11 KiB
Greyhaven Brand Voice & Messaging -- Claude Skill
Source of truth:
vibedocs/greyhaven-brand-system.md(Brand Guidelines v1.1)This skill applies when generating ANY user-facing content for Greyhaven: marketing copy, landing pages, CTAs, product descriptions, documentation, email, README intros, explanations of how the product works, or any prose that will be read by a human. It does NOT apply to internal code comments, commit messages, or technical logs.
1. The One-Line Test
Before writing any sentence, ask:
Would an engineer who understands the system read this and feel it's accurate, direct, and free of hype?
If no, rewrite. That single test catches 90% of brand drift.
2. Core Positioning (memorize)
Greyhaven builds custom, contained AI systems that run entirely inside the client's environment, shaped by real operational constraints and deployed under the client's control.
Short form: Local-first AI systems shaped by real work. Built where work happens. Contained end to end.
Powered by Monadical's internal, open-source stack, hardened over eight years.
3. The Three Brand Axes
Every sentence, heading, or visual choice should land on the correct side of these three axes. When in doubt, use them to explain why something is wrong without relying on taste.
| Axis | Greyhaven is on this side | NOT this side |
|---|---|---|
| Containment | Systems run inside the perimeter. Nothing leaks. | Cloud/SaaS narratives. "Connected everywhere." |
| Human-centered | Built around how people actually work. | Built around model capabilities or vendor features. |
| Engineered | From real deployments, constraints, operator reality. | Vision-first, theatrical, speculative, futuristic. |
If copy drifts toward exposure, performance, or model-led thinking → it doesn't fit.
4. Tone of Voice
Direct. Plain-spoken technical. Explains difficult things in simple terms.
Greyhaven speaks like an engineer who understands how systems work and can describe them cleanly -- without mystique or theatrics.
- No jargon for its own sake
- No oversimplification
- No sales language
- No hype adjectives ("revolutionary", "cutting-edge", "seamless", "powerful", "game-changing")
- No evangelism ("unleash", "empower", "transform")
- No emotional leverage or fear-mongering
- Yes calm, precise, explanatory
- Yes mechanical facts
- Yes specifics over superlatives
- Yes authority through clarity, not volume
5. Writing Rules
5.1 Explain clearly. Don't perform.
The goal is clarity, not persuasion. Readers have different levels of technical know-how. Describe what happens inside the environment, how data flows, which dependencies matter, what boundaries exist. If something is complex, break it down without dumbing it down.
5.2 Plain-language engineering
Use everyday words for technical realities. If a simpler word communicates the same thing, use it.
| Instead of | Prefer |
|---|---|
| "data paths" | "where the data goes" |
| "surfaces" | "places where exposure/risk can happen" |
| "dependencies" | "things the system relies on" |
| "isolation" | "kept separate from the outside" |
| "logs" | "records of what happened" |
| "handoffs" | "when one person/system passes something to another" |
| "leverage" | "use" |
| "leverage AI to..." | "the system uses AI to..." |
| "synergy" | (don't use) |
| "cutting-edge solution" | (don't use) |
| "transform your workflow" | describe what the system does instead |
Don't assume the reader knows technical shorthand. The reader should leave with a clearer mental model, not an impressed feeling.
5.3 Human-first in how we describe work
Start from what operators actually do -- steps, judgment calls, knowledge. Explain operator behaviors the same way you explain systems: concretely and without dramatization.
5.4 Security, stated without drama
Mechanical facts, not alarmism.
- Good: "Running inside the perimeter restores finite boundaries."
- Bad: "Protect your data from devastating breaches!"
State causal reasoning. No emotional leverage.
5.5 Quiet confidence
State specifics. No hype adjectives. No evangelism. Authority comes from clarity, not volume.
- Good: "A working, testable prototype delivered in 24-48 hours."
- Bad: "Lightning-fast, industry-leading AI delivery!"
6. Patterns for Reasoning
Use these four patterns to structure explanations. They express engineering logic: minimal wording, direct causality, observable/verifiable outcomes.
Cause → Effect
"When work relies on external AI services, every step -- inputs, outputs, logs, metadata -- becomes part of someone else's infrastructure."
Constraint → Outcome
"No external APIs and no data leaving the environment. The system remains contained, and the client keeps full operational and security control."
Observation → Explanation
"We sit with the operators, map the steps, and build a system that mirrors what actually happens."
Finite Scope → Concrete Result
"One process at a time. A working, testable prototype delivered in 24-48 hours."
7. CTA Guidance
Greyhaven CTAs should be concrete and engineering-flavored, not aspirational or urgent.
Good CTA patterns:
- "See how it runs in your environment"
- "Map your first process"
- "Review the architecture"
- "Read how it's deployed"
- "Get a working prototype in 48 hours"
Avoid:
- "Unlock the power of AI"
- "Transform your business today"
- "Don't miss out!"
