Book a meeting
Braindbook®

Part one Brand foundations

Part one · Brand foundations

Bring our customers closer to their customers.

The enduring strategy, voice, identity and experience principles.

  1. 02 Strategy and positioning
  2. 03 Architecture and naming
  3. 04 Messaging system
  4. 05 Voice, tone and languages
  5. 06 Logo
  6. 07 Colour
  7. 08 Typography
  8. 09 Grid, graphics and data
  9. 10 Photography and art direction
  10. 11 Motion, video and sound
  11. 12 Experience and the senses
Brand foundations

Strategy and positioning

Draft for approval

Mission, approach, tagline

Mission

Bring our customers closer to their customers.

Approach

Make Work Matter.

Tagline

design solutions
to business problems

Always lowercase, always on two lines, beside or under the logo.

Positioning

Draft for approval

The sentence every message, page and pitch should be able to point back to.

For businesses and institutions in Armenia, and Armenian brands abroad, who need their brand and marketing to solve a real business problem, Braind is a branding and marketing agency that designs strategy, identity and marketing as one system, because the same team has done this work since 2011, from Yerevan and Toronto.

Audiences

Draft for approval
01

Banks and financial companies

Trust, clarity and campaigns at national scale.

Proof: Evocabank, IDBank, Idram, Red Invest Group
02

Retail, food and hospitality

Packaging, spaces and launches that sell.

Proof: Zovq, Karas, Coffee House, Pregomesh
03

Culture and institutions

Identity that respects heritage and reaches new audiences.

Proof: Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Kino Moskva, COAF
04

Founders and new ventures

A name, an identity and a launch plan from zero.

Proof: Naming and brand identity case studies

Proof and differentiators

Draft for approval
2011Founded in Yerevan
2Offices: Yerevan and Toronto
1,000+Completed projectsBraind also uses 1,500+. One figure to confirm.
14Services in two divisions

Strategy, identity and marketing from one team

EvidenceBranding and Marketing divisions; case studies that run from naming to campaigns.

Design that answers a business problem

EvidenceThe tagline and every case study's problem → solution structure.

Guidelines that stay current

EvidenceBraindbook®, Braind's web-based guidelines product.

Bilingual and Armenian-first

EvidenceWork and proposals in Armenian and English, Russian where needed.

Values and personality

Draft for approval

Values only count when you can see them in behaviour.

Make work matter

Every project starts from the business problem and ends with a result the client can use.

Proof over promises

We show work, numbers and process. We don’t inflate claims or invent endorsements.

Clarity

One idea per page, one accent per layout, one owner per decision.

Craft

Details are checked at real size, in every language, before anything ships.

Confident not arrogant

We give a recommendation and the reason for it.

Direct not blunt

Short sentences, the answer first, no filler.

Curious not trendy

We test new tools and formats when they serve the client.

Warm not casual

We sound like people who like their clients, without slang or emoji.

What we won’t do

Draft for approval
  • We don’t publish testimonials, awards or numbers we can’t show evidence for.
  • We don’t claim to be the best, the biggest or the first.
  • We don’t show client work before the client has launched it or agreed.
  • We don’t use client colours or logos as part of Braind’s own identity.

“Business without creativity is a waste of f*cking time.”
Pharrell Williams. It sets the attitude inside Braind and in the Braindbook. It stays out of formal client proposals.

The story in three lengths

Draft for approval
Short · bios, captions

Braind is a branding and marketing agency from Yerevan, founded in 2011. We design solutions to business problems.

Medium · about pages, proposals

Braind is a branding and marketing agency founded in Yerevan in 2011, with offices in Yerevan and Toronto. We work on strategy, naming, identity, packaging, campaigns and content for banks, retailers, cultural institutions and new ventures. Our mission is to bring our customers closer to their customers.

Extended · press, profiles

Braind started in Yerevan in 2011 with a simple idea: design should solve business problems. Today the agency works from Yerevan and Toronto across two divisions. Branding covers strategy, naming, identity, packaging and guidelines; Marketing covers strategy, social media, campaigns, content and performance advertising. Clients include Evocabank, Idram, IDBank, Zovq, Karas and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. Braind also builds its own products, starting with Braindbook®, web-based brand guidelines that replace static PDFs.

