Cosma Schema Brand Guidelines

What problem do we solve? What niche do we fill?

Space companies are living and breathing the coolest stories in the universe but largely missing the opportunity to effectively capture and tell them to their target audiences. Because of this missed opportunity, the space economy feels distant, unrealistic and downright unapproachable to their audiences—be they investors, non-industry partners or the general public. By helping space organizations tell the most compelling stories through effective brands, they will become more effective overall, transforming the image of the space economy to one of immense possibility and business opportunity, thus helping it grow.

What singular belief do we hold that inspires us to do our work? What do we as a company assume is true?

We believe that when people explore and utilize space, humanity benefits in a way that wouldn’t be possible if we focused solely on earthbound inquiry.

What does the world look like once Cosma Schema has been successful?

Space businesses and organizations communicating more effectively, becoming more successful, and ultimately inspiring humans to invest in, explore, and utilize space.

How do we accomplish our vision? Our mission explains why our organization exists, whom it serves and how it serves them.

To connect more humans to space by helping organizations use beautiful design and simple communication.

What the hell is a Cosma Schema anyway?

Our name is made up. It's a false latinate-sounding combo meant to evoke a feeling of awe in those who hear it. "Schema" while yes, is an actual word, implies order. A plan. Much of our work is built on strategy, not just free wheeling artsy fartsy stuff as our customers sometimes think. The grand scheme of things is the bigger picture and it is our job to provide this structure and work within it. "Cosma" is a phenomorph of 'cosmos' shifted slightly to phonetically match "Schema" better when placed side by side. The cosmos are our domain.

How do you refer to us quickly off the top of your head?

The New Space design & branding agency.

How do you describe us in depth?

Cosma Schema is a global design and brand agency focused exclusively on servicing the new space economy. Rooted in the belief that humanity uniquely benefits from exploring and utilizing space, we help aerospace and space-related organizations reach more people more effectively by providing brand strategy, design, naming, and brand management.

Our fundamental beliefs. They guide us in all of our decision-making and help us determine if we are on the right path.

We chose to do this work because we believe ultimately it will be good for humanity. That’s the big big picture. When you pull that thread all the way, it leads back to us as individuals. What good is that mission if we’re too burnt out to actually carry it forward? The way humans are expected to work in modern times is pretty fucked. We set an example for ourselves, each other, clients and any person we come into contact with by being super professional but super chill. You can (should) be both.

Everyone that works with, on or in Cosma Schema must be curious about their world beyond their immediate day-to-day. That might mean intense space-curiosity or even someone who is environmentally aware and seeks to solve larger problems related to humanity. The people we collaborate with are global citizens; they are woke and active in being so.

We are a science-based company on many levels. That means we don’t make recommendations to clients or to each other based on a whim or a feeling. Sure creativity and taste plays a role, but our work and our thinking is valuable because it is always rooted in research, logic or evidence. This helps us steer clear of bullshit overall and helps us sell big ideas.

Whether dealing with coworkers or clients, we believe it is important to take care of your shit. This means taking ownership over what you’re producing, clearly and consistently communicating about deadlines - even if that just means a quick slack message “Hey I saw this!” and managing expectations. There are no special requirements of when/where we work, we just ask each other to never make assumptions and always push it to the finish line.

This is the way we speak and write. It is our consistent tone of voice in all outward communication.

Space has long been seen as something only NASA fucked with, as a sci-fi endeavor, as a moonshot industry. We know that’s not the case. The economy and opportunity New Space is creating is very real and it is happening. We believe in interplanetary settlement and helping companies create water rockets. We know that as we continue to explore space, we’ll create a better future for ourselves. It all goes back to Kennedy’s quote. The clarity with which we can envision our future in space is what gets us up in the morning.

Besides the fact that we believe deeply in the power of our work and have seen it’s value in action, we know that our customers come in the door with some level of uncertainty; doubt. Thus, it’s important for us to speak definitively about the value we provide—about what we make possible for leading organizations. When selling to a prospect we talk about “Once we start work” not “If we work together”. When presenting strategy to a client, we explain that “Your brand is” not “Your brand could be.” Do it till you make it.

Everyone needs to stop trying to act so cool and just be cool. Tied in with “confident”, we think that talking simply, conversationally and like you would to a friend is the best way to get your point across. If you’re confident in what you’re doing then you shouldn’t need to hide behind big dumdum buzzwords and complicated sentences.

Once we’re hired, we form a bond with our clients. We become a part of their team. When presenting work, it’s no longer about “You/Your brand” it’s about “We/Our brand.” We are 100% invested in our work and believe we have real skin in the game—and we want our clients to know that.

Our logo, “The Transit”, is multi-layered in meaning. Firstly, and most literally, it represents a snapshot of a moon transiting a portion a planetary ring—a scene that will only ever be visible to the most ambitious voyagers.

This celestial alignment is a natural fit as our key brand metaphor. During a transit event, as within a branding exercise, things that couldn’t be seen before become clear. When an exoplanet transits a star, using careful research, analysis, and scrutiny, only at that moment can one gain knowledge about the transiting body. Similarly, when our own Moon transits the Sun in a solar eclipse, for a brief moment the Sun’s corona becomes visible: a property that would’ve never been highlighted without the transit.

