The Signet,
Contained.
“This verdict binds both sides.” A circular signet — the seal. A V incised inside — the verdict. Split down the center axis, one side bone, one side rust — the two parties bound by it. This is the locked primary mark, ready for every surface the brand touches.
Color · four canonical modes
The Contained mark is two-color by design. The left blade swaps with the background — bone on dark, ink on light. The ring stays rust. No other variations are sanctioned. Never invert the ratio.
Construction · 200u grid, every unit round
- Canvas
- 200 × 200u · square viewBox · centered (100,100)
- Outer ring
- r = 92 · stroke 3 · rust · closes 4u from edge
- Inner ring
- r = 80 · stroke 1.2 · α 0.42 · embosser line, recessive
- V silhouette
- 50u top · 16u foot · 114u tall · apex (100,170)
- Bisection
- x = 100 · single axis · left bone, right rust
- Compass ticks
- 9u × 2u · α 0.55 · only N · E · S · W, never 45°
- Optical center
- V baseline y = 170 · sits 6u below true center
- Auto-flip rule
- bone bg → ink left blade · same geometry
Sizes · one mark, three cuts
Ring 20u stroke · no inner ring · no compass ticks · V enlarged to fill the disc.
Browser favicons, taskbar entries, PWA small tile.
Ring 10u stroke · no inner ring · no compass ticks.
Nav bar, footer mark, signature line, document headers, evidence-stream UI.
Double ring · compass ticks · the full instrument.
Hero, app icon, certificates, cards — anywhere the seal is the subject.
Lockups · four configurations, no others
Mark on the left of the wordmark unless space forces a stack. Clear-space minimum = 0.5 × mark width on every side. Wordmark always Fraunces 900, −0.025em, no italic.
Type · Fraunces 900 + JetBrains Mono, nothing else
In production · six surfaces, live
Tier 3 · 16px. The bone half punches against a dark tab; the rust ring locks it as VERDICT in a 40-tab session.
Tier 1 · full Signet in a rounded-square container. A subtle rust glow names the app from across the room.
Tier 1 · on-bone variant. Auto-flips the left blade to ink so contrast holds on cream. Slight rotation reads as a stamp landing.
Tier 2 · compact mark in the header. The product surface with the most pageviews — the seal sits at every section start.
Tier 1 · on-bone, slight rotation. The seal sits beside a hash and a timestamp — those three things are the legal artifact.
Tier 1 · 2.4s loop. The Signet rotates in from −14°, lands at 0°, holds, fades. The only place the brand moves.
Motion · three states, no others
Motion is functional. If the seal is moving, something just happened. No bounces, no springs, no parallax, no decorative loops.
Mark scales down 14% and intensifies its glow on hover or click — a stamp pushed into wax. Primary CTA and any “Seal this” action.
Rotates from −14°, scales from 1.6×, lands at 0°, holds, fades. Played once per sealed event — the only celebratory beat.
Loading state for the seal itself. Slow continuous rotation, 6s per revolution. Never faster, never reverses. Signet only.
Misuse · six things never to do
A signet is always circular. Non-uniform scale breaks the seal.
Static use is upright. Only stamp-in rotates. Cert stamps excepted at ≤ −10°.
No offsets or skeuomorphic depth. The mark is flat — only the rust glow is allowed.
Rust, bone, ink only. No green, no purple, no holiday variants.
Use the right tier. Don't kill ticks/inner-ring on the full mark — that's the mark variant's job.
Clear-space minimum = 0.5 × mark width on every side. Nothing inside that zone.
Assets · vector library + full spec
VERDICT · Signet · Contained · v 2.3 · sealed · verdict.systems