Brand foundations

Architecture and naming

Partly documented

One master brand. Everything Braind makes or endorses leads back to it.

Brand architecture

braind®Master brand
Sub-brands

The wordmark with a lowercase descriptor.

braindwork
braindguidelines
Endorsement on client work

A quiet credit on work Braind made for clients.

Design by braind

Powered by braind

Products

Marks products Braind makes.

Made in Braind

How to write our names

NameWrite itNever
BraindBraind in sentences; braind® in the logo.BRAIND in body text, Brain’d, Braind Agency
Braindbook®One word, capital B, with ® on first use on a page.Braind Book, BraindBook, brandbook
braind workLowercase sub-brand with the wordmark.Braind Works
Design by braindEndorsement on client work, lowercase braind.Designed by BRAIND Agency
Made in BraindMark for Braind-made products.Made by braind
Eduard KankanyanFounder & CEO Eduard Kankanyan.CEO/founder, Mr. Kankanyan alone

Domains and handles

Partly documented
Website
braind.am
Canada website
braind.ca
Instagram
@braind.ca
Facebook
Braind.Branding
LinkedIn, TikTok, Behance, Dribbble
Linked from the Braindbook footer; handles to confirm

Naming procedure

Draft for approval

For Braind’s own products and for client naming projects.

  1. Write the brief: what is named, for whom, in which languages.
  2. Generate candidates in Armenian, English and Russian.
  3. Screen for meaning, pronunciation and transliteration in all three.
  4. Check trademark registers, domains and social handles.
  5. Test the shortlist with the client’s audience.
  6. Record the decision, the spelling rules and the owner.

Co-branding

To be added
To be added

Rules for placing the Braind logo next to a partner’s logo are not documented yet.

Brand foundations

Messaging system

Draft for approval

What we say, in what order, and what we can prove.

Message house

Draft for approval
Central message

Design solutions to business problems.

Pillar 1One team, one system

Strategy, identity and marketing designed together, so every touchpoint works as one.

Pillar 2Proof, not promises

Fifteen years of work for banks, retailers and institutions, shown case by case.

Pillar 3Built to last

Guidelines, templates and Braindbook® keep a brand consistent after launch.

Founded 2011 · Yerevan and Toronto · Armenian, English and Russian

Company descriptions

Draft for approval

Copy the length you need. Don’t write a new one.

10 words

Braind is a branding and marketing agency from Yerevan, since 2011.

25 words

Braind is a branding and marketing agency founded in Yerevan in 2011, with offices in Yerevan and Toronto. We design solutions to business problems.

50 words

Braind is a branding and marketing agency founded in Yerevan in 2011, with offices in Yerevan and Toronto. We design strategy, names, identities, packaging, campaigns and content for banks, retailers, cultural institutions and new ventures, and we build Braindbook®, web-based brand guidelines. Our mission: bring our customers closer to their customers.

Claims

Draft for approval
Approved
  • Founded in 2011
  • Offices in Yerevan and Toronto
  • Branding and marketing agency
  • Client names shown in published case studies
  • BRAIND® is a registered trademark in Armenia
Needs evidence
  • 1,000+ (or 1,500+) completed projects
  • Results figures in case studies
  • Any award or ranking
  • Team size and specialisms
Never
  • “The best agency in Armenia”
  • “Award-winning” without the award named
  • Testimonials or quotes we don’t hold in writing
  • Guaranteed sales, reach or ROI
Brand foundations

Voice, tone and languages

Partly documented

Voice stays the same everywhere. Tone changes with the moment.

Voice principles

01

Confident

Say it plainly, as “we”. No exclamation marks, no emoji.

02

Factual

Lead with proof, not adjectives: projects, clients, numbers.

03

Short

Short sentences and short slides. Empty space is part of the brand.

Tone by situation

Draft for approval
SellingFormalityWarmthHere is how we would approach your rebrand, and what it would cost.
TeachingFormalityWarmthA brand guideline answers one question: what does good look like for us?
CelebratingFormalityWarmthZovq’s new stores open today. Here is the identity behind them.
RecruitingFormalityWarmthWe’re looking for a designer who likes hard problems and clear answers.
ApologisingFormalityWarmthWe missed the deadline we gave you. The files will be with you by Friday, and here is why.
CorrectingFormalityWarmthAn earlier post gave the wrong date. The event is on 12 November.
Handling distressFormalityWarmthThank you for telling us. We’ll call you today to sort this out.