- "Revolutionary AI solutions await"
- Urgency/scarcity framing ("limited time", "hurry", "act now")
- Hype verbs ("unleash", "supercharge", "revolutionize")
8. Driving Ideas (use these to self-check)
A sentence, heading, or design choice should feel like one of these:
(System-)aware · Applied · Adaptable · Unblocking · Safe-to-experiment · Contained · Durable · Iterative
If it doesn't land on any of them, or lands somewhere else (flashy, theatrical, aspirational), rewrite.
9. Typography Approach (for written-content UI)
Hierarchy is built through tonal shifts, not decorative treatments.
- Primary points stay dark and controlled (foreground text)
- Supporting detail moves lighter (muted-foreground)
- The orange accent is reserved for parts that require immediate attention -- never decorative
Do NOT establish hierarchy through:
- Multiple contrasting typefaces
- Decorative styles (italics for emphasis, ALL CAPS for drama, oversized type for style)
- Color variety
DO establish hierarchy through:
- Weight differences within the same family (serif for content, sans for UI)
- Shade shifts between foreground, muted-foreground, and the orange accent
- Spatial rhythm (section padding, line-height)
This keeps the system quiet, structured, and readable.
10. Logo Usage
Available files (in public/logos/ after install)
| File | Use when |
|---|---|
gh-logo-positive-full-black.svg |
Full logo (symbol + wordmark) on light backgrounds |
gh-logo-white.svg |
Full logo on dark backgrounds |
gh-logo-offblack.svg |
Full logo in off-black (#161614) for warm-neutral contexts |
gh-symbol-full-black.svg |
Symbol only, light bg (use when name recognition is already established) |
gh-symbol-full-white.svg |
Symbol only, dark bg |
greyproxy-positive.svg |
Greyproxy product logo (Greyhaven symbol + product wordmark) |
greywall-positive.svg |
Greywall product logo (Greyhaven symbol + product wordmark) |
Rules
- Structure: The logo is Symbol + Wordmark. Keep them locked together in most contexts. Use the Symbol alone only when Greyhaven name recognition is already assured.
- Clearspace: Minimum 1× (one grid module of the symbol) on all sides. Nothing -- text, images, other graphics -- enters this zone.
- Minimum sizes:
- Wordmark lockup: 20mm print / 120px digital
- Standalone symbol: 8mm print / 14px digital (22px preferred)
What to avoid (all of these are brand violations)
- Do NOT change opacity
- Do NOT apply new colors (black, white, off-black only -- per file)
- Do NOT stretch or alter proportions
- Do NOT apply gradients, shadows, glows, or other embellishments
- Do NOT rotate
- Do NOT change the lockup or alter symbol/wordmark relative scale
Product logos
New Greyhaven products/demos reuse the Greyhaven symbol with the product wordmark in the same lockup pattern (see greyproxy-positive.svg, greywall-positive.svg). Typography for new wordmarks: Circular Medium. Do NOT invent a new symbol unless the product genuinely needs its own sub-identity.
11. Self-check Before Shipping Any Copy
Run the output through these checks:
- ☐ Does it pass The One-Line Test (accurate, direct, no hype)?
- ☐ Does it land on the correct side of all three brand axes (containment, human-centered, engineered)?
- ☐ Did I use any banned words (unleash, transform, revolutionary, seamless, game-changing, cutting-edge, leverage, synergy, unlock)?
- ☐ Is every claim specific and verifiable, or am I using vague superlatives?
- ☐ Does the copy explain how the thing works, or just tell the reader how to feel about it?
- ☐ Does it match a reasoning pattern (cause→effect, constraint→outcome, observation→explanation, finite scope→concrete result)?
- ☐ Does it fit one of the driving ideas (system-aware, applied, adaptable, unblocking, safe-to-experiment, contained, durable, iterative)?
- ☐ Is the orange accent used only where immediate attention is warranted, not as decoration?
If any box is unchecked, rewrite.
12. Quick Examples
Bad vs. Good: Hero headline
| Bad | Good |
|---|---|
| "Unleash the power of AI in your organization" | "AI systems that run inside your environment" |
| "Revolutionary cloud-native AI platform" | "Custom AI, contained end to end" |
| "Transform your workflows with next-gen AI" | "Map one process. Deploy a working prototype in 48 hours." |
Bad vs. Good: Feature description
Bad:
Our cutting-edge AI seamlessly integrates with your existing infrastructure to unlock unprecedented productivity gains.
Good:
The system runs on the machines you already have. Data, models, and execution stay inside your perimeter. Nothing is sent to external APIs.
Bad vs. Good: CTA
| Bad | Good |
|---|---|
| "Get started today!" | "Map your first process" |
| "Try it free -- limited time!" | "Review the architecture" |
| "Unlock AI superpowers" | "See a 48-hour prototype" |
13. When You're Unsure
Default to:
- Fewer words. Greyhaven copy is shorter than you expect.
- More specifics. Numbers, concrete nouns, named constraints.
- Less enthusiasm. No exclamation marks. No superlatives. No urgency.
- Describe the system, not the feeling.