# TraderWaves Brand Brief · Edition 03 September 2026 · Draft for owner review · Live guide: https://traderwaves.com/brand This brief is the written source of truth for how TraderWaves looks, sounds and behaves on marketing surfaces: the website, landing pages, launch material, partner pages and social templates. It is written for our team and for AI design and coding tools. When you ask an AI tool to design or build anything for TraderWaves, give it this document (or the short prompt in section 15) plus real product captures. If this brief and a page disagree, this brief wins. If this brief and the product disagree about how the product works, the product and the knowledge base win, and this brief should be corrected. --- ## 1. Who we are TraderWaves brings professional trading apps and community together in one accessible platform. Choose the apps that fit how you follow markets, develop ideas and manage your trading. Start with a useful free workspace, with Pro available when you need more. - **Primary audience:** independent traders across markets. Include active investors where the tools genuinely support their needs; this does not imply a complete investing service. “Retail traders” remains useful in internal and business language. - **Business audience:** communities, educators, brokers, prop firms and partners bringing tools and community to their audience. - **Service boundary:** software for market exploration, analysis, planning, review and participation. We are not a broker, investment adviser, signal provider or money manager. Never promise profit or certainty. - **Product model:** a modular home of apps with familiar navigation and consistent quality. People can arrive for Charts, Journal, Analytics or another app. Account connection and reviewing past trades are not prerequisites for the brand story. Check the live catalogue for names, availability and entitlements. ## 2. Brand platform Positioning direction approved by Henry Wallace on 26 September 2026. Visual standards remain Edition 03; this revision broadens the platform positioning and voice. | | | |---|---| | **Purpose** | Make high-quality trading tools and participation in trading communities more accessible. | | **Brand idea** | Professional tools, personal choice and connection. | | **Promise** | **Your home for trading.** The leading homepage and platform line. | | **Proposition** | Professional trading apps and community, together in one accessible platform. | | **Proof** | Demonstrate useful tools, a coherent modular workspace and actual community participation. Show what works today. | **Positioning:** TraderWaves brings professional trading tools and community together in one accessible platform for independent traders and active investors. Choose the apps that fit how you follow markets, develop ideas and manage your trading. Start with a useful free workspace, with Pro available when you need more. ### The principles behind the promise 1. **Professional tools:** quality, dependable interactions and useful depth. Demonstrate those qualities; do not imply institutional equivalence or trading success. 2. **Personal choice:** a workspace people shape around the apps they need. Shared navigation and design connect the experience; claim shared data and workflows only where implemented. 3. **Connection:** bring people together around markets, ideas and shared activities. Community is central to the direction. Describe current capabilities accurately and mark unreleased ones Coming soon. 4. **Meaningful access:** Free provides real utility. Pro adds capabilities and capacity. Payment does not define experience, ambition or seriousness. Accessibility also means understandable tools, clear pricing and a welcoming experience. ### A platform with several entry points Charts helps people explore markets; Journal and Analytics help them record and review their activity; Backtesting supports testing ideas; Community supports participation and exchange. Each needs its own story and evidence. Avoid forcing every product into an account-sync or performance-review narrative. The review loop remains useful **for Journal and Analytics**: Connect, Review, Add context, Find patterns, Test and apply. “Evidence over emotion” can inform those products, but it is no longer the master brand idea. “Find the edge in your trades” is retired as the homepage proposition. Keep the free trade journal and analytics visible and