adjacent. Casual fans are welcome and convert well on big moments; not the design target.
### WHAT
A federally regulated exchange where sports fans trade against each other. **Not** a sportsbook, casino, or general-purpose prediction market. Users take positions on sports event contracts; the other side of every trade is another person.
### WHY
A sportsbook's margin is baked into the line. That isn't a fee users can opt out of — it's the business model, and the model needs users to lose. ProphetX is consumer-first literally: when users win, the product is working as designed.
### WHEN
Prediction markets crossed from novelty to regulated infrastructure. Sports became the biggest thing traded on them. Whoever got there first built for elections / crypto and bolted sports on late. In-game trading is fluid: prices move on injuries, mid-drive, after the whistle — positions aren't frozen after entry.
### WHERE
Federally regulated, legal, live nationwide. iOS, Android, web — full trading on all three. Most of the audience doesn't know a product like this is legal where they live, or that it exists at all.
### HOW
Take a price or set your own. Post the price you want and wait for someone to take the other side. No trading desk, no house position, no line shaded against the user.
### Restraint
Precise, confident, never hyped. F1-level quality bar for tone, restraint, and production value. F1 is a reference for tone and craft, not a costume — racing imagery, checkered-flag / pit-lane motifs turn a tone reference into on-the-nose theming and dilute the point. A considered mention of F1 in editorial, partner content, or brand storytelling — where the comparison is real (production standard, technical audience, seriousness the sport is treated with) — is fine. In consumer-facing hero copy it's usually the wrong lens: the audience is a sports fan first, and F1 in the hero displaces the sport they came for.
---
## A2. Message hierarchy — pillars and audiences
Every ProphetX asset ladders to exactly one of three pillars. Pillars are the arguments; approved lines (section B) are the fixed phrasings. Work from the pillar's *argument* and *tone*, then reach for the right line from B.
### The two audiences (identity vs. acquisition)
There's an identity audience and an acquisition audience, and they aren't the same people. The product is shaped around **sharps** — disciplined, high-volume traders who find ProphetX through reputation and trade channels rather than mass-market advertising. Roughly **90% of campaigns should aim at enthusiasts** — strategy-driven fans who shop the line, run a system, and consider themselves sharp-adjacent. Sharps understand creative built for enthusiasts; the reverse is not true.
| Tier | Who | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| **T1** | **Sharps** — high-volume traders. Don't explain the concept; show depth. | Identity audience |
| **T2** | **Enthusiasts** — shop the line, have a system, sharp-adjacent. | ~90% of campaigns |
| **T3** | **Recreational fans** and existing prediction-market users. | Secondary |
| **T4** | **Casual fans**, big-event traders. | Broad reach |
### P1 · Payout Advantage — the Value Gap
**Argument** — Same game, same trade, more money back. A sportsbook's cut is inside the line, so it applies whether you win or lose and compounds across legs. Remove the house and that value returns to the trader.
**Audience** — T2 primary · T1 primary
**Against** — Sportsbooks (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM)
**Tone** — Factual with weight. A structural revelation, not a promo. Let the number close the argument.
### P2 · Sports Depth — the Product Gap
**Argument** — ProphetX is sports-native and the alternatives aren't. Generalist regulated markets were built for elections and crypto, then added sports — so the markets are thin, the pricing display is unfamiliar, and the language assumes you've never watched a game. ProphetX was built for people who already know sports and expect the product to know it too.
**Audience** — T3 primary · T1 primary
**Against** — Generalist prediction markets (Kalshi, Polymarket)
**Tone** — Credibility, not claim. Warm but authoritative.
### P3 · Regulated Access — the Awareness Gap
**Argument** — Federally regulated, legal, live nationwide. The obstacle here isn't a competitor, it's unfamiliarity — most of the audience doesn't know this product is legal, legitimate, or open to them.
**Audience** — T2 · T3 · T4 all primary
**Against** — Unawareness, the state-by-state sportsbook patchwork, offshore alternatives
**Tone** — Calm authority. Factual, never boastful. Reassurance the audience didn't know it needed.
### How to use pillars in generation
- Every asset ladders to **one** pillar. If the brief doesn't name one, infer from the argument being made. Trust: fold into P3.
- **Do not treat pillar argument text as copy** — it's strategy for humans, not headlines. Approved lines (section B) are the only sanctioned phrasings.
- Some content sits outside the three-pillar system: **Culture** work (reactions, bad beats, memes, game noise) earns attention rather than making an argument. Culture is a Content tag in section D, not a pillar. It ladders to no P.