Write it like this

Examples written to show each rule.

Lead with proof, not adjectives.

AvoidWe are an amazing, award-winning, world-class creative agency!

PreferWith 1,000+ completed projects, we are a trusted partner to major institutions and brands.

The “prefer” line is real Braind copy from the design system.

No exclamation marks, no emoji.

AvoidYour new brand is here! 🎉

PreferYour new brand identity is ready for review.

Sentence case. Uppercase only on covers and client names.

AvoidOur branding services for growing companies

PreferOur branding services for growing companies

Speak as “we”. Name the agency “Braind” in sentences.

AvoidBRAIND Agency is a branding agency that was founded in 2011.

PreferWe are Braind, a branding and marketing agency founded in 2011.

Mechanics

Draft for approval
Dates
18 October 2026 in text; 18.10.2026 in tables and documents.
Time
24-hour clock: 14:30.
Money
Amount then currency code: 450,000 AMD, 1,200 USD. No price without a date and scope.
Numbers
Words for one to nine in sentences, figures from 10. Figures always for data.
Capitals
Sentence case for titles, buttons and headings.
Punctuation
No exclamation marks. One question mark at most.
Emoji and hashtags
No emoji in client-facing material. Up to three specific hashtags on social, at the end.
Armenian address
Formal Դուք with clients and in public replies, unless the client uses the informal form first.

Languages

Armenian and English, and Russian where the market needs it. The same slides, order and hierarchy in each.

ՄԱՐՔԵԹԻՆԳԱՅԻՆ ԱՌԱՋԱՐԿ

MARKETING PROPOSAL

МАРКЕТИНГОВОЕ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЕ

Brand foundations

Colour

One saturated blue with black and white. Black with blue is the colour combination protected by the trademark.

Primary colours

Braind Blue
RGB 1 89 255CMYK 86 67 0 0Pantone 18-3945Logo colour on paper, covers and full-bleed brand moments.
White Page
RGB 255 255 255Background of content pages and slides.
Jet Black
RGB 0 0 0All text on paper and light accents. Black with blue is the registered colour combination.

Brand gradient

About 150°, top-left to bottom-right. Covers, dividers and full-bleed brand moments.

blue-deep 0%blue-mid 50%blue-light 100%

Secondary colours

For social posts, merch, stickers, campaigns and Braindbook pages. Never in proposal slides.

Bright Blue
White text only at 24px or bold.
Mist
Quiet panels on web pages.
Volt
Loudest accent. Small highlights, stickers, merch.
Lime
Softer volt for larger fields and tags.
Lemon
Warm highlight for callouts and social.
Sand
Earthy field for photo-led and print layouts.
Lilac
Pale field beside violet or blue marks.

Colour pairings

One accent per layout beside the blue, black and white. Never a rainbow.

VioletPosters and social. Carries white text.
LavenderPatterns alongside Braind Blue.
MintPale pairing field.
IceBlue-tinted field; pairs with blue marks.
CreamWarm field for print and editorial.
PeachWarm pairing field. No white text.

Where colour gets louder

The same palette at different volumes. Proposals are the quietest; merch is the loudest.

  1. 1Proposal slidesBlue covers and dividers, paper content slides. Blue only through the logo.
  2. 2WebsitePaper and mist, blue for the logo, links and buttons, one accent as tags.
  3. 3Social and BraindbookSecondary and pairing colours, one accent per layout.
  4. 4MerchSecondary colours and patterns at their loudest.

Contrast and accessibility

Contrast ratios measured from the colour values against WCAG 2.2. Large text means 24px, or about 19px bold.

AaOn Blue on Braind BlueAll text on blue.5.38:1AA
AaOn Blue on Blue Light (gradient corner)24px or larger, or bold.3.44:1AA large
AaJet Black on White PageAll text on paper.21.00:1AAA
AaBraind Blue on White PageLogo and links only.5.42:1AA
AaWhite on VioletPosters and social.5.03:1AA
AaWhite on Bright Blue24px or larger, or bold.4.15:1AA large
AaJet Black on VoltEvery light accent takes ink.18.29:1AAA
AaJet Black on SandEvery light accent takes ink.9.35:1AAA
AaJet Black on LavenderEvery light accent takes ink.8.18:1AAA
AaJet Black on PeachNo white text on peach.11.62:1AAA
Brand foundations

Typography

Built on legibility and accessibility: clear, bold and, in the international glyphs, expressive. Hierarchy comes from scale and weight, not colour.