substantial on acquisition pages, with descriptive links to the relevant feature pages. Broadening the brand does not authorise removing useful search content or changing URLs, canonicals or metadata. The acquisition route and the company identity have different jobs. Competitors are context, not positioning constraints. Learn from clear charting, accessible experiences and strong communities without defining TraderWaves in opposition to market tools. Our identity comes from our tools, wave, modular workspace and the people using them. ## 3. Voice and tone We understand the tools and welcome the person using them. Be direct about what is possible, curious about ideas and honest about limitations. The voice stays consistent; tone fits the task. We can be lively in community and calm when something goes wrong. | Trait | Meaning | Example | |---|---|---| | **Knowledgeable** | Understand the task, explain it clearly and show capability through specifics. | “Compare markets side by side in your chart layout.” | | **Welcoming** | Make people feel they belong without assumptions about experience, account size or trading style. | “Choose your tools. Make the workspace yours.” | | **Direct** | Say what a tool does, what is included and what happens next. | “Start free. Add more with Pro.” | | **Curious** | Encourage exploring markets, testing ideas and exchanging perspectives. | “How would that idea hold up in a different market?” | ### Tone map | Moment | Tone | Example | |---|---|---| | Homepage | Confident, welcoming | “Your home for trading.” | | Charts | Practical, exploratory | “A closer look at the markets you follow.” | | Journal | Personal, specific | “Keep the thinking behind every trade.” | | Onboarding | Warm, one next step | “Choose an app to get started. You can add more later.” | | Errors | Calm, accountable | “We couldn’t reach your broker. Try again or open the connection guide.” | | Free and Pro | Exact, no pressure | “Start free. Add more with Pro.” Follow with the actual extra capabilities and price. | | Community | Open, conversational | “What are you watching ahead of the London open?” | | Business | Measured, scoped | “Bring trading tools and community together for your audience.” | Examples illustrate voice, not claims of availability. Do not claim data is safe, a retry is scheduled or a feature works unless confirmed by the product state. ### Writing rules - Use sentence case, British English and direct “you” language. Use “we” when taking responsibility. - Keep one idea per sentence. Most headlines should be short, but a useful explanation matters more than a word count. - Name the task and benefit. Explain specialist terms when needed; do not assume everyone is new or experienced. - Use numerals, units and signs for data. Preserve the product’s precise terminology. - Label Free, Pro, New, Live and Coming soon honestly. Verify current packaging before listing entitlements. - Write TraderWaves, Wave AI, WaveScore, Free and Pro. Use live catalogue app names. - Keep actions clear: Start free, Explore Charts, Connect an account, Talk to sales. - Reach for choose, explore, build, follow, markets, tools, workspace, connect, share, discuss, learn and test. Use review, evidence and patterns when the specific product calls for them. - Avoid unlock, supercharge, elevate, seamless, revolutionary, game-changing, guaranteed and financial-freedom claims. “AI-powered” alone is not a benefit. - Avoid formulaic “Your X. Our Y.” constructions and repetitive slogans. These are guardrails against empty copy, not a ban on personality, humour or memorable language. - Do not sound like a coach correcting every trader’s habits. Professional describes our tools; Free users are not less serious than Pro users. ### Useful copy directions - Platform: “Your home for trading.” - Modularity: “Choose your tools. Make the workspace yours.” - Charts: “A closer look at the markets you follow.” - Journal: “Keep the thinking behind every trade.” - Community: “Find people who share your approach to the markets.” Use only where the available experience supports this. - Business: “Bring trading tools and community together for your audience.” Follow with the exact offer and scope. ## 4. Brand architecture: traders and business TraderWaves is one master brand. TraderWaves for Business is a descriptor, not a separate brand. Traders and businesses meet the same logo, typeface, blues, radii and product