---
## B. Approved lines (verbatim)
Every ProphetX line, organised by job. Do NOT invent taglines, hero lines, or brand lines. Do NOT present generated alternatives as approved.
| Slot | Line | Where |
|---|---|---|
| **Hero** | **Same Moment. Bigger Payout.** | All paid / organic / brand. Leads everything. |
| **Identity — formal** | **America's First Sports-Native Prediction Market** | Press, boilerplate, partner decks, app store, regulatory, category-explaining awareness. |
| **Identity — category-fluent** | **The Order Book of Sports.** | Traders / high-end enthusiasts, trade media, sharp collabs, market-literate placements. |
| **Credibility anchor** | **Federally regulated. Live nationwide.** | Pillar-agnostic. Any asset, any campaign, wherever there's room. |
| **CTA — branded** | **Own your edge on ProphetX.** | Final voiceover, end card, script sign-off. |
| **CTA — functional** | **Trade Now.** | Buttons, end cards, app CTAs, performance retargeting. Never a headline. |
### What this restricts
Section B governs the fixed brand slots — hero, identity, credibility anchor, and the two CTAs. It applies to slogans, taglines, and any line occupying one of those slots on static creative, end frames or campaign assets. **Do not invent a line that replaces or imitates a slot in the table above.**
### What this does not restrict
Scripts, voice-over, hooks, narrative copy, dialogue, supporting body copy and captions are written to brief. The approved lines inform their tone and argument; they do not limit them. Vocabulary rules, hard bans and pillar tone still apply to every word.
### Flexibility on approved lines
Approved lines may be trimmed or extended to suit a surface — **"Own your edge."** and **"Own your edge on ProphetX."** are interchangeable. The line's substance is fixed; its exact length is not.
### Retired for customer-facing use — internal reference only
- **"We know sports."** — internal shorthand for the P2 Sports argument (what the brand is *about*, not what it *says*). Fine in internal briefs, sharp-community context, or in messaging documentation as a way to name the pillar. **Never** as a customer-facing line — no ads, no hero copy, no partner-facing creative, no end frames.
### Active offer (DATED — verify before use)
- **Trade $10, Get $20.** — Once a promo expires, do NOT surface it.
- **Verification pointer.** Before rendering any offer line in AI-generated work, check the current Marketing Lines section of the brand book at `https://homebase.prophetx.info/docs/brand-book.html#msg-lines` (or the deployed equivalent). If the offer above does not appear there, or the version reads differently, **omit the offer entirely** and note the omission in delivery. Never invent or extrapolate offer values.
### CFTC disclaimer — required text (paid marketing)
Paid marketing surfaces (paid social, CTV, digital display, OOH with a call to action, sponsored partnerships, performance retargeting) MUST carry the CFTC-required risk disclaimer. Use this text verbatim:
> Trading sports event contracts involves substantial risk of loss and is not appropriate for all investors. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. You should consider whether trading is appropriate for you in light of your financial circumstances. ProphetX is a CFTC-regulated designated contract market. Full risk disclosure available at prophetx.co/risk.
**Placement:** Directly on the surface — end frame for video, footer for static, dedicated slate for CTV, footer line for OOH with CTA. Never a separate document.
**Small-format carve-out.** Standard surfaces where the full text fits (720p+ video, ≥300×250 static, ≥970×90 leaderboard) must use the verbatim text above. **On small-format placements where the full text is physically impossible to render legibly** (small display units like 728×90, 320×50, 300×50; short-form audio spots under 15 seconds; text-only SMS/MMS), use the short form:
> Trading involves risk of loss. Sports event contracts on a CFTC-regulated exchange. Full risk disclosure at prophetx.co/risk.
The full text is the default. Reach for the short form only when the constraint is real, not for convenience.
**Never omit the disclaimer** and never leave a placeholder like `[disclaimer]` or `[CFTC]` in delivered work. A missing disclaimer reads as finished work and is worse than a visibly missing element like an unrendered logo.
---
## C. Voice & vocabulary
### Voice
Precise and data-driven. Confident without swagger — the product does the talking. Written from the trader's point of view, not the platform's. Sports-obsessed. Celebratory when someone wins — the win should feel earned. Elevated but not alienating. Decisive on CTAs.
### Never sound like
Hyped, loud, or desperate. Gambling-coded. Corporate or over-lawyered. Busy — negative space is doing work. Corny or juvenile. Weak on CTAs — never "Learn More," never "Click Here."
### Word swaps
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bet, wager | **Trade** | What actually happens on an exchange |
| The team someone bet on | **Position** | What a trader holds |
| American odds (+200 / -150 / -110) | **Percentages** (implied probability) | The exchange price format. Sportsbook shorthand not welcome; percentages are what the product shows. |
### Hard bans
| Category | Never use |
|---|---|
| Gambling-coded | Lucky, jackpot, gamble, win big |
| **Vig / no-vig — HARD BAN** | Vig, no-vig, no vig. Gives brand awareness to a direct competitor (Novig). Say "keep more," "better prices," or "no house cut." |
| **American odds — HARD BAN** | +200 / -150 / -110 format. Too sportsbook-adjacent, and the product is percentages-only per CFTC guidelines. Use percentages / implied probability. Decimal and fractional odds are also out. See § below. |
| Verbs | Wager, wagering, play / playing as a verb |
| Absolutes | Guaranteed, risk-free, lock, sure thing |
| Contextual | Sportsbook (in hero copy) |
| Commercial | Any specific fee or commission percentage |
### Approved vocabulary
Trade · trading · position · price · **percentages** · **implied probability** · odds (as a general word) · house cut · prediction market · event contract · lay · fade · edge · market · straights · moneylines · spreads · parlays.
