bc-brand-guidelines

name	bc-brand-guidelines
description	Better Collective Agency brand guidelines — visual identity, colours, fonts, tone, and design standards. Use this as the reference for anything created under the Better Collective or Abbie May brand. Trigger when the user asks about BC brand colours, fonts, design direction, brand consistency, "does this look on-brand", "what font do we use", "what are our brand colours", "brand guidelines", or any question about how BC or Abbie May should look and sound. Also used as the foundation for any graphic, template, or visual asset created for BC's own channels.
metadata	{"version":"2.0.0"}

Better Collective Agency — Brand Guidelines

The single source of truth for how Better Collective looks and sounds. Every piece of content, every graphic, every caption, every communication — if it comes from BC, it follows these guidelines. No exceptions.

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Brand Identity

Agency name: Better Collective Agency (BCA) Trading as: Better Collective / Better Co / BC Founded: January 2025 Location: Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast QLD Website: bettercollective.com.au Instagram: @bettercollectiveagency TikTok: @bettercollectiveagency

Primary tagline: Your Business, But Better.

Supporting taglines (use naturally — never forced):

• "Stop Posting Boring Sh*t"
• "We do it better."
• "Strategy-first."
• "Human-led content."
• "People buy from people."
• "Do Better. Be Better."

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Colour Palette

Name	Hex	Use
BCA Blue	#194689	Accent — CTAs, highlights, selective use only
Off-White	#FAF9F6	Light backgrounds, text on dark
Charcoal	#1A1A1A	Primary — backgrounds, dominant text
Warm Grey	#6B6B6B	Secondary text, supporting elements

The 80/20 Rule:

• 80% neutral tones (Charcoal + Off-White) dominate every design
• 20% BCA Blue — accent only, never dominant
• No other colours without explicit approval from Abbie
• No gradients on brand assets unless specifically directed

Common usage:

• Dark designs: Charcoal background + Off-White text + BCA Blue accent
• Light designs: Off-White background + Charcoal text + BCA Blue accent
• BCA Blue is never a background colour

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Typography

Bebas Neue — Headings

• All headings, titles, large display text
• Always uppercase — Bebas Neue is never lowercase
• Bold and dominant — let it breathe with generous sizing
• Download: Google Fonts (free)

Biro Script — Subheadings and Accents

• Subheadings, callout text, accent labels, handwritten emphasis
• Adds personality and humanity to designs
• Use sparingly — it's an accent, not a body font
• On web: Use Caveat (Google Fonts) as the web-safe substitute for Biro Script

Barlow — Body Copy

• All body text, captions, descriptions, smaller copy
• Weights: 400 (Regular), 500 (Medium), 600 (SemiBold) only
• No thin (100-300) and no heavy (700+)
• Clean, legible, modern sans-serif

Typography Rules:

• Never mix more than two fonts in a single design
• Bebas Neue headings + Barlow body = the BC standard combination
• Biro Script is a third accent font — use only when a handwritten touch is intentional
• No serif fonts, no other decorative fonts

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Logo

Two marks:

1. Full Wordmark — "better" (lowercase bold serif) + "COLLECTIVE" (spaced uppercase)

   • Primary logo for most applications
   • Available in: BCA Blue, Charcoal (Black), Off-White (White)

2. b.co Mark — compact brandmark

   • Use where the full wordmark is too wide
   • Available in: BCA Blue, Charcoal (Black), Off-White (White)

Logo Colour Rules:

• On light/white backgrounds: Charcoal or BCA Blue logo
• On dark/Charcoal backgrounds: Off-White logo
• Never place the BCA Blue logo on a blue background
• Never use blue as the background behind any logo version

Logo Usage Rules:

• Never stretch, rotate, or alter logo proportions
• Minimum clear space: equal to the height of the "b" in better on all sides
• Never place logo on a busy background without a solid colour block beneath it
• Logo or handle must always be present and legible on BC social graphics

Canva Brand Kit ID: kAGYgTJJDIo Always start BC graphics from this kit — it contains the correct palette, fonts, and logo files.

