A practical brand book for applying the identity with clarity: foundations, logo, palette, typography, voice, buttons, icons, and real-world brand applications for an ecommerce founder community.
The ground rules for how ecomm Northwest speaks, behaves, and shows up: clear, useful, human, practical, and built around the people moving ecommerce forward.
ecomm Northwest is a community built for the people behind the brands — founders, operators, and marketers driving digital growth across the Pacific Northwest.
We're not about hype or gatekeeping; we're about real stories, actionable insights, and connections that last.
From casual meetups to hands-on events, we create space for ecommerce builders to learn from each other and grow together.
To connect and empower ecommerce operators and brand builders by sharing honest experiences, practical knowledge, and the momentum that comes from community.
To be the catalyst that meets people where they are, sparks meaningful connections, and helps them take the next step in building resilient, thriving brands.
ecomm Northwest carries the energy of a sharp, grounded peer — steady, honest, and practical, with a spark of curiosity that keeps us moving forward. We're resourceful and resilient, always ready to adapt, and we bring a sense of momentum and collaboration to everything we do.
Our community thrives on clarity, usefulness, and connection. We share applied knowledge instead of theory, lift others as we grow, and celebrate the people behind every brand. Progress here is built on trust, collaboration, and the belief that when one of us succeeds, we all rise.
ecomm Northwest is for the individuals behind the logos — the founders, operators, and marketers driving ecommerce forward.
We're here to support them, grow their skills, and build meaningful connections that last beyond any single role.
Together, we celebrate the incredible brands that call the Northwest home and the people who make them thrive — because when individuals succeed, the whole region rises.
To be the go-to ecommerce community in the Pacific Northwest — known for real stories, real outcomes, and the spark that drives brand builders to lasting success.
Four distinct pillars define how ecomm Northwest shows up, communicates, and designs. They are rooted in the Pacific Northwest spirit, practical knowledge, and the drive to build a collaborative community.
Grounded in the Pacific Northwest: resilient, resourceful, and shaped by practical insight. Our work reflects long-term thinking, enduring value, and growth that happens together as a community.
Straightforward, useful, and tactical. We communicate in a way that is direct, confident, and easy to trust.
A brand that brings people together with purpose. The connection should feel shaped, warm, and human.
Always moving with purpose, timing, and clarity. Our energy is thoughtful, not random, and designed to make the brand easier to remember.
The palette reflects the soul of ecomm Northwest: grounded in the Pacific Northwest, balanced by calm clarity, and supported by sparks of action and connection.
We're not just one color because ecomm Northwest is not one story. It is a community, not a brand campaign. The palette helps the people we champion — makers, operators, and builders across every corner of ecommerce — feel considered and connected.
Our primary colors form the core visual foundation of the brand, defining the most visible surfaces and key brand touchpoints.
Usage:
Secondary colors support and complement the primary palette, bringing warmth and approachability.
Usage:
Accent colors bring motion and attention, guiding users to actions, highlights, and interactive states.
Usage:
Neutral colors keep layouts clean, breathable, and legible, ensuring that expressive moments feel balanced.
Usage:
The ecomm Northwest logo reflects the people behind the brands: founders, operators, and marketers who build with curiosity, resilience, and momentum.
The ecomm Northwest logo reflects the people behind the brands: founders, operators, and marketers who build with curiosity, resilience, and momentum. It is clean, grounded, and built for clarity across digital and in-person experiences.
The linked C and O represent connection, opportunity, and the spark that happens when experiences are shared peer-to-peer.
The wordmark stays readable and grounded. It feels trustworthy, professional, and built for the long run.
The system includes a primary logo, secondary logo, square lockup, symbol, and favicon for different use cases.
Because the mark comes from the brand name itself, it remains relevant and adaptable as the community grows.
The logo is a flexible system designed for real-life usage: clean for digital screens, strong enough for event signage, and simple enough to perform in small formats.
The primary logo is the full wordmark with “NORTHWEST.” Use this version in most cases - website headers, event materials, social graphics, presentations, and all first-touch communication.
The horizontal layout places “NORTH” and “WEST” to the right of the wordmark. Use this version when vertical space is limited or when the primary logo feels too tall for the layout.
A compact block combining the linked icon with “ENW.” Designed for small formats where the primary wordmark is not readable.
The minimal symbol is built from the linked letters C and O. Use only when the brand is already clearly visible in the environment or when extremely small sizes require simplicity.
Always use the square icon version for browser tabs. The full wordmark should never be used in small digital formats.
To protect legibility, maintain consistent clear space around every logo. Clear space is defined as 0.5x, where x equals the 40px cap height of the word ecomm.
Width x height: 240 x 80px. Clear space: 20px.
Use for tight horizontal placements while preserving the same clear-space logic.
Use for compact spaces such as avatars, app icons, badges, and stickers.
Default use. This should handle most brand-book and site surfaces.
Use for dark sections, footers, and high-impact moments.
Use when the square lockup or badge mark is clearer than the full wordmark.
Only use approved brand color pairings from this guide.
Keep the wordmark, NORTHWEST label, and symbol relationships intact.
Avoid filters, shadows, strokes, glows, outlines, and decorative treatments.
Keep competing elements out of the clear-space area.
When pairing logos, use 1x spacing between marks and align by visual cap height rather than the full logo box. The ecomm Northwest logo should feel equal, not louder or smaller by accident.
