#5CRSE — Brand Guidelines

Version 1.0 · April 2026 Source of truth for visual identity, voice, and messaging. The canonical runtime tokens live in tailwind.config.mjs and src/app/(frontend)/globals.css — this document is the design-intent layer those tokens implement. A machine-readable token export (assets/design-tokens.json) is a planned follow-up, not yet in the repo.

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#1. Brand Essence

Name. 5CRSE — pronounced "five-course".

Positioning. A members-grade platform for curated luxury events and private transportation. One concierge surface for the reservation, the arrival, and everything between.

Big idea. Curated experiences as a lifestyle. Every booking is a five-course journey — anticipation, arrival, experience, encore, afterglow.

Promise. The night is already arranged.

Audience.

• Experience Seekers — urban professionals who spend on standout evenings and discovery
• Corporate Hosts — teams booking VIP outings, activations, client entertainment
• Curators & Operators — boutique organizers who want a premium marketplace, not a ticket aggregator
• Affluent Millennials / Gen Z — brand-literate, design-sensitive, mobile-first

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#2. Color System

The palette is dark-first. Black is the canvas; gold is the signal. Everything else is restraint.

#Core palette

Known divergence. src/app/(frontend)/ai-assistant/styles.css still sets --color-gold: #FFD700 (pure gold), which is brighter and cooler than Champagne Gold. The AI Assistant surface predates these guidelines and is scheduled for reconciliation — do not copy #FFD700 into new work. | Ivory | Primary text on dark | #F5F5F2 | 60 12% 96% | | Smoke | Secondary text | #9BA1A9 | 216 6% 63% | | Pure White | Inverse text | #FFFFFF | 0 0% 100% |

#Supporting palette (use sparingly)

#Usage rules

• 70 / 25 / 5 — obsidian surface / ivory typography / gold accent. Gold should feel earned, never decorative wallpaper.
• Never put gold on pure white. Gold on ivory or gold on obsidian only.
• Text on gold must be obsidian (#0A0B0E), not pure black — pure black reads harsh against warm gold.
• Never use more than one accent hue per surface. No red + gold, no magenta + gold.
• The old neon palette (#9B5DE5, #FF2E93) is deprecated. Do not reintroduce.

#Light mode

The product is predominantly dark. When a light surface is required (printed collateral, partner decks):

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#3. Typography

#Typefaces

Rationale: the serif carries the curation narrative (editorial, hospitality-adjacent). The sans carries the reliability narrative (transportation, schedules, receipts). Two voices, one brand.

#Scale

#Rules

• One display cut per view. Never stack two serif headlines.
• Eyebrows are always uppercase with generous tracking. This is the brand's signature typographic tell.
• Body copy is sentence case — not title case, not all caps. Title case feels corporate; we're editorial.
• Line length: 60–72 characters for body. Never exceed 80.
• Numerals in prices, times, reservation codes — always tabular / lining figures (Geist Mono is the safe choice).

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#4. Voice and Tone

#Voice: The Maître d'

A well-traveled host who knows the room, knows the guest, and never raises their voice. Assured, warm, precise. Never performative, never salesy, never desperate for the sale.

We are. Composed · Curated · Attentive · Discreet · Knowing We are not. Hype-y · Flashy · Exclusive-for-exclusivity's-sake · Robotic · Apologetic

#Tone spectrum by surface

#Writing rules

• Lead with the guest, not the brand. "Your table is ready" beats "5CRSE has reserved a table."
• Use active voice and present tense. Arrives, not will be arriving.
• Cut the first sentence. Most drafts bury the lead. Start at sentence two.
• Say the thing. If a venue has a dress code, say "jacket required," not "elevated attire recommended."
• Prices and times are facts. State them plainly: "$340 · 9:00pm · Friday." No "starting from," no "as low as."
• No emoji in product surfaces. Emoji belong to social only, and sparingly.

#Words we use

arrival · curation · evening · host · reservation · chauffeur · private · arranged · available · discreet · awaits

#Words we avoid

epic · unforgettable · once-in-a-lifetime · exclusive (unless literally true) · best-in-class · elevated · game-changing · lit · vibes · FOMO · hurry · limited time · don't miss out

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#5. Messaging Framework

#Core narrative

5CRSE plans the evening and drives you through it. One reservation covers the event, the car, and the moments between. No apps stitched together, no phone-call tag, no improvisation at the curb.

#Three pillars

I. Curation, not aggregation. We don't list everything. We list what we'd attend. Every event on 5CRSE is vetted by a curator who has been to the room, tasted the menu, or walked the floor.

II. Arrival is part of the experience. A private evening begins when the car arrives, not when the host does. Our transportation is booked, routed, and timed as part of the reservation — not as an afterthought.

III. The host you don't see. A concierge layer, human and AI, works in the background: the table held, the coat checked, the driver waiting, the next round already handled.

#Elevator lines by length

• 4 words. The night, arranged.
• 1 sentence. 5CRSE is the reservation layer for curated evenings — events, transportation, and the details between.
• 30 seconds. 5CRSE is a members-grade platform for luxury events and private transportation. You book the evening on one surface: the gallery opening, the chef's table, the chauffeured Sprinter that gets you there, and the car that takes you home. Every event is curator-vetted. Every arrival is timed. A concierge — human and AI — holds the rest.

#Do / Don't (headline examples)

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#6. UI & Motion Principles

• Surfaces breathe. Generous negative space. Never edge-to-edge text.
• Corners are soft. 2xl radius on cards (16–20px). No hard 90° corners on primary UI.
• Shadows are warm. Use gold-tinted glows for VIP/premium moments (pulse-gold animation). Cold blue shadows feel corporate.
• Motion is slow and honored. Default easing cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1) (smooth), durations 400–600ms for reveals. Nothing bounces.
• Photography is cinematic. Low-key lighting, warm highlights, long lenses, crowds implied not depicted. No stock smiles at the camera.
• Gold is a moment, not a layer. Use it for the reservation confirmation, the VIP badge, the CTA — not for every border.

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#7. Consistency Checklist

Before any asset ships:

• Dark-first? Obsidian or onyx surface, not gray?
• Gold used once, with intent?
• Display type used once per view?
• Eyebrow text uppercase with tracking?
• Body copy sentence case, active voice, present tense?
• Times and prices stated plainly — no "starting from"?
• Zero banned words (epic, unforgettable, elevated, etc.)?
• First sentence cut — does the headline earn the space?
• Photography low-key and cinematic — no stock smiles?
• Motion ≥400ms, smooth easing, no bounce?
• Mobile: line length ≤72 chars, CTAs ≥44px tall?

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#8. Governance

• Source of truth. This file for design intent; tailwind.config.mjs + globals.css for runtime tokens. A generated assets/design-tokens.json export is a planned follow-up.
• Changes. Propose via PR. Tag #brand reviewers. Any color, type, or voice change requires a synced token update.
• Deprecated. The neon-nightlife palette and copy voice from docs/Brand.md (v0, 2023) is retired. That file is kept for historical reference only.

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5CRSE — the night is already arranged.