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Design Aesthetic

The BC look: Bold. Clean. Direct. A little bit raw. High contrast.

Think editorial magazine meets real-world agency — not a startup tech brand, not a corporate consultancy. BC looks like it means business without trying too hard.

What BC design always is:

• High contrast (Charcoal and Off-White as the base)
• Confident — big Bebas Neue typography, clear hierarchy
• Clean — white space is intentional, not decorative
• Human — real photography over stock, real work over staged shots
• Direct — every design element serves a purpose

What BC design never is:

• Pastel, soft-toned, or warm-filtered
• Overly polished or corporate (no gradient backgrounds, no 3D elements)
• Cluttered — if it doesn't add to the message, remove it
• Generic — no stock photos, no stock illustrations, no clip art
• Playful or rounded — BC is not a lifestyle brand

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Format-Specific Rules

Social Media (Instagram / TikTok)

• Always start from the BC Canva Brand Kit (kAGYgTJJDIo)
• Dimensions: see graphic-quality skill for full specs
• Bebas Neue for all headline text
• Minimum 60px margins on Instagram graphics
• Handle or logo always present and legible

Documents and Presentations (PPTX)

• Bebas Neue headings — large, dominant
• Barlow for all body text
• Colour background options: Charcoal or Off-White
• BCA Blue for accents, dividers, highlight elements only
• No gradients, no drop shadows on text

HTML / Web

• CSS variables for consistent application:
  • --bc-blue: #194689
  • --bc-offwhite: #FAF9F6
  • --bc-charcoal: #1A1A1A
  • --bc-warmgrey: #6B6B6B
• Use Caveat (Google Fonts) in place of Biro Script on web

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Photography and Imagery

For BC brand content:

• Real people, real locations, real work — always
• On-the-ground shoot days, office moments, genuine team shots
• No drone shots (ever)
• No stock photography on BC's own channels
• Colour grade: slightly desaturated, contrast-forward, not warm-filtered

For client content created by BC:

• Must reflect the client's industry and real work
• Always raw and real over staged and polished
• See individual client brand guidelines for specific direction

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Brand Voice

BC sounds like the straight-talking, smart friend who actually knows marketing. Bold. Direct. Human. Zero fluff. Never corporate. Confident without being arrogant. Outcome-focused. Always specific — never vague.

In every piece of copy:

• Sentences are short
• Claims are specific and backed up
• No hollow phrases: "passionate about", "solutions", "leverage", "transforming"
• No exclamation marks except sparingly
• Contractions always (we're, it's, you'll) — sounds human, not formal

For full voice and caption guidance, see the social-content-bc and caption-writer skills.

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Abbie May Personal Brand

Abbie May is BC's founder and a separate personal brand.

Instagram: @abbieemay TikTok: @abbieemay_ Podcast: The Better Standard (relaunching 2026)

How Abbie May differs from BC:

• More personal, more honest, more founder voice
• Same Charcoal/Off-White/BCA Blue palette — can feel slightly warmer and more personal
• Bebas Neue still the heading font
• Biro Script accents work well for handwritten personal touches
• Content is Abbie talking as herself — not as the agency

When creating for Abbie May, the brand sits adjacent to BC — connected, but distinctly her own voice and story.

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Application Checklist

Before any BC branded asset is published or sent:

• Colours: Charcoal, Off-White, BCA Blue (#194689) only?
• 80/20 rule applied — neutral dominant, blue as accent?
• Heading font: Bebas Neue, uppercase?
• Body font: Barlow (400/500/600 only)?
• Logo present and legible (correct version for the background)?
• Photography: real, not stock?
• Tone: direct, human, zero fluff?
• Started from BC Canva Brand Kit (kAGYgTJJDIo)?
• Does it look unmistakably like BC — or could it be any agency?
• Would Abbie approve this as on-brand?