A few words and a couple of references turn into a starter palette, a type pairing, a voice and a sample page you can react to. Below are four we made for brands we invented. Switch between them, and try each one at phone size.
Four examples
Same tool, four different moods.
Saltnap Coffee roaster in a surf town
The prompt
“sun-faded, salty, slow mornings, a little scruffy”
The mood and the Risograph reference both point to ink printed a little off: translucent color, grain, and layers that do not quite line up. The kit is built on one idea: a sun-faded print where a coral sun sits slightly out of register above teal water.
The sample page
SaltnapBeansVisitOur storyShop beans
Small batch roasters
Coffee for slow mornings by the water.
We roast coffee in small batches in a shed two blocks from the beach. Come by after the early session and stay a while.
Shop beansSee what is roasting
Roasted small, a few miles from the break.
01
Roasted every week
Small batches, so what you buy is never more than a few days old.
02
Beans we trust
We buy from farms we know and pay a fair price for them.
03
A bench out front
Grab a cup, kick off your shoes and watch the tide come in.
Come in sandy. We will save you a seat.
The best part of the day is the first cup, before anything else starts.
Shop beans
SaltnapSaltnap Coffee. Roasted by the sea, a little rough around the edges.
Palette
Dry Sand Background · #F4EBDDPage background, a warm paper tone like unbleached stock.
Wet Sand Surface · #EADCC6Cards and panels, a step darker than the page.
Roast Ink Text · #2A2622Body text and headings, near black with a brown cast.
Driftwood Muted text · #6B5F54Captions, meta text and secondary lines.
Deep Swell Primary · #1F5F63Links, buttons and accent words, the teal ink layer.
Foam On primary · #F4EBDDText on teal buttons and bands.
Faded Coral Accent · #CC4B30The sun, large display type and graphic shapes only.
Text pairs, checked for WCAG AA
AaBody text on the page background12.71:1 AA
AaSecondary text (captions, meta) on the background5.24:1 AA
AaBody text on cards and panels11.12:1 AA
AaLinks, eyebrows and accent words on the background6.18:1 AA
AaButton labels and text on primary bands6.18:1 AA
AaLarge display text, icons and graphic shapes on the background3.85:1 AA
Checked in code, not by eye. AA asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and shapes.
Type
Fraunces
Karla: We roast coffee in small batches in a shed two blocks from the beach. Come by after the early session and stay a while.
Fraunces at heavy weight has soft, slightly wonky serifs that feel like a worn sign painted by hand. Karla is relaxed and a bit quirky, so body copy stays easy and unfussy. Together they read friendly and a little scruffy without losing legibility.
Voice
Easygoing and plain, like a barista who has been up since five and is in no rush.
Coffee for slow mornings by the water.
Roasted small, a few miles from the break.
Come in sandy. We will save you a seat.
Mark idea
A coral sun sits slightly off from its teal twin, like two ink passes that missed registration, above a pair of wave lines.
Brightwren Pediatric dental practice
The prompt
“precise and calm, clinical but warm, the opposite of scary”
How we read it
Precise and calm, clinical but warm: the look of a clean, quiet room where nothing is rushed. The kit is built on one idea: a steady teal that signals care, with one small warm coral spark so kids and parents see a person, not a procedure.
The sample page
BrightwrenCareOur teamContactBook a visit
Pediatric dentistry
Gentle dental care for growing smiles
We care for children from their first tooth through the teen years. Visits are unhurried, and we tell your child what we are doing before we do it.
Book a visitMeet our team
Every visit, no surprises
01
First visit friendly
We start with a tour and a quick look, so the chair feels familiar.
02
Clear explanations
You get plain answers about what we see and what comes next.
03
Calm, quiet rooms
Soft lighting and low noise help anxious kids settle in.
Bring them in. We will take it slow.
My daughter asked if she could go back. I did not expect that.
Book a visit
BrightwrenBrightwren Pediatric Dental. Care that moves at a child's pace.