standards. What changes is the **register**. | | TraderWaves (traders) | TraderWaves for Business | |---|---|---| | Their question | "Does this fit how I follow markets and trade?" | "Will this help my business serve and keep traders?" | | Default theme | Dark, choice remembered | Light, choice remembered | | Dark surface | Midnight #050711 (the app canvas) | Deep Navy #0B163F emphasis panels | | Voice | Trader to trader: warm, concise, a little wit | Partner to partner: measured, specific about scope | | Section labels | App tiles (Journal, Charts, Wave AI) | Numbered editorial labels ("01 / Engagement") | | Hero visual | The real product in the focus frame | Product in context, a flow diagram or partner proof | | Primary action | Start free | Talk to sales · Book a demo | | Proof | Named trader reviews, product depth, broker coverage | Case studies, integration scope, availability, support model | | Density | Fewer words, bigger product moments | More detail, specifications and FAQs | **Should Business look different? Slightly, and on purpose.** One identity means every partner benefits from the consumer brand, and every trader recognises the product a partner gives them. Differentiate with register only. Never change the logo, typeface, blues, radii or imagery rules between the two. **Naming.** Apps use plain catalogue names. The "Wave" prefix is reserved for TraderWaves-built intelligence and technology (Wave AI, WaveScore). Plans are Free and Pro, never "Premium" or "Plus". New sub-brands or "Wave" names need owner approval. A possible quant-focused line (discussed August 2026) would be decided separately, most likely as an endorsed "… by TraderWaves" brand. **Co-branding.** Use a partner logo, or "Powered by TraderWaves", only where it describes an agreed offering. Place logos side by side with a 1 px divider and half-wave clear space. A partner colour may identify the partner's area; controls, trading colours and accessibility stay TraderWaves. White-label follows the contract; it is not a public offer. ## 5. Logo - **Files:** `/brand/logos/traderwaves-logo-horizontal-dark-text.png` (light backgrounds), `/brand/logos/traderwaves-logo-horizontal-light-text.png` (dark backgrounds), `/brand/logos/traderwaves-symbol-wave.svg` and `.png` (the wave alone), plus the logo kit ZIP. - **Meaning:** four layered curves, the movement of a market and the bell curve of a distribution. Analytics meets motion. - **Use the full logo** to introduce TraderWaves. Use the wave alone only where the name is already clear: app icons, favicons, avatars, the Wave AI launcher, small signatures. - **Clear space:** half the wave's height on every side. - **Minimum size:** horizontal logo 112 px wide (96 px absolute minimum); wave 20 px. - **Placement:** top-left in navigation and in the footer. Once per view. - **Descriptor lockup:** logo, 1 px divider, then "for Business" in Onest Medium in secondary text colour. Never merged into the artwork or recoloured blue. - **Never:** stretch, recolour, add glows or shadows, place on busy imagery, rotate, outline, box or put it in a pill, rebuild the wordmark in Onest, repeat the wave as a pattern, or centre it above a headline as ornament. The W-shaped Wave AI mark belongs to that app and is not an alternative logo. ## 6. Colour Our palette is deliberately small. Neutrals do most of the work, blue marks what matters, and red is kept for losses. If a page feels colourful, something is wrong. ### Core palette | Name | HEX | Role | |---|---|---| | Wave Blue | #1783FF | Signature: focus frame, the Contour, key icons, large display moments | | Midnight | #050711 | Dark canvas, matching the app | | Deep Navy | #0B163F | Headlines on light; the Business dark register | | Ice | #F2F6FF | Cool surfaces on light pages | | White | #FFFFFF | Light canvas | ### One blue family, three jobs | Name | HEX | Job | |---|---|---| | Signal Blue | #1B92FF | Accent on dark: links, icons, gains, focus ring (6.3:1 on Midnight) | | Action Blue | #1570E0 | Primary button fill in both themes, white label (4.7:1) | | Link Blue | #1366C4 | Accent on light: links, icons, gains, focus ring (5.6:1 on white); primary hover | White on Wave Blue is only 3.7:1, so Wave Blue never carries small white text. ### Colour with meaning | Meaning | Light | Dark | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | Gain | #1366C4 | #1B92FF | **Gains are blue**, as in the app. Recognisably ours; avoids