Rationale
A mark that means something
The alpha (α) is the investment industry's term for excess returns above a benchmark. Latency surfaces proprietary deal intelligence that no index contains. The mark is not decorative — it is the brand's core claim, built into the product name itself.
"The decision to make α the 'a' in 'Latency' is not a typographic flourish. It is a positioning statement. Every time someone reads the name, they read the value proposition."Logo System Rationale
Why an integrated wordmark
A separate symbol + logotype combination allows the elements to drift into incorrect proportions and spacing. The alpha is the 'a' — it is already in the wordmark. A combination lockup would place the alpha twice, which is a typographic error, not a brand expression.
Why the artwork is vector-locked
The alpha letterform is custom geometry. It cannot be reproduced in any existing typeface. Files are SVG for digital and screen contexts; all SVGs contain both sRGB hex values and Display P3 colour profiles for wide-gamut rendering.
Anatomy
How the mark is built
The Latency logo is an integrated wordmark. The alpha mark (α) is a custom geometric letterform — it is the 'a' in the wordmark, not a separate symbol placed alongside it.
A custom geometric letterform derived from the Greek lowercase α. The mark occupies a near-square canvas (aspect ratio approximately 1.06:1) and is built from two interlocking geometric elements: a circular stroke body and a narrow vertical diamond that bisects it on the right side. Neither element is used in isolation — together they form a single indivisible mark. The alpha mark is the 'a' in the wordmark; both are the same artwork rendered at different scales.
"Latency" in custom vectorised letterforms. The 'a' is drawn as the alpha mark at wordmark scale. The full wordmark spans a 5.5:1 aspect ratio. It cannot be reproduced in any typeface and must always be sourced from the approved SVG files.
Variant system
Approved logo files
Twelve approved variants across two forms (wordmark and symbol) and five colour treatments. Every variant has a specific permitted background range — do not use a variant outside its approved contexts. Click the download icon on any card to save the source file.
Wordmarks
The full "Latency" wordmark. Use by default in all marketing, communications, and document contexts where minimum size permits.
Symbol
The standalone alpha mark. Use when the wordmark cannot meet the 120 px minimum, or as a standalone brand identifier in avatars, app icons, and favicons.
Favicon and app icon
Raster assets for browser contexts and social platforms. Not to be scaled — use at the specified dimensions only.
Clear space
Breathing room
Clear space protects the logo from visual interference. The reference unit X scales with the logo — it is not a fixed pixel value.
1. Reference unit X
X = the optical height of the mark. For the symbol: the visible height from the lowest to the highest point of the alpha mark. For the wordmark: the cap height of the letterforms.
2. Minimum clear space
Symbol: 0.5X on all four sides.
Wordmark: 1X on all four sides.
The zone must be free of other logos, headlines, graphic devices, and photography approaching the logo boundary.
3. Co-brand lockups
Exterior clear space = 2X. The dividing space between the Latency logo and the partner logo = 1X. A 1 px rule may be placed at the midpoint of the 1X space.
4. Co-brand colour register
When the Latency logo appears alongside another brand's logo, adopt the colour register of that context — positive (dark on light) or negative (light on dark) — within what this guide permits. Apply Latency's brand colour only when the logo appears alone, or when other brands also present their own brand colours in the same lockup.
Wordmark — 1X all sides
Dashed border = minimum clear space zone · 1X = cap height
Alpha mark — 0.5X all sides
Dashed border = minimum clear space zone · 0.5X = half optical height
Co-brand lockup — spacing
Dashed border = 2X exterior zone · 1X space on each side of divider rule
Minimum sizes
Legibility thresholds
Below these sizes the alpha mark fails to read clearly. The wordmark and symbol have separate thresholds; switch between them at the appropriate breakpoint.
Standard web
Min wordmark
Standard web
Min symbol
Do not use
Below legibility threshold
Web / screen minimum
Wordmark: 120 px wide. Symbol: 32 px tall. Below these dimensions the mark detail breaks down and the alpha reading is lost. Use CSS height: auto; width: auto with a single constrained dimension — never fix both simultaneously.
Print minimum
Wordmark: 30 mm wide at 300 dpi. Symbol: 8 mm tall at 300 dpi. Below 8 mm request a high-resolution raster export at 2× the intended print size and apply the resolution in the layout tool.