### Bet, wager, gambling — full ban
"Bet," "wager," and gambling-coded language are banned in every channel without exception. No A/B carve-out, no paid-social carve-out. The default and only word is **trade**. This applies to product UI, PR, decks, regulatory copy, partner and influencer creative, paid social, CTV, and every downstream surface an AI system might generate for ProphetX.
### Cash Out — product-UI naming exception
The product UI reads **Cash Out** because that's the phrase users search for. Everywhere else — brand copy, marketing creative, decks, PR — say **trade out of your position**. A sportsbook's cash-out is the house quoting a buyback with margin inside the offer; ours is trading out at the market's price. Using their word for our better mechanism concedes the argument. This is a per-feature exception, not a general allowance for gambling-adjacent product terms.
### American odds — hard ban
The +200 / -150 / -110 format has no place in ProphetX text, content, or creative. Two reasons:
1. **Sportsbook-adjacent.** American odds are sportsbook shorthand. Using them concedes the category we're arguing against.
2. **The product is percentages-only per CFTC guidelines.** Prices on the exchange are expressed as implied probabilities. Brand and marketing copy match the product.
If a piece needs to describe a price, use the percentage. *"Player X at 62% to score"* — not *"Player X at -164."* Decimal odds (1.61) and fractional odds (5/8) are similarly out for the same reasons. If a piece would read more naturally with a comparison to a sportsbook price, convert the sportsbook line to its implied percentage too — never lay the two side-by-side in the +/- format. This applies to every surface: paid, organic, PR, decks, partner creative, script sign-offs, product marketing, everything.
### Availability
Default to **nationwide** in brand copy. Listing specific states is fine when the work is targeted at those states (paid geos, state-launch creative, local partnerships). Hard ban: **never say "all 50 states."** Some states drop offline due to prediction-market litigation; the claim ages badly the moment a state goes dark.
---
## D. Content — tag every asset
Four tags. Tag by tag, not by format.
| Tag | Covers | Against |
|---|---|---|
| **Payout** | You make more here | Sportsbooks |
| **Sports** | Built for sports fans | Generalist prediction markets |
| **Trust** | Legal, regulated, nationwide | Not knowing we exist |
| **Culture** | Reactions, bad beats, memes, game noise | Nobody |
### Campaigns (internal names)
| Tag | Campaigns |
|---|---|
| Payout | Same Moment. Bigger Payout. · Sportsbooks Are Criminals · Price Check · Payout Math |
| Sports | First Sports-Native Prediction Market · Edge & Education · Market Depth |
| Trust | *[placeholder]* · Nationwide |
| Culture | Trading Culture · Sports Fandom · Bad Beats & Win Moments |
### The only language rules that matter (creator page)
| Say | Never |
|---|---|
| **Trade** — not bet or wager | Bet · wager · play |
| **Position** — the side you hold | Vig · no-vig |
| **Price** — the exchange word | Lucky · jackpot · gamble · win big |
| **Percentages** — the format for our prices | American odds (+200 / -150) · decimal · fractional |
| **House cut** — never vig | Lock · guaranteed · sure thing |
| **Edge** · market · event contract | Any specific fee or commission |
Parlays are fine to say (with straights, moneylines, spreads). *Moneylines* is the market type; the odds format for it is percentages, never American odds.
When a piece needs a trust line, use **Federally regulated. Live nationwide.**
---
## E. Features — current promotable set (August 2026)
Dated by design. Features graduate to evergreen value props when they're simply how the product works.
### Parlay Builder — *new*
Combines several predictions into a single trade. Pull picks from different games / sports on one screen. Pillar: Payout, with Sports behind it.
### Cash Out — *coming soon*
Will close a position (or part) before the event finishes. Selling to another trader at the market's price, not accepting a house buyback. Pillar: Payout, with Sports behind it. **Naming rule:** product says "Cash Out"; brand / marketing copy says "trade out of your position." **Not yet live** — don't imply it's shippable today.
### Order Book — *new*
Shows every price other traders are willing to accept and how much they want at each one. Pillar: Payout + Sports equally.
### Futures — *restored*
Season-long positions on team or player performance, tradeable in and out across the whole season. Pillar: Sports, with Payout behind it.
### Payment Methods — *coming soon*
Aera Pay live now; the expanded PayNearMe set (debit / credit / bank / Apple Pay / Google Pay / PayPal / Venmo / Cash App / retail cash) is roadmap, not shipped. **Never** promote the expanded set as available. Say "Aera Pay today, wider set on the way" or omit specifics entirely. When methods start rolling out, name only what's live at the time of writing. Pillar: Trust.
---
## G. Competitor angles
Competitors are named here and NOWHERE else in output. Everywhere else say "sportsbooks" or "generalist prediction markets."
