Brand Guidelines · 2026

Trust the Signal

Dispatches from the trading floor — filtering signal from noise.

by Silvia Mogas

00 · Logo Mark

On Paper (default)

Trust the Signal

On Ink (reversed)

Trust the Signal

Construction Rule

The single red letter is always the “i” in “Signal” — never any other character. It represents the signal itself: one precise point of emphasis in an otherwise monochrome mark. Do not change the accent letter, do not use a different red, do not apply the logo at sizes below 16px.

01 · Brand Mission

“The best conversations in finance happen behind closed doors. We bring them to you.”

What we are

A long-form podcast for serious market participants — traders, economists, portfolio managers — who think in cycles, not headlines.

What we are not

Not a daily news recap. Not hot takes. Not content for retail. We filter signal from noise.

02 · Color Palette

Paper

#f4f1ea

Primary background

Ink

#111111

Primary text & borders

Signal Red

#d62828

Accent · Emphasis

Ink Gray

#6b6b6b

Metadata · Secondary text

Rule 1

Paper (#f4f1ea) is always the background — never pure white or pure black.

Rule 2

Signal Red (#d62828) is used sparingly: logo accent, dropcaps, focus rings, hover states only.

Rule 3

Ink Gray (#6b6b6b) is reserved for metadata, captions, and secondary labels — never for body copy.

03 · Typography

Blackletter · Masthead only

UnifrakturMaguntia

400 Regular

Trust the Signal

Display · Headlines & Dropcaps

Playfair Display

400600700800900Italic

The Liquidity Mirage in Private Credit

Body · Paragraphs & Captions

Lora

400500600700Italic

Many LPs are confusing duration for stability. Who owns the duration — and why the next liquidity event will catch people off guard.

Meta · Labels, Kickers & Buttons

Barlow Condensed

400500600700

New Episode · Capital Markets · Vol. 1 No. 23

Type Scale

MastheadTrust the Signal
Hero HeadlineThe Liquidity Mirage
Section HeadAbout the Host
Card HeadlineBasis Risk and the Dealer Balance Sheet
Body CopyA frank conversation about duration, credit, and liquidity.
Kicker / MetaNEW EPISODE · CAPITAL MARKETS

04 · Visual Elements

Paper Grain Texture

SVG-based noise overlay at 12% opacity. Applied to the body to simulate newsprint. Never remove — it grounds the aesthetic.

Double Rule Divider

Double rule: 6px double border. Used between major sections. Single rule: 1px solid. Used between cards and sub-sections.

Dropcap

Many LPs are confusing duration for stability. A frank conversation about basis risk, the dealer balance sheet, and who owns the duration when liquidity dries up.

Classified Box

Subscribe · Substack

Weekly memos from Silvia, straight from the trading floor.

Double-border box for callouts and subscription prompts. Mirrors the visual language of classified print ads.

05 · Buttons & Interactive States

Primary CTA

Default: bg-ink · Hover: bg-ink-red · 150ms transition

Secondary / Outline

1px border ink · Hover: fills ink bg · Barlow Condensed 600

Navigation Links

Episodes

About

Subscribe

Contact

Hover State ↗

Hover: text-ink-red · 150ms transition

Focus Ring (Accessibility)

2px solid Signal Red (#d62828) · 2px offset · Always visible on keyboard navigation

06 · Layout & Grid

Max Width1280px (max-w-7xl)
Side Padding · Mobile1rem (px-4)
Side Padding · Desktop2rem (px-8)
Hero Grid3fr · 2fr at lg breakpoint
Episodes Grid1 col → 2 col (md) → 3 col (lg)
About Grid2fr · 3fr at lg breakpoint
Footer Grid1 col → 3 col (md)
Column Dividers1px solid ink — no gap between columns
Section Vertical Paddingpy-10 to py-12

07 · Tone of Voice

We Write Like This

Many LPs are confusing duration for stability.

Who owns the duration — and why the next liquidity event will catch people off guard.

A frank conversation about basis risk and the dealer balance sheet.

Dispatches from the trading floor — filtering signal from noise.

We Never Write Like This

🔥 This episode is FIRE — you don't want to miss it!

Everything you need to know about markets in 2025.

Top 10 trading tips from Wall Street insiders.

Like and subscribe for more amazing content every day!

Direct

State the insight immediately. No preamble.

Precise

Use the right word. Avoid hedge words like 'maybe' or 'interesting'.

Insider

Write as if you've been in the room. No translation for beginners.

08 · Motion & Animation

Fade-in on scroll

  • Duration: 650ms
  • Easing: cubic-bezier(0.25, 0.46, 0.45, 0.94)
  • Start: opacity 0, translateY 14px
  • Trigger: IntersectionObserver −60px margin
  • Stagger: +0.1s per column

Hover transitions

  • Color changes: 150–200ms ease
  • Button fill: 150ms
  • Icon color: 150ms
  • Nav link color: 150ms
  • Never animate layout, size, or position on hover

09 · Photo Treatment

Halftone Treatment

  • Grayscale filter (100%)
  • Contrast +12%, Brightness −3%
  • Halftone dot overlay: 3×3px radial gradient, 0.55px dots
  • Blend mode: multiply, opacity 0.35
  • Applied via .photo-halftone + .photo-wrap::after

Placeholder (No Photo)

  • Background: #2a2a2a (near-black)
  • Guest initials in Playfair Display, centered
  • Halftone dot overlay applied identically
  • Maintains visual consistency when photo unavailable