Real stories.
African voices.
Global lessons.
Long conversations. African voices.
Interviews about the choices and experiences behind success.
Stories behind achievement.
Inside the guide
- Our foundation01
- The signature02
- Colour & surfaces03
- Typography04
- Imagery & composition05
- Our voice06
- In practice07
- Brand assets08
Ask about the choices behind the work.
Inspire is a podcast about success, resilience, creativity and leadership across Africa and beyond. Each conversation makes room for the person behind the achievement and the choices along the way.
Ask about the decisions, setbacks and routines behind what a person has built.
Give guests time
Let guests finish the thought. Keep the context and complexity.
Start with the person
Ask about the choices and experiences behind their work.
Leave an idea to consider
Give listeners one clear point to think about after the interview.
Who we speak to
The audience includes young adults, early-career professionals, founders and creatives. Start with African experiences and speak plainly to listeners everywhere.
The Inspire signature.
Use the original Affinity signatures on paper and forest. Keep the Inspire lettering and the full Shawn Dalmas descriptor together.
Forest signature on tinted paper.
Layered gold signature on painted forest.
Room to breathe
Leave one opening-I stem width around the full mark, including the descriptor.
Legible at final size
Start at 180px wide on screen or 35mm in print. Use a solid signature when the fade or descriptor loses definition.
Original proportions
Scale the artwork proportionally. Give the signature a calm background and keep the tagline separate.
Use the solid ivory signature for stronger contrast on forest. The solid forest and gold versions are also in the asset kit.
Colour and surfaces.
Compose with painted forest and textured paper. The artwork palette describes the original files. Website text and controls use accessible colour roles for each surface.
Colours from the artwork
Forest
#0E1F17Forest signature and artwork ink
Ivory
#F1EDE4Text in dark artwork
Warm gold
#9F7C46Details on light artwork
Light gold
#CBA772Details on dark artwork
Website text and surfaces
Paper base
#F9F9F7Flat paper surface
Paper gold ink
#795927Readable gold on paper
Forest gold ink
#E2C18BReadable gold on forest
Use solid backgrounds for fields and controls. The native stripe gradient runs from #9C752B to #98782A. Its transparency is part of the artwork.
Type for stories and artwork.
Manrope is the current website face for headlines, reading and controls. Square Peg is available for short editorial accents. The original artwork shows other display choices by use.
The work behind the title.
Reading and controls
Manrope 400 for reading, 500–700 for controls and 600 for current website headings.
Editorial accents
What stayed with you?
Square Peg for a short phrase after a heading.
Type in the original artwork
These images show lettering from the source artwork. Manrope stays in use for live headings while the website display choice is under review.
Imagery and gold artwork.
Start with one focal point. Give portraits and headlines room, and use gold bands where they help frame the composition.
Shared Inspire gold artwork
Next Gen Tours uses this shared Inspire identity. Keep the gold artwork behind the hierarchy and clear of faces, text and controls.
Next Gen Summit campaign
Use Crest, Horizon and the selected Clear brush phrase on Summit campaign surfaces.
Write plainly and respectfully.
Use calm, candid language. Ask direct questions and avoid promises about outcomes.
Starting a business while keeping a job.
Headline example.
Name the subject and the choice at stake.
What stayed with you?
Invitation example.
Ask one clear question. Let people answer in their own words.
Write this way
- Use concrete details and honest questions.
- Respect the guest’s words, context, and complexity.
- Connect the lesson to everyday choices.
- Use clear sentences and purposeful pauses.
Leave these behind
- Guaranteed success or overnight transformation.
- Manufactured urgency and sensational claims.
- A famous name without a clear reason for the conversation.
- Quotes that lose their meaning without context.
Ask about the choices, setbacks and habits behind an achievement. Let guests explain what changed, in their own words.
A consistent experience.
Use the same clear typography, considered spacing and visible focus across pages. Make buttons, links and fields easy to recognize.
Controls on paper.
Try the fields, actions and feedback on this surface.
Enter a complete email address.
Controls on forest.
Try the fields, actions and feedback on this surface.
Enter a complete email address.
Page transitions and loading messages.
Keep page changes brief. Show loading messages beside the content being loaded.
Loading on paper
Loading reflections…Loading page…Static motion
Loading reflections…Loading on forest
Loading reflections…Loading page…Static motion
Loading reflections…Loading and motion
Keep loading feedback next to the affected content or action. Use a static treatment for reduced motion.
Make each page easy to follow.
Use a clear heading. Put names beside stories and explain dates or status in a sentence. Keep navigation and form labels easy to understand. Give text and controls enough contrast.
A paper panel inside a forest section.
Use contrast to set reading panels, forms and featured stories apart from their surroundings.
Check every page.
Make sure the page works with a keyboard, that the current link or field is easy to see, and that forms explain what to do next.
Download the brand assets.
Choose the signature and artwork for the surface and final size. The versioned kit brings together the shared Inspire identity.
Forest signature on paper
Outlined vector with the native forest gradient and full descriptor.
Gold signature on forest
Transparent artwork with the original layered gold fade.
Solid forest signature
Use on paper when small sizes or production methods need a solid mark.
Solid gold signature
Use on forest when the fading version loses legibility.
Solid ivory signature
A high-contrast signature for dark surfaces.
Painted forest texture
Original dark artwork at 1080 × 1350.
Tinted paper texture
Original paper with a 50% white tint, at 1080 × 1350.
Untinted paper texture
Original paper image without the tint, at 1080 × 1350.
Fading horizontal gold strip
Native vector gradient for quiet editorial details.
Subdued vertical gold ribbons
Transparent original ribbons with the source opacity and fade.
Find the current guide and downloads at /branding. Download the ZIP.
Kit 02 includes the shared signatures, original textures and gold artwork, Manrope and Square Peg with their licences, and usage notes. Summit artwork is shown in the campaign section of this guide.