Lead angle vs. sportsbooks: **You vs. The House.** A sportsbook profits when the user loses; ProphetX has no house position.
| Competitor | Their weakness | Our angle | Pillar |
|---|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | House cut on every win; model needs users to lose | You vs. the house. Imply in paid, name in organic. Show the math. | P1 |
| FanDuel | Same model, unfavorable long-run pricing | You vs. the house, plus side-by-side payout comparison. | P1 |
| BetMGM | Vegas DNA, house-always-wins already baked in | Built for the house. We're built for you. | P1 |
| Novig | Similar claims, thinner product | **Never** use "vig" or "no vig" in any context. Lead on depth, community, product quality. | P1 · P2 |
| Kalshi | Generalist, not sports-first | Built for elections. We're built for sports. Match their regulated-trust framing rather than ceding it. | P2 · P3 |
| Polymarket | Crypto-adjacent, not sports-focused | Sharp, sports-first, for fans. US-regulated is the tiebreaker. | P2 · P3 |
**Guidance:** Competitor names aren't the heart of the message — the category term ("sportsbooks," "generalist prediction markets") is the default, and it keeps the argument about us rather than about them. Name a specific competitor when the direct comparison is the point: a payout gap you can show, a rule or move that's the news, a claim with receipts. When you do name one, name it once and let the number or the moment do the work. Never in hero copy; sparingly elsewhere. Organic social is where naming is most natural; paid usually reads stronger with implication.
---
## H. Craft standard
Whatever the medium — video, static, voice-over, editorial, live event — the work has to clear this bar. Framing the standard as *what the work looks like*, not *how it was made*.
### Lean into
Cinematic scale · visual precision · environments impossible or unaffordable to shoot. Stadium sequences that couldn't exist · abstract visualisations of market movement · hyper-stylised win moments.
### Avoid
Generic stock sports imagery · lo-fi filler that reads as churn · anything that undercuts the production standard.
### Never
- Approximate the logo — always place the approved file.
- Default to gambling-coded language — sweep every output for it.
### Avoid (but not absolute)
- **Motorsport as a visual motif in consumer creative** — racing cars, checkered flags, pit lane, cockpit shots. F1 is a tone reference, not a costume; leaning on the visual language turns it into on-the-nose theming.
- **F1 leading consumer-facing hero copy.** Considered mentions in editorial, partner content, or brand storytelling are fine when the comparison is real (production standard, technical audience, seriousness the sport is treated with).
### Pre-deployment checklist
- [ ] Does it ladder to one of the three pillars?
- [ ] Does every brand line come from section B, with nothing invented?
- [ ] Does it use approved vocabulary — trade, not bet or wager?
- [ ] Free of vig · fee · commission language?
- [ ] Availability defaults to nationwide (state lists OK for state-targeted work); no "all 50 states"?
- [ ] Does it carry the credibility anchor where there's room?
- [ ] Is the approved logo placed rather than generated?
- [ ] Is the tone precise and confident rather than hyped?
- [ ] Would a sharp trader find it credible?
---
## I. What changed from v1.2
- **Pillars:** 4 → 3 (Availability folded into P3 · Regulated Access).
- **Lines:** Consolidated to an approved-lines table. **Every** approved line lives in section B.
- **Hooks removed:** Per-pillar sample copy in v1.2 was mistaken as sanctioned. Every approved line now lives in section B only.
- **Voice:** Explicit vig hard ban. Cash Out product-UI naming exception (see § C). "Bet / wager / gambling" full ban across every channel — no A/B carve-out. States rule softened to allow targeted state lists; hard ban stays on "all 50 states."
- **Content:** 6 pillars → 4 tags. 46 nested format slots → 27.
- **Features:** New section. Dated set with defined path into evergreen props.
- **Competitors:** Named in section G only.
- **AI contexts:** Split into three files — this messaging-only file plus scoped `-marketing.md` and `-corporate.md` files. Freelancers pick the one that matches their surface. The messaging block is byte-identical across all three.
---
## J. Cross-references
- Human-facing full messaging: [`prophetx-brand-messaging-v2.md`](./prophetx-brand-messaging-v2.md)
- Brand book UI: `/prototype/docs/brand-book.html` — messaging sections `sec-msg-overview` through `sec-msg-content`.
- Design tokens: `/prototype/tokens/tokens.css`.
- Scoped AI contexts: `prophetx-ai-context-marketing.md`, `prophetx-ai-context-corporate.md`.
- Superseded: v1.2 (Q2 2026) messaging — kept in git history but no longer authoritative.
---
## K. Marketing visual system
**Scope.** Primary job: consumer-facing surfaces — paid social, OOH, CTV, digital display, event graphics, organic social, brand editorial for consumer channels, matchup posts. **Also valid on reporting and internal surfaces** (performance reports, decks, internal docs), where Corporate is the more natural fit but not a requirement. Everything in §K applies on those surfaces too, with the reporting-surface provisions in §K.1a.
**Divergence note — hero gradient.** Marketing keeps the hero-gradient exception (§K.3). Corporate does not; Corporate hero headlines are always ink. When producing cross-system work, do not assume the two files match on this specific rule — they diverge deliberately.
### K.1 · Type — Marketing
**Display face:** Big Shoulders Display (variable, weights 100–900, no italics by design).
**Body face:** Outfit (variable, weights 100–900, italics available).
Both SIL Open Font Licence — agency- and AI-tool-safe.