The typography system uses three families with clear jobs: Epilogue leads with force, Source Serif 4 carries the human editorial voice, and Red Hat Mono adds structure for labels, metadata, and utility moments.
Choosing the right type was crucial for ecomm Northwest. The system needed enough range for a practical brand book, enough character for a founder community, and enough restraint to stay useful across real applications.
Epilogue is the loudest voice in the system. It gives headlines and compact UI statements a firm, contemporary structure without feeling generic or over-designed.
Source Serif 4 brings warmth, depth, and an approachable sense of expertise. It supports long-form reading, brand explanations, and practical guidance without becoming overly formal.
Red Hat Mono is used sparingly for system surfaces. It adds precision to navigation, tags, metadata, and small labels without replacing the brand's warmer editorial voice.
Creativity is strongest when it’s shared, celebrated, and nurtured.
Every collaboration sparks a chain of new possibilities and outcomes.
Here, every step forward is a shared victory toward a bigger vision.
ecomm Northwest empowers entrepreneurs to rise together. From bold ideas to thriving online stores, we guide brands through every stage of their journey with clarity, confidence, and a touch of Pacific Northwest grit.
The CTA system creates clear, actionable moments across the ecomm Northwest experience while staying aligned with the broader identity system.
Use the controls to compare light and dark contexts, switch button families, and test hover, focus, inactive, and click behavior in one live preview.
Default:Uses Lichen Glow as the fill with Charcoal Bark text.
Hover:Transitions to Lichen Glow Darken 1 while keeping the text color.
Focused:Displays a Charcoal focus ring with a 4px offset.
Inactive:Uses Charcoal Bark Lighten 2 with reduced text contrast and no hover state.
Communities grow one step at a time-just like our buttons. Hover, click, and feel how every interaction adds to the bigger picture.
Icons in ecomm Northwest provide clear, consistent, and brand-aligned communication across the platform. They help users recognize actions, statuses, and concepts without relying solely on text. The icon system is designed for function first, with four types of icons to cover different needs.
Used for conceptual or functional actions that are visually intuitive but not literal.
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Custom icons that are unique to ecomm Northwest and reinforce our brand identity.
Common interface icons sourced from Font Awesome Solid for consistency and accessibility.
Icons used to communicate success, pending, error, or confirmation states in the UI.
When an icon becomes a visual anchor, it can scale up to 60px. Keep the shape simple, high contrast, and paired with enough space to read as intentional.
Use a 24px container for interface icons. Keep 8px of internal padding when an icon sits inside a control, and use a 16px glyph when the control is dense.
CTA icons should reinforce direction or intent. They stay visible in every enabled state and should never become the only cue for what the button does.
Use metaphorical, platform-specific, core interface, and status icons intentionally. Avoid mixing categories in the same UI moment unless the hierarchy is obvious.
The voice should sound like a sharp peer: grounded, clear, useful, and direct enough to help founders move without hype or over-polish.
ecomm Northwest sounds like your sharpest peer - confident, grounded, and focused on real progress. We speak with clarity, not flash. Our voice is built for momentum. Whether we're writing a headline, a caption, or a brand story, the goal is the same: to build trust, create momentum, and speak to people like they're already in motion.
Our voice is shaped by what we believe:
Steady, honest, practical. We don't hype. We respect people's time and tell the truth.
Do "From 3 abandoned carts to 300 daily sales. Here's how they did it."
Don't "Boost your sales instantly with our proven 10x formula!"
Sharp, light, confident humor. We use wit to energize, not to perform or belittle.
Do "We asked 12 brands what keeps them up at night. Spoiler: It's not the competition."
Don't "Discover how to beat your competitors with our guide."
Flows naturally, easy to read. Our writing moves quickly, like a conversation that pulls you in.
Do "Early coffee. Late nights. And a few lessons we learned the hard way."
Don't "Learnings from our extensive ecommerce experience."
Human, simple, approachable. We talk like peers, not a press release.
Do "Three things I wish someone told me before I hit launch."
Don't "Launching an ecommerce brand can be challenging, but rewarding."
Actionable and useful. We give people steps they can use today.
Do "Stop guessing your ad spend. Start with this 5-minute check."
Don't "Effective marketing is the cornerstone of ecommerce success."
Securing funding, creating great products, and making sales are all important. But the real challenge? Mattering to people.
To truly connect, a brand must know the unique value it offers, why it stands out, and how to form meaningful relationships with its audience.
It all starts with defining your brand's value proposition.
More Ahead ->ecommerce founders today have more tools than ever to reach their customers. But knowing where to focus your energy makes all the difference.
Read the Blog ->At ecomm Northwest, we believe growth starts with clarity.
Whether you're building your first store or scaling to seven figures, your goals should guide your brand, marketing, and customer experience.
Application examples show how the system behaves in campaign moments, social posts, website surfaces, and community content without leaving the guide's rules behind.
These examples show how the identity behaves outside the rules: in campaign moments, social posts, landing pages, and community content. The system should feel direct, useful, and editorial without becoming cold.
Large applications should work as finished artifacts: strong type, clear hierarchy, and just enough supporting copy to make the moment feel real.
Social formats can use fewer elements and stronger contrast. Keep the writing human and let each card do one job.
For web layouts, keep the logo readable, navigation restrained, and the headline oversized enough to create a clear first impression.
Voice examples belong here when they are shown as finished public-facing artifacts. Keep the full rules and writing guidance in the Voice section.