Palette
Clean Porcelain Background · #F7FAF9Page background. A cool, almost-white tint that feels clean without glare.
Soft Rinse Surface · #E8F1EFCards, panels and form areas. Just off the background.
Deep Spruce Text · #16302FBody text and headings. Dark teal-black, softer than pure black.
Quiet Pine Muted text · #4A6462Captions, meta and secondary text.
Calm Teal Primary · #0B6B66Links, buttons, eyebrows and accent words. The steady, trustworthy color.
Fresh White On primary · #FFFFFFButton labels and text on teal bands.
Warm Coral Accent · #C95F3CShapes, icons and large display only. The friendly spark.
Text pairs, checked for WCAG AA
AaBody text on the page background13.35:1 AA
AaSecondary text (captions, meta) on the background6.08:1 AA
AaBody text on cards and panels12.19:1 AA
AaLinks, eyebrows and accent words on the background6.04:1 AA
AaButton labels and text on primary bands6.35:1 AA
AaLarge display text, icons and graphic shapes on the background3.86:1 AA
Checked in code, not by eye. AA asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and shapes.
Type
Fraunces
Figtree: We care for children from their first tooth through the teen years. Visits are unhurried, and we tell your child what we are doing before we do it.
Fraunces has soft, rounded curves that feel gentle and human without turning childish. Figtree is clean and open, easy for parents to read quickly on a phone. Together they read as careful and kind.
Voice
Plain, steady and kind, like a nurse who explains each step before it happens.
Gentle dental care for growing smiles
Every visit, no surprises
Bring them in. We will take it slow.
Mark idea
A rounded tooth in teal with a small coral dot, like a bird's eye or a spark of cheer. Simple enough to read as a favicon.
Hotstaple Small-batch hot sauce
The prompt
“loud, joyful, hand-made, 90s photocopied zine”
References: an image (zine-moodboard.png)
How we read it
The mood board is flat yellow, a hot pink slab, a black slab and one teal dot, all tilted like pasted paper with a casual italic caption. The kit is built on one idea: every page looks cut out, stapled down and run through a copier once too often.
The sample page
HotstapleSaucesZineContactShop bottles
Small-batch hot sauce
Hot sauce, cut and pasted.
We make hot sauce in tiny batches and fold every label by hand. Each bottle is loud, a little crooked and made to be used up.
Shop bottlesRead the zine
Three bottles, zero chill.
01
Small batches only
Every run is cooked in one pot and bottled the same week.
02
Hand-stapled labels
No two labels sit exactly the same, and we like it that way.
03
Heat you can taste
Real peppers first, then the burn, with nothing hiding in between.
Staple it to your fridge.
Cut it, paste it, pour it on everything.
Shop bottles
HotstapleMade by hand in small batches. Keep it loud.
Palette
Copy Shop Yellow Background · #FFE14DPage background, the loud flat sheet everything is pasted onto.
Pale Paper Surface · #FFF3B8Cards and panels, a lighter scrap sitting on the yellow.
Toner Black Text · #111111Body text and the heavy black slabs.
Burnt Newsprint Muted text · #4D4400Captions, dates and small meta text.
Scorched Pink Primary · #B3004FLinks, buttons and accent words on the yellow.
Bright Stock On primary · #FFFFFFButton labels and text on pink bands.
Teal Dot Accent · #00857ACircles, stickers and big display shapes only.
Text pairs, checked for WCAG AA
AaBody text on the page background14.5:1 AA
AaSecondary text (captions, meta) on the background7.53:1 AA
AaBody text on cards and panels16.87:1 AA
AaLinks, eyebrows and accent words on the background5.32:1 AA
AaButton labels and text on primary bands6.93:1 AA
AaLarge display text, icons and graphic shapes on the background3.48:1 AA
Checked in code, not by eye. AA asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and shapes.
Type
Anton
Libre Baskerville: We make hot sauce in tiny batches and fold every label by hand. Each bottle is loud, a little crooked and made to be used up.