**Weights actually used:**
| Face | Weight | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Big Shoulders Display | **800 (ExtraBold)** | The top tier — section titles, campaign heroes, stat values, main hero copy. |
| Big Shoulders Display | 700 (Bold) | Supporting display — card names, offer headlines, feature titles. |
| Big Shoulders Display | 600 (SemiBold) | Subheads, small display labels, section markers. |
| Big Shoulders Display | 500 / 400 | Utility labels or eyebrows when a caps setting is needed at smaller sizes. |
| Outfit | 600 (SemiBold) | Eyebrows (ALL CAPS), table headers, metadata labels, badge text. |
| Outfit | 500 (Medium) | Callouts, emphasis, UI labels in collateral. |
| Outfit | 400 (Regular) | Paragraphs, descriptions, table content, captions. |
**Type tokens:**
| Token | Face + weight | Use |
|---|---|---|
| `--font-headline` | Big Shoulders Display 800 (ExtraBold) | Section titles, campaign heroes, stat values |
| `--font-subhead` | Big Shoulders Display 600 / 700 | Sub-sections, card headers, supporting display |
| `--font-body` | Outfit 400 | Paragraphs, descriptions |
| `--font-body-med` | Outfit 500 | Callouts, emphasis, UI labels |
| `--font-body-semi` | Outfit 600 | Eyebrows (ALL CAPS), table headers, metadata |
| `--font-ui-small` | Outfit 400 small | Timestamps, footnotes, fine print |
**Type hard rules (Marketing):**
1. Big Shoulders Display is **not a reading face**. Never use for body paragraphs, form fields, tabular data, or long-form prose. Display only — headlines, hero moments, stat values.
2. **Never mix in Fraunces.** Fraunces is the Corporate face. Consumer Marketing surfaces stay Marketing-face top to bottom.
3. **No italics on Big Shoulders.** It has no italics by design. Never synthesize an oblique. For a slanted display feel, switch to Outfit italic at the same size.
4. **Lowercase Outfit disappears on busy backgrounds.** On photography, textured overlays, or noisy grounds — use Outfit SemiBold ALL CAPS or pull the type off the image entirely.
5. **ALL CAPS** — for eyebrows, column headers, tag labels: `text-transform: uppercase` + `letter-spacing: .14em`. Best in Big Shoulders Display 600+ or Outfit SemiBold 600.
6. **Title Case** — team/player names, CTA buttons, section titles.
7. **Sentence case** — body copy, tooltips, legal, editorial prose.
8. **Display-face size floor — 24px.** Big Shoulders Display is for placements at **24px and above, at any weight**. Below 24px use **Outfit SemiBold 600**, `text-transform: uppercase`, `letter-spacing: .14em` — section labels, eyebrows, callout titles, table headers, tag labels, finding labels, panel titles. The condensed letterforms lose their counters at small sizes and adding weight worsens legibility rather than fixing it. On a dark ground light-on-dark type optically thins, which compounds the effect. **Exception — numerals.** Stat values, KPI figures, large percentages and page numbers stay in Big Shoulders at any size. Figures carry no reading load and the condensed lining numerals are part of the look.
**Minimum sizes:**
- Print body: 9pt minimum.
- Digital body: 12px minimum.
- Big Shoulders Display 200–300 — decorative, sparingly, never in body or below 24px.
### K.1a · Reporting-surface scales
When the Marketing system is used on a reporting or internal surface (performance report, deck, internal doc — see §K scope), use these scales rather than the consumer-creative defaults.
**Type hierarchy — three steps, only two of them display.**
| Tier | Face | Size | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Hero** | Big Shoulders 800 | 96px deck / 62px doc | Title slide, masthead. One per document. |
| **Title** | Big Shoulders 800 | 38px | Slide titles. Document subheads 26–30px. |
| **Label** | Outfit 600 caps `.14em` | 11px | Panel titles, section labels, callout titles, column titles. |
| **Figures** | Big Shoulders 800 | 17–44px | KPI values, stat cards, comparison figures. Exempt from the 24px floor. |
*A 38px slide title over a 24px panel title in the same face and same caps reads as two competing headlines rather than a hierarchy. Changing **face** rather than **size** removes the ambiguity and matches every other sub-24px label. On a reporting surface the numbers are the display moment, and they already sit at 38–44px.*
**Body scale.** The 12px digital minimum is too low for a dense data page:
| Element | Size |
|---|---|
| Tables | 12.5px |
| Callout bodies, finding bodies, notes, definitions | 11.5px |
| Context blocks, findings prose | 13px |
| Comparison points | 12px |
| Footers, captions, sources | 10.5px |
### K.2 · Colors — Marketing
Consumer creative works from a tight palette. Green primary, indigo secondary, red for restricted / loss states only.
**Default ground: DARK.** The tokens below assume Marketing's dark-ground default (`--bg-default` on `--fg-default`). Every rule in §K assumes this unless the brief explicitly asks for the light-mode variant (see below).
| Token | Hex | Use |
|---|---|---|
| `--green` | `#0BA249` | Primary — CTAs, wins, brand highlights, accent bars. The dominant accent. |
| `--sec` (indigo) | `#667EEA` | Secondary — Lay / NO side indicators, one accent moment per surface. Supports green — never competes with it. |
| `--bg-default` | `#020408` | Ground — page background, deepest surface (dark default). |
| `--bg-muted` | `#161618` | Muted background — cards, elevated surfaces (dark default). |
| `--fg-default` | `#F5F5F5` | Paper — default foreground on dark. |
| `--fg-muted` | `#97979B` | Muted foreground — secondary text, timestamps (dark default). |
| `--red` | `#E93A3A` | Negative / errors / losses ONLY. Never as accent. |
| `--delta-pos` | `#22C368` | **Favorable change values only** — see delta rules below. |
| `--delta-neg` | `#F5706E` | **Unfavorable change values only** — see delta rules below. |
**Delta color rules — reserved for change values.**
The delta pair (`--delta-pos` `#22C368` and `--delta-neg` `#F5706E`) is used **only on a change value** — a percentage movement, a plus or minus figure, an up or down indicator. Never a series colour, callout accent, label colour, border, panel or type colour. If a colour is not reporting a change, it does not come from this pair.