Typefaces

Brand family

Braind Sans

Light, Regular, Medium and Bold, with Latin, Armenian and Cyrillic. 0% letter spacing in running text; −0.035em in slide titles.

Web headlines

Nohemi

Light, Regular and Semi Bold, for web headlines, Braindbook statements and buttons only. Body copy stays in Braind Sans.

Decks and this website

Roboto + Mardoto

Roboto for Latin and Mardoto for Armenian, as in the current proposal decks. Every specimen on this page is shown in them.

Light300
Regular400
Medium500
Bold700

Type tester

Type anything, switch script, weight and size.

Light 300 · 64px · tracking −0.035em (titles)

Scripts and glyphs

One family across three scripts, with the same structure in every language.

Latin

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Armenian

ԱԲԳԴԵԶԷԸԹԺԻԼԽԾԿՀՁՂՃՄՅՆՇՈՉՊՋՌՍՎՏՐՑՒՓՔՕՖ աբգդեզէըթժիլխծկհձղճմյնշոչպջռսվտրցւփքօֆ

Cyrillic

АБВГДЕЁЖЗИЙКЛМНОПРСТУФХЦЧШЩЪЫЬЭЮЯ абвгдеёжзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъыьэюя

Figures

0123456789 ® & @ % ( ) « » — –

Type scale

The slide scale on the 1920 × 1080 canvas, drawn to scale.

display 106.67px · 700TECHNICAL PROPOSALCover title, uppercase, right-aligned
title 80px · 700ԱՌԱՋԱՐԿArmenian cover title
numeral 53.33px · 4002026Year on the cover footer
heading 53.33px · 700INECOBANKCase-study client name, uppercase
heading-light 53.33px · 30030 Year Anniversary CampaignProject name under the client
section 46.67px · 500About usContent slide title
lead 33.33px · 700Marketing proposalCover subtitle
body 26.67px · 300Founded in 2011, Braind is a branding and marketing agency.Running text, 1.77 leading
caption 24px · 500info@braind.amNames, contacts, roles

Type colours

Jet Black on paperAnd on every light accent.
On Blue on blueNever pure white or black.
Braind BlueOnly for the logo and links.
  • No grey text. Hierarchy comes from weight (300 / 500 / 700), not tint.
  • No uppercase outside cover titles and case-study client names.
Brand foundations

Grid, graphics and data

Partly documented

Empty space is part of the brand. A short list of graphic devices, on purpose.

Slide anatomy

About us
108px margin40px column gap
Text on the left, people or images on the right, 40px apart. Team rows stack 16px apart.

Shape and space

Slides and photos are square.
Portraits are always circles.
Link
Pills for links and buttons.
Web panels and image frames round to 35px.
  • No shadows on slides.
  • No borders around content.
  • No decorative shapes.

Gradient and hairline

2026One 2px hairline in On Blue, from about a third of the width to the right margin, with the year at its left.

Patterns

Partly documented
Variant 1
Variant 2
Variant 3
  • Geometric, in Braind Blue with Lavender, in three variants.
  • On merch, backdrops and social backgrounds. Never behind running text.

The three pattern files will replace these frames when they are supplied.

Charts

Draft for approval

Charts use the brand palette in a fixed order, so a series keeps its colour everywhere.

Series 1Braind Blue
Series 2Jet Black
Series 3Lavender
HighlightVolt, one value only
  • Label values directly; avoid legends where you can.
  • Ink text and thin rules; no 3D, no shadows, no gradients in data.
  • Start bar charts at zero. State the source and date under every chart.

Icons, illustration, QR

To be added
To be added

The live Braindbook lists a visual element, illustrations and QR codes; no artwork or rules are published yet. Icons are not defined.

Brand foundations

Photography and art direction

Partly documented

Principles

Real people, with Braind Blue in the frame.