the green-casino look | | Loss | #B91C1C | #F87171 | Negative P&L, drawdown, destructive actions | | Warning | #B45309 | #FFCC00 | Sync issues, limits, risk notices. Never decorative | | Up candle | #26A69A | #26A69A | Chart candles and legends only | Always pair colour with a sign or label. ### Proportion - **Dark:** Midnight about 60%, surfaces 20%, text 11%, blue about 6%, loss 1% or less. - **Light:** White about 55%, Ice 22%, navy text 15%, blue about 6%, loss 1% or less. ### Gradient The ice-to-electric gradient (#85D9FF → #0373FF) lives inside the wave artwork. Outside the logo it appears only as the Contour stroke. Never use it for backgrounds, buttons, text or cards. **Avoid:** gradient backgrounds, blobs, mesh or aurora effects, glassmorphism, purple, neon green, extra accent colours, coral or red as decoration (legacy coral #F04444 is retired), recolouring chart data for a campaign. ## 7. Typography Onest is the only typeface, on the website and in the app. Hierarchy comes from size, space and weight. | Style | Desktop / mobile (px) | Weight | Line height | Tracking | Use | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Display | 72 / 44 | 600 | 1.02 | −0.045em | One per page, the hero proposition | | Heading 1 | 52 / 36 | 600 | 1.06 | −0.04em | Section openers | | Heading 2 | 36 / 28 | 600 | 1.12 | −0.03em | Chapter titles, app chapters | | Heading 3 | 24 / 21 | 600 | 1.25 | −0.02em | Cards, feature points, FAQ questions | | Lead | 20 / 18 | 400 | 1.55 | −0.01em | The sentence under a headline | | Body | 16 / 16 | 400 | 1.65 | 0 | Paragraphs; never below 15 px | | Small | 14 / 14 | 400 | 1.55 | 0 | Captions, footnotes, table cells | | Label | 12 / 12 | 600 | 1.3 | 0.08em, uppercase | Micro-labels and chips only | | Data | any | 500 | 1.1 | −0.02em | Numbers, always tabular figures | - Headline weight is 600. 700 is allowed for a short hero line of five words or fewer. Don't use 800+ on new work. - One colour per headline. A single accent word is allowed once per page, when that word carries the meaning. Two-tone headlines are an exception, not a habit. - Body line length 55–75 characters. Break headlines by meaning. - Always `font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums` for numbers. Explicit + and − signs. ## 8. Signatures These make a page recognisably TraderWaves before anyone reads the logo. Each comes from the product, has a job and has a limit. 1. **The focus frame.** In the app, a blue ring marks the active item. On our pages, a 2 px signature-blue border (1.5 px on mobile) with a 24 px radius marks the one product view that matters most. Real UI, flush to the frame. **Limit: one per viewport.** Never on text cards, sections, logos or avatars. Supporting captures use a 1 px neutral border and 16 px radius. 2. **The Contour.** The four curves of our wave redrawn as thin 1–1.5 px lines, with echoes at 78%, 56% and 34% height, rising from a baseline with fine ticks. It reads as a distribution, a price wave and the logo at once. Large and cropped. Optional one-time draw of 900 ms. **Limit: once per page** (hero or closing band). Never behind body text, filled solid, looping or recoloured. 3. **App tiles.** Each app has one tile: a rounded square (radius 10–11 px) with a 1.75 px line icon in the accent colour, and the app's plain name. On trader pages, the tile labels a section instead of a numbered eyebrow, so the page reads like the product. **Limit: only for real apps**, with live names and availability. 4. **Status and data chips.** Chips state a fact: Free, Pro, New, Live, Coming soon. Data labels add trader texture: "EURUSD · H1", "DJ30 · D", "London · 09:02". **Limit: only when true.** Never decorative urgency or stacked badges. ## 9. Light and dark Both themes are first-class and designed on purpose from the same tokens. Never generate one theme by inverting the other. ### Tokens ```css :root, [data-theme="light"] { --tw-canvas: #FFFFFF; --tw-canvas-alt: #F7F9FF; --tw-surface: #F2F6FF; --tw-surface-raised: #FFFFFF; --tw-border: #DCE3EF; --tw-border-strong: #C3CEE0; --tw-text-strong: #0B163F; --tw-text: #0B1220; --tw-text-secondary: #3D4A63; --tw-text-muted: #5B6882; --tw-accent: #1366C4; --tw-action: #1570E0; --tw-action-hover: #1366C4; --tw-signature: #1783FF; --tw-on-signature: #0B163F; --tw-loss: #B91C1C; --tw-warning: #B45309; --tw-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgb(11 22 63 / 4%), 0 12px 32px rgb(11 22 63 / 