# ShopConnect — brand brief

> **This is the law for ShopConnect surfaces.** Project beats system (`principles.md` §7). It's also a **living draft** — the whole point of the shared repo is that the team fills and refines this together. Sections marked `⟨fill in⟩` are open; propose changes via PR.

## One-liner

ShopConnect embeds card processing directly into the software small businesses already use — so a merchant takes a card inside Jobber / HouseCall Pro / their vet PMS, and it just works. We sell trust and "it works where you already are," not SaaS novelty.

## Who we're talking to

- **Merchants** — local/small businesses (auto repair, veterinary, home services, salons, aesthetics). Non-technical. Trust-led. They want a real number to call, transparent pricing, no surprises.
- **Partners / sub-agents** — ISOs and reps who resell us. Speak competence and reliability.
- **Internal team** — the console, CRM, admin tools. Utilitarian chrome, quiet.

## Brand color

- **Primary:** teal-green — `oklch(58% 0.10 168)` (~`#1f9e88`). Source of truth: `shopconnectpro.com` `styles.css` `--accent`. It's `[data-brand="shopconnect"]` in `tokens.css` and the system default.
- **Ink:** warm green-black `#0a1f1a` on ShopConnect marketing surfaces (matches the site) — override `--text` per surface when matching the site exactly.
- **Why this green:** calm, trusted, grown-up — reads "payments you can rely on," not startup-urgency. Distinct from Mitch's forest/mint greens. Do **not** drift it toward fluorescent (see `anti-patterns.md`).

## Surface types we actually build

| Surface | Type (→ `surface-matrix.md`) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| shopconnectpro.com marketing | **Trust-led marketing** | Loud moves OFF. No stadium block, no Anton, no fake stats. |
| Admin console / CRM | **Admin chrome** + **Reporting** | Neutrals, KPI cards, `--report` blue numerics. Quiet. |
| Merchant-facing checkout/receipt | **Consumer checkout** / **Quiet moment** | Transparent fee breakdown; italic-serif at most once. |
| Partner / sales one-pagers | **Trust-led marketing** | Same restraint as the marketing site. |

## ON for ShopConnect

- Teal-green on CTAs + active states, sparingly
- `--report` blue numerics in the console/analytics
- Transparent fee breakdown (it's our whole pitch — show it)
- Mono for receipt/terminal/tabular register
- One italic-serif accent per quiet moment (confirmation, thank-you)
- Concrete, real artifacts as proof (a real quote, a real merchant name)

## OFF for ShopConnect

- Stadium block / Anton / display-scale editorial (we're not a tour poster)
- Fluorescent or high-vis brand color
- Fake proof stats, "Featured On" strips, call-center top bars
- Generic `sc` square-letter logo box — wordmark stands alone ⟨confirm lockup⟩
- Numbered `01/02/03` decoration on non-sequential columns
- Rounded-full + bright fill on small UI

## Voice ⟨fill in⟩

- Tone words: ⟨e.g. plain, reassuring, competent, local⟩
- CTA verbs (use the real action, not "Learn more"): ⟨e.g. "See your rate →", "Talk to a human →"⟩
- Words we avoid: ⟨…⟩

## Assets ⟨drop in `./assets/`⟩

- Logo / wordmark files: ⟨add⟩
- Product screenshots: ⟨add⟩
- Photography direction: ⟨add — see `reference-library/inspirations/` for reference vibe⟩

## Open brand questions for the team

- [ ] Confirm the wordmark/lockup treatment
- [ ] Nail down the display-font choice for any editorial moment (or decide we have none)
- [ ] Photography vs illustration direction
- [ ] Voice words above