For us, developing a good brand requires time, patience, and a ton of research, too. Branding can be therapeutic for our clients—revealing truths about the very nature of your business otherwise unknown. It's not until all the pieces align that a brand’s foundation can be solid enough to support a growing company.

Transits, like branding, are always a matter of perception. To witness a transit, the observer must be in alignment with the transiting body and the object behind it, and if the observer moves to a different vantage point the transit is invisible. Branding is all about considering the vantage point of the observer—or customer— and strategically aligning elements—names, logos, language, color—so that what seen is the ideal perception of your company.

A photograph of Saturn's moon Dione transiting the planet's rings. Credit: NASA

The below represent the official pairings of our logomark, the Transit, and our wordmark. The spacing, placement, and proportions are chosen specifically to highlight and strengthen the various components of each brand element. We establish these combinations up front to ensure consistency amongst all representations of our brand in the wild. These are the two primary ways we will display the two together in all formal company usage. Under no circumstances should we deviate from these designs.

Rooted in golden geometry, all of our logo elements are tuned up and perfectly aligned. We pride ourselves in logic and exactitude, and it is for this reason that our logomark is proportioned in alignment with universal principles with no pixel or vertex falling out of line. The graphics below break down the logic behind each form’s relationship to the others'.

To exemplify our mission, we’ve intentionally chosen a color palette that is rarely seen in the space community, usually dominated by blues and blacks. Our palette utilizes bright colors to represent the excitement surrounding the New Space economy with our dominant color, Canopy Green, acting a constant reminder that the advancement of space initiatives are always in the service of humans on Earth.

Hex:	#0e5f4c
RGB:	14-95-76
CMYK:	85-0-20-63
Pantone:	561 C
Usage:	35%

Hex:	#56bdb8
RGB:	86-189-184
CMYK:	54-0-3-26
Pantone:	7472 C
Usage:	15%

Hex:	#e8ea76
RGB:	232-234-118
CMYK:	1-0-50-8
Pantone:	379 C
Usage:	15%

Hex:	#ed2242
RGB:	237-34-66
CMYK:	1-86-72-7
Pantone:	1788 C
Usage:	10%

Hex:	#f5f7f7
RGB:	245-247-247
CMYK:	1-0-0-3
Pantone:	White
Usage:	25%

Ok, very nice, but what are the rules? How can we make sure that we always implement our identity correctly in order to uphold the design's integrity?

At certain sizes all logos become illegible. Avoid shrinking our logo beyond this scale to achieve the best results.

If space is limited (e.g., in the case of social media), consider using our symbol on its own.

Just like everybody else, our logo needs room to breathe. Squeezing our logo up against other elements compromises its integrity and can create visual clutter. At all costs, adhere to these spatial guidelines.

Consistency is one of the most important guidelines we can adhere to. Under no circumstances should our logo be altered beyond what’s outlined below.

Use the full color logo on white backgrounds
Use a white logo on dark backgrounds
Use Canopy as the background color if possible
Use only the listed color combinations

Don’t modify or recreate the mark
Don’t choose new colors combinations or effects
Don’t rotate, skew, or warp
Don’t alter hierarchy or sizing
Don’t change the typography
Don’t place the logo on busy backgrounds
Don’t adjust the opacity

As with all brand elements, our typography has been carefully selected to support our identity. These are the shapes that convey our tone of voice. They are our character(s). Literally.
Download Columbia Serial Download Mr Eaves XL

ABC123
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789+-/&$%#?!

Our primary typeface is Columbia Serial, a retro-modern cut referencing academia and formal institutions. It is our display font. Use it for titles, headings and declarations. Whenever possible, use the X-Bold or Heavy settings to ensure we stand out.

ABC123
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789+-/&$%#?!

Mr Eaves XL Sans OT is our body font. We use it for paragraphs and large chunks of text. Its rounded, lofty appearance supports the casual but direct tone of voice we use in our communications. On occasion, we use Mr Eaves in all caps with noticeable kerning for sub-headings, too.

Come and get 'em! Here you'll find a downloads of our perfectly formatted assets. These files are ready for production, so feel free to drop them right into whatever magic it is you're working on.
Download all logos Download all fonts

Sure, ok, all this is great but what does all this actually look in the real world? Here are a few examples of how the Cosma Schema brand has been applied to existing assets and how it could used in the future.

Brand Strategy

Challenge & Opportunity

Core Belief

Vision

Mission

Company Name

Tagline

Description

Core Values

Sustainability

Big Picture Curiosity

Logic

Accountability

Brand Voice

Optimistic

Confident

Conversational as fuck

Cozy

Visual Identity

Our Logo, The Transit

Lockups

Stacked

Longform

Construction

Longform Lockup Construction

Stacked Lockup Construction

Color Palette

Canopy

Tranquility

Radiation

Areoform

Cloud Cover

Usage

Minimum Size

Digital

Print

Clear Space

Logomark

Wordmark

Stacked

Longform

Do’s & Don’ts

Yes

No

Typography

Columbia Serial

Mr Eaves XL San OT

Downloads

Examples

Brand in Practice

Web & Mobile

Print & Apparel