6%); color-scheme: light; } [data-theme="dark"] { --tw-canvas: #050711; --tw-canvas-alt: #080B17; --tw-surface: #0B1020; --tw-surface-raised: #111827; --tw-border: #1D2331; --tw-border-strong: #293249; --tw-text-strong: #F2F5FC; --tw-text: #D7DCEC; --tw-text-secondary: #A7BEE6; --tw-text-muted: #8492C4; --tw-accent: #1B92FF; --tw-action: #1570E0; --tw-action-hover: #1366C4; --tw-signature: #1B92FF; --tw-on-signature: #050711; --tw-loss: #F87171; --tw-warning: #FFCC00; --tw-shadow: none; color-scheme: dark; } ``` Machine-readable tokens: `/brand/traderwaves-colours.json`. ### Defaults (proposals to validate with analytics) | Surface | Default | Switch | Persistence | |---|---|---|---| | Homepage and trader pages | Dark | Header toggle | Remember the visitor's choice | | TraderWaves for Business | Light | Header toggle | Remember the visitor's choice | | Brand guidelines | Dark | Header toggle | Remember the visitor's choice | | The app | User setting | Settings | Stored against the account | ### Implementation rules 1. **No flash.** Set `data-theme` on `` before first paint with a small inline script that reads the saved choice and falls back to the page default: ```html ``` 2. **Tokens only.** Components reference `--tw-*` variables. A raw HEX in a component is a bug. 3. **A visible switch.** A two-option Light / Dark pill in the header, with an icon and a text label, keyboard operable, `aria-pressed` on the active option. 4. **Swap artwork, don't filter it.** Dark lettering on light, white lettering on dark. Never `filter: invert()` a logo or a screenshot. 5. **Capture both themes.** Export product captures in light and dark. If only a dark capture exists, use it in both themes inside the focus frame. 6. **Re-check data colours.** Gains, losses and chart legends switch to their theme values; their meaning never changes. 7. **Review twice.** Every page is checked in both themes, on desktop and mobile. ### Elevation - **Light:** 1 px border plus the soft two-layer navy shadow. - **Dark:** a surface step plus a 1 px border. No drop shadows. Cards may carry the app's corner light: `radial-gradient(circle at 12% 0%, rgb(27 146 255 / 9%), transparent 46%)` over the surface. - **Glow** is never default elevation. At most one active element may glow. ## 10. Layout Dense product, calm page. A strict grid and generous space let the product be the busiest thing on screen. - 12 columns, 1200 px content width (1320 px for wide product moments), 24 px gutter (16 px mobile), outer margins 24–80 px. - Spacing scale (px): 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 96, 128. Sections are 128 px apart on desktop, 80 px on mobile. - Radius: 6 chip, 10 control (buttons, inputs), 16 card, 24 stage. Full pills only for the theme and audience switches. **No pill buttons.** - Left-align text by default. Centre only short hero or closing lines. - One full-bleed band per page, usually the closing Contour band. ### Proposed homepage recipe (B2C, dark-first) 1. **Header:** logo, For traders / For business switch, Features, Pricing, Resources, theme toggle, Log in, Start free. An announcement bar only for a real launch. 2. **Hero:** the platform promise in Display ("Your home for trading."), one concrete sentence explaining the tools and community offer, Start free plus one secondary action, a quiet trust line (e.g. "Free forever plan · No card needed" if true), the focal capture in the focus frame, the Contour rising behind it. 3. **Proof strip:** dated, sourced numbers and permitted broker and platform logos. No floating badges. 4. **Choose your apps:** a clear app index showing distinct reasons to use the available tools. Label Free, Pro and Coming soon accurately. 5. **App and community chapters:** show market exploration, a tool workflow and community participation where available. Keep a substantial free journal and analytics chapter with descriptive feature-page links. Give each app its own story; vary the composition. 6. **Trader stories:** named reviews with markets traded and time on TraderWaves, plus the rating source. 7. **Free and Pro:** show the useful free workspace, the specific capabilities and capacity Pro adds, and the price. Never equate upgrading with skill or seriousness. 8. **FAQ and closing band:** risk, data, brokers and billing answered plainly; then the Contour, one line and one action. 