  • The Braind team and lifestyle portraits.
  • Blue enters the frame through clothing, props or backdrops.
  • Place the single-colour logo on photos.
  • Photos on slides are square; portraits are circles.

Art direction

Draft for approval
Subjects
The team at work, clients’ products in use, the studio. Real people, not stock.
Light
Daylight or clean studio light; true colour, so Braind Blue reads as Braind Blue.
Composition
Generous negative space, one subject, room for the logo and a title.
Retouching
Clean up, don’t change people. No skin smoothing, no body reshaping.
Crops
Square on slides, circles for portraits, the focal point inside the centre third.
Stock
Only for abstract backgrounds and textures, never for people presented as Braind or its clients.

AI images and rights

Draft for approval
  • AI images are for concepts and moodboards, labelled as such.
  • Never generate Braind staff, clients, offices or finished client work.
  • Every photo of a person needs a signed model release; every location needs permission.
  • Record the photographer, the licence and the expiry in the rights register.
Rights register

Reference photos

Model in a Braind Blue sports top printed with the Made in Braind, Yerevan badge, and blue leggings
Girl in blue
Smiling model with blue hair in a Braind Blue cropped top with the braind® wordmark
Braind team blue

Both photos: one person per frame, in Braind Blue clothing, on a light grey ground.

Brand foundations

Motion, video and sound

Draft for approval

Calm and precise: things arrive quickly and settle gently.

Motion personality

These are the motion tokens the website uses today.

dur-fast160msHover, focus, colour changes
dur-base280msMenus, panels, toggles
dur-slow600msReveals on scroll, page-level moves
easecubic-bezier(0.2, 0, 0, 1)Every transition: fast out, calm settle
  • Every animation stops under the reduced-motion setting.
  • No bounce, no spin, no parallax on text.

Video formats and captions

Draft for approval
Landscape · 16:9Website, YouTube, presentations
Square · 1:1Feed posts, LinkedIn
Portrait · 4:5Instagram feed
Vertical · 9:16Reels, Stories, TikTok
  • Subtitles burned in or uploaded on every video; most are watched muted.
  • Captions in sentence case, ink on white or On Blue on blue, inside the safe area.
  • End card: the wordmark on Braind Blue and one action.

Sound

Draft for approval

No sonic logo for now: it would need a clear recognition job to earn its place. Use licensed, calm instrumental music; voiceover in a natural, unhurried voice, with names pronounced as the client says them.

Brand foundations

Experience and the senses

Draft for approval

What it feels like to work with Braind, in the room and over the months.

Touch, feel and space

Draft for approval
Touch

Uncoated, heavy paper for anything handed over; smooth, matte surfaces. No glossy laminate.

Materials

Paper, cotton, ceramic and anodised metal in Braind Blue, black or white.

Finish

Matte. One special finish at most per piece: blind emboss or a blue foil detail.

Sound

Quiet meeting rooms. No background music in client meetings.

Scent

Listed as “Aroma” in the Braindbook. Until defined, the office stays scent-free.

Space

White walls, blue accents, plants, work on the walls, clear desks.

Rituals

Every client meeting opens with the problem and ends with the next step, owner and date.

Client journey

Draft for approval

For every moment: what the client should experience, what we do, and how we know it worked.

  1. 01Discovery

    ClientFinds Braind through work, a referral or social.

    WeReply within one working day with a time to talk.

    Measured by: First-reply time
  2. 02First meeting

    ClientFeels heard and leaves with a clear next step.

    WeAsk about the business problem before showing work.

    Measured by: Brief agreed
  3. 03Proposal

    ClientUnderstands scope, price, timeline and team.

    WeSend a Braind deck with fixed scope and dates.

    Measured by: Proposal turnaround
  4. 04Kick-off

    ClientKnows who does what.

    WeNamed team, shared calendar, one contact person.

    Measured by: Kick-off within a week of signing
  5. 05Delivery

    ClientSees progress without asking.

    WeWeekly update; reviews at agreed milestones.

    Measured by: Milestones on time
  6. 06Handover

    ClientGets every file and knows how to use it.

    WeOrganised files, guidelines or a Braindbook®.

    Measured by: Complete handover checklist
  7. 07Follow-up

    ClientFeels the relationship continues.

    WeCheck in after launch; review results.

    Measured by: Repeat and referred work