**Colour follows favorability, not arithmetic sign.** A falling CPA is a good outcome and reads `--delta-pos` despite the negative number. A falling deposit count reads `--delta-neg`. Decide by whether the movement is good for the business.
`--red` `#E93A3A` stays reserved for errors, losses and restricted states — distinct from the delta scale. `--delta-pos` `#22C368` is also an approved gradient stop in §K.3; the gradient stops themselves are unaffected by the delta rule. A flat `#22C368` fill on a chart line or callout accent that isn't reporting a change is out — audit templates for that misuse.
**Not on Marketing surfaces:**
- **No cream.** Cream (`#F8F5EF`) is a Corporate-only paper. Consumer Marketing paper stays neutral white or dark ground.
**Extended palette — data only.**
The extended colours (`#44ADDE`, `#38B2AC`, `#9F7AEA`, `#ED8936`, `#F5B800`, `#ED64A6`) are available **only** where a chart, data series, table key or data-driven label needs more categories than green and indigo can carry.
**Permitted:** categorical chart series, data-table keys, series legends, and titles or labels tied directly to a coded series.
**Not permitted:** any design element — panels, backgrounds, accents, borders, callout rules, decorative type. Green and indigo carry all non-data work. A designer may override for a specific design element, but that is an explicit decision, never a default.
**Assignment is free.** No fixed colour belongs to any given variable and no order is prescribed. Draw from the palette as the data requires, keep assignment consistent within a document and across recurring editions of the same report, and do not invent hues outside the list.
**Indigo is the secondary brand accent, not a series colour.** Using it as one category among several makes "secondary accent" and "category three" read identically.
### K.2a · Light-mode variant (when the brief calls for it)
Marketing defaults to dark. When a brief explicitly asks for the light-mode variant — landing pages on a white surface, light-mode UI-adjacent creative, print pieces on white paper, out-of-home where the light ground is a client requirement — flip the ground-dependent tokens as follows. **Unless the brief names light-mode, use the dark default.**
| What flips | Dark ground (default) | Light ground (variant) |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | `--bg-default` `#020408` | `#FFFFFF` neutral white — **never cream**, which is Corporate-only paper |
| Muted background | `--bg-muted` `#161618` | `#F5F5F5` (subtle grey inset) |
| Foreground / body type | `--fg-default` `#F5F5F5` | `#020408` ink |
| Muted foreground | `--fg-muted` `#97979B` | `#5A5A60` |
| Wordmark to place | `onDark_wordmark_prophetx_v2.svg` (White + Green X) — §K.4a first block | `onLight_wordmark_prophetx_v2.svg` (Ink + Green X) — §K.4a second block |
| Standalone X | Filled Green (workhorse); Stroke 8 in Green for luxury hero moments | Filled Dark (ink) or Stroke 8 in Dark (ink) — light ground reads darker so the paper fills disappear |
| Hero-headline gradient (§K.3) | `linear-gradient(135deg, #0BA249 0%, #38B2AC 100%)` | `linear-gradient(135deg, #099D46 0%, #0F8F88 100%)` — slightly darker stops to hold contrast on white |
**What does NOT flip:**
- `--green`, `--sec` (indigo), `--red`, `--delta-pos`, `--delta-neg` — same hex values across both grounds.
- The size-floor rule (§K.1 r8) and the reporting-scale table (§K.1a) — face + weight rules are ground-agnostic.
- Logo integrity rules r2–r11 (§K.4).
- The extended-palette data-only rule.
**One-hero-headline gradient exception still applies on light** — but choose the darker-stop recipe above to keep contrast legible; the default `#0BA249 → #38B2AC` recipe washes out on white.
### K.3 · Gradient rules — Marketing (strict)
Consumer creative stays flat by default. Solid colors do the work.
**One gradient exception on Marketing surfaces:**
**One bold hero headline per composition.** A display-face moment. One per composition, not on every headline. Dark-ground default recipe; light-ground uses the darker-stop variant from §K.2a to hold contrast.