Colour approval matrix
Logo on background
Only combinations achieving WCAG 2.1 AA (4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large text) are permitted. AAA combinations are preferred wherever possible.
| Preview | Logo colour | Background | Ratio | WCAG level | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
α |
Grape #4E00EB | White #FFFFFF | 8.3:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
Grape #4E00EB | Parchment #F7F5F0 | 8.3:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
Grape #4E00EB | Bone #EFEDE7 | 7.9:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
Midnight #111318 | White #FFFFFF | 19.4:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
Midnight #111318 | Parchment #F7F5F0 | 18.5:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
Midnight #111318 | Flax #E8D9B5 | 14.1:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
White #FFFFFF | Grape #4E00EB | 8.3:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
White #FFFFFF | Midnight #111318 | 19.4:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
White #FFFFFF | Deep Royal #250066 | 14.9:1 | AAA | Approved |
α |
Grape #4E00EB | Deep Royal #250066 | 1.6:1 | Fail | Prohibited |
α |
Midnight #111318 | Deep Royal #250066 | 1.3:1 | Fail | Prohibited |
Misuse guide
Eight treatments to avoid
The following treatments are prohibited regardless of context. They are documented because all eight have appeared in practice — in presentations, social assets, and third-party materials.
Recolouring the logo
Do not
Apply any colour to the logo other than the approved variants. Common violations: Amber logo on Parchment, Violet logo on any background, Midnight logo on Deep Royal.
Correct use
Use only the approved file variants. If the destination surface is not covered by an existing variant, check the contrast matrix before requesting a new file. Grape, Midnight, and White are the only permitted logo colours.
Unapproved colour applied via CSS — not from the approved file set
Grape on Parchment — approved variant · 8.3:1 AAA
Distorting proportions
Do not
Fix both width and height in CSS simultaneously (width: 200px; height: 40px), or stretch the SVG/PNG in any direction. The alpha mark's internal geometry is load-bearing — distortion destroys the alpha reading.
Correct use
Constrain one dimension and allow the other to scale automatically: height: 20px; width: auto or width: 120px; height: auto. Use object-fit: contain in flex or grid contexts.
Both axes fixed independently — mark vertically crushed, geometry destroyed
width:200px; height:auto — correct single-axis constraint
Drop shadows or glow effects
Do not
Apply CSS filter: drop-shadow(), box shadows, CSS glow, or any outer lighting effect to the logo. The mark is a flat geometric form; shadow implies three-dimensional depth, which is not part of the brand language.
Correct use
If legibility is the concern, switch to a higher-contrast variant rather than adding a shadow. If the background is too complex, simplify the background or apply a clear-space mask.
CSS drop-shadow applied — creates false depth
Clean flat rendering — no filter effects
Placing the tagline adjacent to the logo
Do not
Lock "Decoding private markets." immediately beneath or beside the logo as a fixed sub-element. The tagline is a typographic element governed by the Typography System (Instrument Serif italic, minimum 48 px) — not a logo component, and not at label scale.
Correct use
Use the tagline as a standalone typographic element in the closing anchor block or hero section. It appears at a scale that commands attention, not as a footnote below the logo.
Decoding private markets.
Tagline locked as a logo sub-element — wrong scale, wrong context
Logo stands alone — tagline appears separately as a hero typographic element at ≥ 48 px
Grey or low-saturation versions
Do not
Use a greyscale, desaturated, or reduced-opacity version of the logo (e.g. opacity: 0.5 on a Grape logo). These versions are not in the approved file set and have not been verified for legibility.
Correct use
If a subdued treatment is needed (e.g. a footer on a dark background), use the White variant at full opacity. Never alter the logo's colour through CSS filter, opacity, or blend-mode properties.
opacity: 0.3 — fails contrast, not an approved variant
White on Grape — approved reversed variant at full opacity
Outline or stroke treatments
Do not
Apply a CSS stroke, SVG stroke attribute, or outlined treatment to the logo paths. The letterforms are filled shapes — adding a stroke changes the effective weight of the geometry and produces a fundamentally different mark.
Correct use
Use the filled SVG files as provided. All stroke decisions are baked into the artwork.
SVG stroke/outline applied — fill removed, effective path weight altered
Approved filled SVG — geometry defined in artwork, no stroke modification
Symbol + wordmark combination lockup
Do not
Place the Symbol file to the left of the wordmark to create a "combination lockup." The wordmark already contains the alpha. Side-by-side placement doubles the alpha letterform in a single reading unit — alpha·alpha·tency — which is not a word, not a logo, and not a brand expression.
No combination lockup — by design. The wordmark already contains the alpha. There is no approved combination lockup file, and none should be created.
Correct use
Use the wordmark alone in text contexts. Use the symbol alone in icon contexts (avatars, favicons, app icons). These are not interchangeable — they are two separate use cases for the same mark.
Symbol + wordmark side by side — the alpha appears twice
Wordmark used alone — alpha already present as the 'a'
Rotating or tilting the logo
Do not
Apply any CSS transform: rotate(), tilt, or angular placement to the logo. The vertical orientation of the mark is the primary orientation cue. Tilting eliminates that cue and makes the letterform unrecognisable as an alpha.
Correct use
The logo is always horizontal and upright. Vertical stacking of a wordmark is not an approved layout. If space is constrained to a vertical orientation, use the symbol variant and rotate the surrounding text separately.
transform: rotate(-18deg) — orientation cue destroyed
Horizontal and upright — always