Anton is tall, tight and shouty, like headlines cut from a flyer and pasted crooked. Libre Baskerville gives the quieter typed-caption feel from the mood board, so the loud parts stay loud and the reading stays easy.
Voice
Loud, friendly and a little messy, like a zine page written by someone who really loves hot sauce.
Hot sauce, cut and pasted.
Three bottles, zero chill.
Staple it to your fridge.
Mark idea
A tilted pink pepper cut from paper, with a teal dot beside it and a black staple across the stem.
Vellum & Vane Antiquarian bookseller and rare manuscript appraisal
The prompt
“quiet luxury, archival, a library at night, brass and oxblood”
How we read it
The mood points to a private library after hours: dark wood, lamp light, old paper, a little brass. The kit is built on one idea, a dark room lit by a single brass lamp, with oxblood used only as the leather spine.
The sample page
Vellum & VaneCollectionAppraisalsVisitBook a viewing
Rare books, appraised
Old pages, kept with care.
We find, appraise and care for old books and papers. Visit by appointment and stay as long as you like.
Book a viewingBrowse the catalog
Every volume has a history.
01
Careful appraisals
Each piece is examined by hand and described plainly, with condition notes and provenance.
02
Private viewings
Sit with a volume in a quiet room, with no crowd and no rush.
03
Restoration advice
We tell you what to repair, what to leave alone, and who should do the work.
Come in. The lamp is on.
A book is only lost when no one is looking after it.
Book a viewing
Vellum & VaneVellum & Vane. Books kept by appointment.
Palette
Reading Room Night Background · #14100EWarm near-black page background, like varnished shelves with the lights low.
Walnut Shelf Surface · #201815Cards and panels, a half step lighter than the page.
Aged Vellum Text · #EFE6D6Body text and headings, soft cream instead of stark white.
Dust Jacket Muted text · #B8A890Captions, dates and other secondary text.
Lamp Brass Primary · #C9A24DLinks, eyebrows, buttons and accent words.
Ink Black On primary · #14100EButton labels and text set on brass bands.
Oxblood Binding Accent · #BA4054Large display shapes and icons only, never small text.
Text pairs, checked for WCAG AA
AaBody text on the page background15.28:1 AA
AaSecondary text (captions, meta) on the background8.14:1 AA
AaBody text on cards and panels14.1:1 AA
AaLinks, eyebrows and accent words on the background7.89:1 AA
AaButton labels and text on primary bands7.89:1 AA
AaLarge display text, icons and graphic shapes on the background3.56:1 AA
Checked in code, not by eye. AA asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and shapes.
Type
Cormorant Garamond
EB Garamond: We find, appraise and care for old books and papers. Visit by appointment and stay as long as you like.
Cormorant Garamond has the high-contrast, bookish elegance of old specimen pages, and the bold weight keeps it readable on a dark ground. EB Garamond is a true text serif, so long passages feel like printed pages. Together they stay quiet and a little archival without looking costume.
Voice
Measured and warm, like a librarian who knows where everything is and never raises her voice.
Old pages, kept with care.
Every volume has a history.
Come in. The lamp is on.
Mark idea
A brass feather-shaped weather vane (the vane) set over an oxblood closed book, so the mark reads as both a pointer and a spine.
How it works
A first draft, read by a person.
01
You send a mood
A few words on how the brand should feel, and any references you like: sites, photos, a mood board, a shop you walked past. A name and what you do help, but aren't required.
02
We make a starter kit
A designer at #10 runs it through our kit tool, checks the colors and type, and edits what doesn't fit. It comes back to you by email within a few business days.
03
Then we talk
The kit is a starting point, not a finished brand. It gives us something concrete to react to: what feels right, what's off and what's missing. From there we can take it further together, or you can run with it.
Every font is free and open-licensed, so you can use it anywhere. Every text color pair passes WCAG AA.
Request yours
Tell us the mood. We'll send a kit.
Free, and there's no catch. A person at #10 reads every request.
Ask #10
Ask #10 Answers from our own knowledge base
Prototype: sample answers only, nothing is sent anywhere.