*As of v2.1 the standalone X icon family has no gradient variant — the v2.0 Signature Gradient X was retired. The X is always flat: Filled (primary) or Stroke 8 (secondary luxury), in Green / Dark / White. See §K.4a for the inline markup.*
**Approved brand gradient values — hero headline only** (use one of these — don't invent new stops):
| Gradient | Value | Best on |
|---|---|---|
| **Green → Teal** (signature · default) | `linear-gradient(135deg, #0BA249 0%, #38B2AC 100%)` | Hero headlines on dark ground |
| **Green scale** (subtle) | `linear-gradient(180deg, #22C368 0%, #0BA249 100%)` | Hero headlines · big display words |
| **Green deep** (rich) | `linear-gradient(180deg, #22C368 0%, #08823A 100%)` | Hero words that want depth |
| **Darker stops** (light ground) | `linear-gradient(135deg, #099D46 0%, #0F8F88 100%)` | Hero headlines on light / white ground |
**Canonical hero-gradient recipe** (default AI should follow when asked to render "a gradient headline" without further direction):
- Face: **Big Shoulders Display** at weight **800**
- Size: `clamp(44px, 6.2vw, 76px)` · `line-height: .98` · `letter-spacing: -.02em`
- Case: ALL CAPS
- Gradient applied to the text via `background-clip: text` (not on a background block)
- On dark ground: `linear-gradient(135deg, #0BA249, #38B2AC)`
- On light ground: `linear-gradient(135deg, #099D46, #0F8F88)` (slightly darker stops to hold contrast)
- Panel around it: theme-following ground with a soft top-left radial `rgba(11,162,73,.10–.14)` for atmosphere
- One per composition. Never on body copy, sub-headlines, or a second headline in the same layout.
**Where NEVER allowed on Marketing surfaces:**
- **The X mark** — no gradient variant exists in v2.1.
- Body copy — any surface.
- Second display headline in the same composition.
- Background panels or section dividers (those get the internal-only treatment reserved for Corporate).
- Any consumer-facing visual outside the hero-headline exception above.
**Rule of thumb:** solid ProphetX green or indigo FIRST. Gradient is a moment, not a mode. When unsure, stay solid.
### K.4 · Logo integrity — hard rules
AI tools MUST enforce all of these when generating or placing the logo:
1. **Never recreate the wordmark.** Always place the approved SVG. Do not redraw, retrace, or generate it from scratch (including with AI image tools). Approved files live under `prototype/logos/v2/` — for Marketing surfaces the two primary wordmarks are `001 Primary Wordmark - White + Green X/onDark_wordmark_prophetx_v2.svg` (dark grounds) and `002 Primary Wordmark - Ink + Green X/onLight_wordmark_prophetx_v2.svg` (light grounds). Keep the `prototype/logos/v2/` file paths for design tools that link files. **For any surface rendering to HTML, SVG, or a generated artifact, use the inline SVG markup in §K.4a — a file path is not reachable from a rendered document.** If neither the file nor the inline markup is available, leave a labelled empty slot in the correct position and flag it in delivery notes. **Never draw, typeset, trace or approximate the mark to fill the gap.**
2. **Don't distort** — never stretch or compress in any axis. Preserve aspect ratio exactly.
3. **Don't rotate** — the mark is always horizontal.
4. **Don't add effects** — no drop shadows, glows, bevels, embosses, outlines, or filters. Flat.
5. **Don't recolor** — wordmark stays white on dark or ink on light. X carries approved green or approved gradient. No other colors.
6. **Don't use at low opacity** — full opacity always. No watermark-style ghosting.
7. **Don't crowd — clear space is 1× the X cap-height on all four sides, at every size.** Concrete numbers: for the wordmark, allocate the "PROPHET" cap-height as the buffer on every side (40 px cap-height → 40 px per side; 80 px → 80 px per side). For the icon mark alone, use the X's own height (48 px X → 48 px per side; 128 px → 128 px per side). **The SVG files don't bake this in** — they contain the mark only; clear space is protected by the layout around the mark. Give the mark more canvas; never crop the visible glyph to make room. Nothing (type, image edges, UI chrome, adjacent marks) crosses the buffer.
8. **Don't use below minimum** — wordmark: 80px wide (digital) / 24mm (print). X mark: 16px minimum.
9. **Choose the X colorway to fit the ground** — over photos or busy backgrounds, use the Filled White (Paper) variant on dark and Filled Dark (Ink) variant on light. Green stroke marks read best on clean grounds; strokes can vanish on busy imagery.
10. **Placement is fixed, not compositional.** The X mark sits in the **top-right corner** of every page, slide or frame, at the same coordinates throughout a document. Interior pages of a report or deck carry the mark; it is not a cover-only element. Do not move the mark to suit a layout.
11. **No improvised lockups.** Never place the standalone X mark beside the typed business name. If the word "ProphetX" needs to appear adjacent to a mark, use the approved full wordmark lockup. The X mark is standalone by definition. Department names, document titles, and org descriptors (e.g. "Performance Marketing," "Product") sit in a separate layout region with clear space intact — never inline with the X to form an improvised lockup.
### K.4a · Inline SVG markup — copy-pasteable
For any surface rendering to HTML, SVG, or a generated artifact where a file path is unreachable, embed these SVG blocks directly. Gradient IDs are uniquely suffixed so multiple instances on one page don't collide.
**Primary Wordmark — on dark ground (White + Green X):**
```svg
```
**Primary Wordmark — on light ground (Ink + Green X):**
```svg
```
**Standalone X — two tiers, three families, three colorways.** The X icon family shipped in v2.1 replaced the earlier gradient X. All variants share the same 230×140 viewBox and swap only the `fill` value. **There is no gradient X variant.**
**Primary tier — the workhorse:**
- **Filled** — solid X. Use for app icons, favicons, social avatars, product badges, and every default consumer-creative context. This is what "the ProphetX X" means when no direction is given.