9. **Footer:** navigation, legal, risk disclaimer, brand link. ### Proposed Business recipe (light-first) 1. **Hero:** the business outcome, one line of scope, Talk to sales and Explore products; product in context or a member-journey diagram. 2. **Products by job:** Engagement, Technology, Partnerships, with numbered labels and honest availability. 3. **How it works:** partner → member → workspace flow, integration scope, support model. 4. **Proof:** case studies, logos with permission, sourced numbers. 5. **Deep Navy close:** a navy panel with the contact action; the only dark band on a light page. ### Template tells to avoid - Three or more sections in a row with the same layout. - Eyebrow + headline + paragraph + three cards, repeated down the page. - Rows of identical icon-and-paragraph cards. - Everything centred; a badge above every headline. - Tilted 3D screenshot carousels; floating stat badges; gradient blue panels behind every feature. ## 11. Components - **Header:** order is logo, audience switch, navigation, theme toggle, Log in, one primary action. 72 px tall, canvas at ~85% opacity with a light blur and a 1 px bottom border. On mobile the audience switch and navigation move into the menu. - **Buttons:** Primary = Action Blue fill, white 600 label, 10 px radius, 48 px (40 / 56 alternates), hover Link Blue. Secondary = raised surface, 1 px strong border, strong text. Text link = accent colour, 600; → continues, ↗ opens elsewhere. One primary per view. - **Audience switch:** the For traders / For business pill, kept from the current site. - **Theme switch:** the Light / Dark pill, icon plus label. - **Tabs:** 2 px accent underline on the active tab, capture cross-fades in 200 ms while the frame stays still, arrow-key navigation. - **Cards:** 16 px radius, 24–32 px padding, 1 px border; corner light in dark, soft shadow in light. - **App tiles:** see signatures. - **Stats:** Data style, tabular figures, with a source and date line. - **Trader stories:** real, named where permitted, with markets traded, tenure and rating source. - **FAQ:** questions in the trader's words; answers start with yes or no when they can. - **Focus ring:** 2 px accent outline, 2 px offset, on every interactive element. ## 12. Imagery The product is the photograph. Real interfaces, real workflows, honest data. If an image could belong to any trading brand, it is the wrong image. - **Capture types:** Stage (whole workspace at 16:10, usually in the focus frame), Detail (one widget at 150–200%), Sequence (two or three states of one workflow). - **Rules:** current release only; demo or consented accounts with numbers, names and broker IDs replaced; show losses too, no perfect equity curves or invented P&L; crop to the task the copy describes; export at 2×, one theme per section, same browser zoom. - **People:** real community members with consent, natural and focused. Business pages may show partners and events. - **Icons:** line icons, 1.75 px stroke, 20–24 px, accent colour inside app tiles. Lucide on the website (already installed in `traderwaves-landing`); the app uses Tabler at the same stroke, so the two read alike. One icon library per page, never filled or duotone icons. - **Illustration:** none, other than the Contour. - **Never:** AI-generated people, stock traders, bulls and bears, rockets, cash, candles on fire, perspective tilts, 3D carousels, blurred screenshot backdrops, floating stat badges. ## 13. Motion Motion explains; it never performs. | Token | Duration | Use | |---|---|---| | Instant | 120 ms | Hover, press, colour changes | | Quick | 200 ms | Toggles, chips, tab changes | | Considered | 320 ms | Panels, menus, accordions | | Reveal | 600–900 ms | One hero reveal or Contour draw, once | Easing: enter `cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.2, 1)`, change `cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)`. Honour `prefers-reduced-motion`. Never: autoplay carousels, looping ambient motion, count-up numbers, scroll-jacked parallax, bobbing badges, pulsing CTAs. At most one live element per view (a session clock or a live chart edge). ## 14. Accessibility and trust **Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA, both themes):** body text 4.5:1; large text, icons and control edges 3:1; visible focus ring; 44 × 44 px touch targets; gains and losses never shown by colour alone; alt text describes the task; everything works by keyboard; reduced-motion users get the same content. **Verified contrast pairs:** #0B163F on white 17.5:1 · #3D4A63 on white 8.9:1 · #5B6882 on Ice 5.2:1 · #1366C4 on white 5.6:1 · white on #1570E0 4.7:1 · white on #1783FF 3.7:1 (large text only) · #D7DCEC on Midnight 14.7:1 · #A7BEE6 on Midnight 10.7:1 · #8492C4 on #111827 5.8:1 · #1B92FF on Midnight 6.3:1 · #F87171 on Midnight 7.3:1 · white on #1B92FF 3.2:1 (large text only). **Trust:** - Every number has a source and a date, even in a footnote. Recheck counts before each campaign. - Reviews are real, named where permitted and attributed to their source. - No promises of profit, accuracy or income. No "signals". - The risk disclaimer appears in the footer and beside performance examples. - Free, Pro and Coming soon match current entitlements. - Broker and partner logos appear only with permission. - A visual refresh never changes URLs, canonicals or SEO content without review. **Claims to verify before the homepage rebuild** (currently on the site): "198 countries", the traders count, "16M+ trades tracked", "94k+ journals created", the "4.8" rating, and "700+ brokers and platforms" (the knowledge base flags this as conflicting with current connection reality). ## 15. Working with AI tools 1. Paste the short prompt below (also on the guide page, with a copy button), then this full brief if the tool accepts long context. 2. Attach real product captures in the theme you want. Never ask the tool to invent the UI. 3. State the surface (trader page or Business page), the theme default, the section recipe and the one message of the page. 4. Review the output against the checklist below before sharing it. ### Short prompt ```text You are designing or building for TraderWaves. Follow the TraderWaves Brand Guidelines, Edition 03 (traderwaves.com/brand). WHO WE ARE - TraderWaves brings professional trading apps and community together in one accessible platform. Independent traders are primary; include active investors where the tools support their needs. Market-agnostic. - Brand idea: professional tools, personal choice and connection. Leading promise: "Your home for trading." Explain it with concrete capabilities and current community availability. - Free is a useful workspace in its own right. Pro adds capabilities and capacity, not status or seriousness. Verify current packaging. - Charts, Journal, Analytics, Backtesting and Community have distinct reasons to join. The review loop belongs to Journal and Analytics, not every platform story. Preserve the free journal acquisition route and useful search content. - Show community through participation around markets, ideas and shared activities. Never present roadmap capabilities as live. - We are not a broker, adviser or signal service. Never promise profit, accuracy or certainty. VOICE - Knowledgeable, welcoming, direct and curious. Explain the task, welcome every experience level and leave room for personality. Sentence case. British English. - Name the task, the market and the benefit. Numerals with signs: +£618.15, −3.82%. - Never write: unlock, supercharge, elevate, seamless, revolutionary, game-changing, empower, next-level, unleash, guaranteed, "Your X. Our Y.", triplet slogans, "Imagine...". THEMES AND COLOUR (CSS variables, switched by [data-theme] on ) - Dark (default on trader pages): canvas #050711, alt band #080B17, surface #0B1020, raised #111827, border #1D2331, strong border #293249, headline #F2F5FC, text #D7DCEC, secondary #A7BEE6, muted #8492C4, accent #1B92FF. - Light (default on Business pages): canvas #FFFFFF, alt band #F7F9FF, surface #F2F6FF, raised #FFFFFF, border #DCE3EF, strong border #C3CEE0, headline #0B163F, text #0B1220, secondary #3D4A63, muted #5B6882, accent #1366C4. - Primary button: fill #1570E0, white 600 label, hover #1366C4, radius 10px, height 48px. - Signature blue for the focus frame and the Contour: #1783FF on light, #1B92FF on dark. - Gains are blue (the accent). Losses #B91C1C light / #F87171 dark. Warning #B45309 / #FFCC00. Teal #26A69A only for up-candles in charts. - No gradients except inside the logo and the Contour stroke (#85D9FF to #0373FF). No purple, neon green, blobs, glassmorphism or glow as decoration. TYPE - Onest only. Display 72/44px weight 600 (700 allowed for a hero of five words or fewer), H1 52/36, H2 36/28, H3 24/21, lead 20/18, body 16, small 14, label 12px uppercase 600 tracking 0.08em. - Display tracking about -0.04em. Tabular figures for every number. One colour per headline; one accent word per page at most. LAYOUT - 12-column grid, 1200px content (1320px wide moments), 24px gutter (16px mobile), 128px between sections (80px mobile). Radius: 6 chip, 10 control, 16 card, 24 stage. No pill buttons. - Left-align by default. Vary the composition. Never three similar sections in a row. No rows of identical icon-and-paragraph cards. - Light elevation: 1px border + soft navy shadow. Dark elevation: surface step + 1px border, optional top-left corner light (Signal Blue at 6-9%). No drop shadows in dark. SIGNATURES, WITH LIMITS 1. Focus frame: 2px signature-blue border, 24px radius, around the ONE focal real product capture per viewport. 