Brand Guidelines¶

How to represent web-researcher-mcp visually and verbally. Follow these guidelines when contributing to docs, creating assets, or writing about the project.

This covers voice, logo, color tokens, and typography. For the visual system governing marketing/info graphics (assets/ph-gallery-*.svg, layout patterns, component rules), see Design Guidelines.

Voice & Messaging¶

Tagline¶

Your AI research assistant. It searches, reads what you can open, and checks its sources.

Short description¶

Search the web and primary sources, read pages behind your logins, verify citations. Runs locally.

Max 100 characters (MCP registry limit). TestMessagingSurfacesConsistent checks that server.json, glama.json, .claude-plugin/plugin.json and mcpb/manifest.json start with this exact line. Change it here first, then sync those files.

Supporting message¶

Search the web or narrow it to sites you trust. Reach primary sources: SEC filings, court records, patents, clinical trials, full-text papers, and community threads. Read the whole page, not a snippet, including pages behind your own login, such as LinkedIn or X (opt-in, encrypted). Check every citation before you rely on it: does it exist, was it retracted, does the link work, does the page say what is claimed. Keep your research across chats, watch topics for new results, and share findings with a team. Runs on your machine. No API key needed to start.

Five positioning pillars¶

Trust is one pillar of five. Do not lead every surface with citations alone.

Search everywhere you would look — Web search with lenses for sites you trust, plus filings, courts, patents, trials, economic data, full-text papers and community threads. Works with no API key.
Works as you — Optional saved logins (site_login, opt-in, encrypted, per user) let the AI read pages you can already open: LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and more. You sign in yourself, 2FA included. The password is never saved, and site_logout removes the login.
Verified, not asserted — verify_citation, audit_bibliography and verify_recommendation check existence, retraction, dead links and mischaracterization. They return evidence, not a verdict. Accuracy is measured on a labeled gold set (docs/TRUST_EVAL.md).
Keeps and watches — sequential_search keeps a session, research_panel compares models, research_export writes citations in 5 formats, monitors flag new results, and opt-in memory and team workspaces carry findings forward.
Yours to run — Local binary or your own server. Free, open source (MIT). No account. Nothing is stored unless you turn it on.

Claims we can back¶

Say	Don't say
"Checks every citation"	"Never fabricates", "100% accurate"
"Evidence, not a verdict"	"Proves a source is real"
"Runs on your machine. Your queries go only to the search providers you pick."	"Nobody ever sees your searches"
"Reads pages behind your own login, opt-in, encrypted"	"Bypasses paywalls", "gets around bot protection", "scrapes LinkedIn at scale"
"Some sites, such as LinkedIn, forbid automated access in their terms. Use it where yours allow." (state this in the section that explains saved logins)	Naming a site without that note
A stat with its source and date	A stat without a link
"Works with any MCP client"	A client name we have not tested

Tone rules¶

Write for a grad student or journalist first, developers second
Lead with the problem users feel, not the solution's architecture
Use first-person pain language: "If I cite a case that doesn't exist, I get fined $50,000"
Explain features by what they mean for the user, not how they work
Protocol names (MCP, STDIO, OAuth) belong in setup sections, never in above-the-fold messaging
Wrap developer-only content in <details> tags in public-facing docs
No buzzwords: avoid "multi-provider fallback", "circuit breakers", "STDIO transport" in user-facing copy

Logo & Mark¶

The logo is an abstract geometric mark — a faceted prism/lens shape in indigo and cyan. It evokes precision, synthesis, and intelligence without resorting to literal depictions of search or web.