**Secondary tier — NOT interchangeable with primary. Use only when the brief calls for it:**
- **Stroke 8** — heavy outlined X, luxury weight. Hero moments where a hollow mark still needs presence (apparel, packaging, high-impact editorial hero).
**Never swap Stroke 8 in as a substitute for Filled.** If the brief doesn't explicitly name Stroke 8, the answer is Filled.
Three fills per family: `#0BA249` (Green — default), `#0D0D0F` (Dark ink — for light grounds), `#F5F5F5` (White paper — for dark grounds).
**X · Filled — Green** (swap `fill` for `#0D0D0F` on Dark or `#F5F5F5` on White):
```svg
```
**X · Stroke 8 — Green** (swap `fill` for the other two colorways):
```svg
```
**Usage rules for the inline markup:**
- **Never modify the paths.** These are the approved marks, byte-for-byte from the source SVGs. Do not simplify, round, or "clean up" the path data.
- **Swap only the `fill` value** to move between colorways. The three approved fills are `#0BA249` (Green), `#0D0D0F` (Dark), `#F5F5F5` (White). No other colours on the X.
- **Aspect ratio is locked by the `viewBox`** (230×140). Set `width` and `height` proportionally, or use CSS `width` alone with `height: auto`. Do not override the `viewBox`.
- **No gradient variant.** The v2.0 Signature Gradient X was retired in v2.1. Do not construct a gradient version from these paths.
- **Clear space still applies (§K.4 r7).** Inline markup doesn't waive the clear-space rule; enforce it in the layout that surrounds the SVG.
### K.5 · Craft standard — Marketing surfaces
Whatever the medium — video, static, voice-over, live event — Marketing creative has to clear this bar. The standard is *what the work looks like*, not *how it was made*.
Lean into:
- **Cinematic scale.** Stadium sequences that couldn't exist. Environments impossible or unaffordable to shoot.
- **Abstract visualisations of market movement.** Data physics — price lines, market pressure, order flow — rendered as motion.
- **Hyper-stylised win moments.** The moment of a big trade paying off. Not naturalistic — heightened.
Avoid:
- Generic stock sports imagery.
- Lo-fi filler that reads as churn.
- Anything that undercuts the production standard.
Never:
- Approximate the logo. Always place the approved SVG.
Avoid on consumer creative (guidance, not absolute):
- **Motorsports as a visual motif** — racing cars, checkered flags, pit lane, cockpit shots. F1 is a tone reference, not a costume; leaning on the visual language turns it into on-the-nose theming and dilutes what we're actually about.
- **F1 leading consumer hero copy.** The audience came for their sport — putting F1 in the hero displaces it. Considered mentions in supporting copy, editorial, or partner content where the comparison is real (production standard, technical audience, seriousness the sport is treated with) are fine.
**Sourcing format (reporting + internal surfaces).** Every figure carries its source at the point of use — **inline after the claim** for prose and findings, **in the panel footer** for charts and tables, and **in a data-notes block** for document-level method. Name the system **and the query basis**, not just the system: `AppsFlyer SSOT, 7-day cumulative` rather than `AppsFlyer`. On consumer creative this rule does not apply — attribution belongs where it does its job, not on an ad.
**Marketing pre-deployment checklist:**
- [ ] Big Shoulders 800 for the hero, not a lighter weight?
- [ ] Colors from the Marketing palette (extended palette limited to categorical chart series only)?
- [ ] Gradient limited to the X mark and at most one hero headline (per §K.3)?
- [ ] Below 24px, display face is Outfit SemiBold 600 caps `.14em` — not Big Shoulders (§K.1 r8, numerals exempt)?
- [ ] Logo integrity intact — approved SVG placed or inline markup embedded (§K.4 r1 + §K.4a), never redrawn?
- [ ] X mark in the top-right corner of every page/slide/frame (§K.4 r10)?
- [ ] No X placed beside typed "ProphetX" as an improvised lockup (§K.4 r11)?
- [ ] CFTC paid-marketing disclaimer present verbatim on paid surfaces (see messaging §B)?
- [ ] Type follows the case rules (ALL CAPS for eyebrows, Title Case for CTAs, Sentence case for body)?
- [ ] Motorsports not used as a visual motif, and F1 not leading hero copy? (Considered mentions in supporting text are fine.)
- [ ] Reporting surfaces: sources at point of use, not in a bibliography?
---
## L. Cross-references
- Messaging source of truth: [`prophetx-ai-context-messaging.md`](./prophetx-ai-context-messaging.md)
- Human-facing full messaging: [`prophetx-brand-messaging-v2.md`](./prophetx-brand-messaging-v2.md)
- Corporate scoped visuals: [`prophetx-ai-context-corporate.md`](./prophetx-ai-context-corporate.md)
- Brand book UI: `/prototype/docs/brand-book.html`
- Design tokens: `/prototype/tokens/tokens.css`
---
*ProphetX AI Context · Marketing · v2.1 · August 2026 · jeff.donaldson@prophetexchange.com*