2. The Contour: thin line art of the logo's four curves with shrinking echoes, large and cropped above a baseline. Once per page (hero or closing band). 3. App tiles: rounded square + line icon in the accent colour + the app's catalogue name. On trader pages they label sections instead of numbered eyebrows. 4. Chips: Free, Pro, New, Live, Coming soon, only when true. Data labels such as "EURUSD · H1" or "London · 09:02" add trader texture. IMAGERY - Real product captures from the current release, demo or anonymised data, losses included. Export at 2x in both themes. - Never: AI-generated people, stock photos, bulls and bears, rockets, cash, tilted or 3D screenshots, floating badges over captures. MOTION - 120ms hover, 200ms toggles, 320ms panels, one 600-900ms hero reveal. Enter easing cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.2, 1). - No autoplay carousels, count-up numbers, parallax text or looping motion. Honour prefers-reduced-motion. TRADERS VS BUSINESS - Trader pages: dark-first, Midnight surfaces, app-tile section labels, fewer words and bigger product moments, primary action "Start free". - Business pages: light-first, Deep Navy #0B163F emphasis panels, numbered editorial labels ("01 / Engagement"), more detail, primary action "Talk to sales". - Same logo, typeface, blues, radii and imagery rules in both. TRUST - WCAG 2.2 AA in both themes. Visible 2px focus ring. Every statistic needs a source and a date. Only real reviews. Include the risk disclaimer. Label Pro and Coming soon accurately. ``` ### "Vibe-coded" tells to reject in AI output - A centred headline + subtitle + two buttons + tilted screenshot, as every hero. - Gradient text, gradient blobs, aurora or mesh backgrounds, glass cards. - Identical icon cards in rows of three, repeated. - Invented metrics, invented testimonials, invented logos. - Emoji as icons; badges above every headline; "Trusted by thousands" without a source. - Generic stock imagery; bulls, bears, rockets and money. - Every section a different accent colour. ### Review checklist 1. Would someone recognise TraderWaves with the logo covered? 2. Does every major visual show a real task in the real product? 3. Is there one focus frame per viewport and one Contour per page? 4. Does the page work in light and dark, on desktop and mobile? 5. Do all text pairs pass contrast in both themes? 6. Are Free, Pro, New and Coming soon accurate today? 7. Does every number have a source and a date? 8. Is any phrase from the leave-out list on the page? 9. Are three similar sections sitting in a row? 10. Can every control be reached by keyboard, with a visible focus ring? 11. Does motion respect reduced-motion settings? 12. Is the risk disclaimer present, with no promise of profit? ## 16. What changed from Edition 02 - **Kept:** the wave and horizontal logos; Onest; the Midnight dark palette from the app; Wave Blue as the signature; the modular app model as the product story; "Your home for trading" as the promise. - **Changed:** primary buttons move to Action Blue so white labels pass AA; display weight drops from 800 to 600 (700 for short hero lines); two-tone headlines become an exception; the blue frame gets a job and a limit (one per viewport); brand panels stop repeating the logo as decoration; floating badges over screenshots are retired. - **New:** the platform idea of professional tools, personal choice and connection; gains are blue, codified from the app; light and dark marketing tokens; the Contour; two registers for traders and Business; voice traits, tone map, rewrites and this brief for AI. Platform positioning and voice approved by Henry Wallace on 26 September 2026. Theme defaults and the homepage recipe remain design proposals for the landing rebuild. Release status and packaging must still be verified against the product.