Design principles¶

Principle	Requirement
Simple	Describable in one sentence, sketchable from memory
Memorable	Distinctive shape recognizable after 3 seconds
Timeless	No trendy effects (glassmorphism, 3D, complex gradients)
Versatile	Works at 16px favicon AND 1200px, in one color, on dark AND light
Appropriate	Matches the audience without being a tech cliche

What to avoid in visual identity¶

Don't	Why
Magnifying glasses, globes, or "search" imagery	Cliche, indistinguishable from every other tool
Neural networks, brains, or AI cliches	Doesn't differentiate us
More than 2 colors in the mark	Scaling issues, visual noise
Fine lines or small internal details	Disappear at favicon sizes
Trendy effects (glassmorphism, 3D)	Date quickly

Color System¶

Role	Color	Hex	Usage
Primary	Deep Indigo	`#4F46E5`	Main brand color, logo primary
Accent	Cyan/Teal	`#06B6D4`	Secondary brand color, highlights
Dark surface	Slate 900	`#0F172A`	Dark backgrounds (primary context)
Light surface	White	`#FFFFFF`	Light backgrounds
Text on dark	Pure White	`#FFFFFF`	Mark/text on dark backgrounds
Text on light	Slate 900	`#0F172A`	Mark/text on light backgrounds

Rules¶

The mark uses at most 2 colors (primary + accent, or single color)
The logo mark's primary form is the dark rounded-square tile (#0F172A background) — this is the icon's identity, distinct from the canvas rule for marketing graphics below
Marketing and info graphics (ph-gallery-*, social-preview) use a light canvas as the default — see Design Guidelines for the full rule and its rationale
The flat single-color version is the canonical form; gradients are decorative only
The logo must be fully recognizable in monochrome

Typography¶

Use	Font	Fallback	Weight
Wordmark	Geist Sans or Inter	system sans-serif	Bold (700) or Semi-Bold (600)
Code/technical	Geist Mono or JetBrains Mono	monospace	Regular (400)

Wordmark rules¶

All lowercase: web-researcher
The hyphen is part of the name — never remove it
When space is limited, the icon alone is sufficient

Asset Inventory¶

All assets live in /assets/. Current deliverables:

Logo variants¶

File	Use
`logo-final.svg`	Full color, vector source
`logo-final-dark.svg`	Full color on dark background (primary)
`logo-final-light.svg`	Adjusted for light backgrounds
`logo-final-transparent.svg`	Mark only, no background
`logo-final-mono-white.svg`	White mark (for dark backgrounds)
`logo-final-mono-dark.svg`	Dark mark (for light backgrounds)

Sized PNGs¶

File	Size	Use
`logo-final-512.png`	512x512	Standard icon
`logo-final-dark-512.png`	512x512	Dark-variant full icon
`logo-final-light-512.png`	512x512	Light-variant full icon
`logo-final-mono-dark-512.png`	512x512	Mono dark icon
`logo-final-mono-white-512.png`	512x512	Mono white icon
`logo-final-transparent-512.png`	512x512	Transparent-background icon
`logo-400x400.png`	400x400	Legacy / fallback icon
`logo-final-240.png`	240x240	Product Hunt, app stores
`logo-final-128.png`	128x128	Medium contexts
`logo-final-64.png`	64x64	Small icon
`logo-final-32.png`	32x32	Favicon
`logo-final-16.png`	16x16	Micro favicon
`favicon.ico`	Multi-size	Browser favicon

Lockups & wordmarks¶

File	Use
`wordmark.svg`	Text-only horizontal (dark)
`wordmark-light.svg`	Text-only horizontal (white)
`lockup.svg` / `lockup.png`	Icon + wordmark combined

File	Size	Use
`social-preview.svg` / `.png`	1280x640	GitHub / OpenGraph shares
`ph-thumbnail.svg` / `.png` / `.gif`	240x240	Product Hunt feed
`ph-gallery-*.svg` / `.png`	1270x760	Product Hunt gallery (6 images)

Platform Requirements¶

GitHub¶

Social preview: 1280x640px — logo + tagline on dark background
Repo avatar: Use logo-final-512.png
Favicon (via docs site): 32x32 / 16x16

Product Hunt¶

Thumbnail: 240x240px — animated GIF catches eyes in the feed; keep animation subtle
Gallery: 1270x760px, 3-8 images — show the tool in action, not marketing fluff

General rule¶

When placing the logo in a new context, use the largest variant that fits and verify it's legible. At small sizes (<64px), use the icon alone without text.