Brand guidelines
Inside, you will find an overview of our core design elements and basic rules around how these elements can be applied to various communications. These are the key building blocks of our brand expression.
Secure Code Warrior inspires developers to secure the software that runs our world through a developer-driven secure code learning platform.
Our brand is more than a logo, color or font. It’s how we talk, how we deliver on our promises and ultimately how our customers and the market perceive us.
The primary elements of Secure Code Warrior’s visual identity are shown here: logo, color palette, typography, and illustration and iconography styles. When used consistently according to these guidelines, these elements form a flexible system for creating stories and experiences that amplify the Secure Code Warrior brand.
The Brand Platform is the foundation of our Brand Strategy, and it comprises the Brand Idea, the Emotional Impact, a Positioning Statement, Positioning Pillars, and an Audience definition.
The Brand Idea is the essence or embodiment of what we stand for. It gives an emotional dimension to the brand. It is used to guide look, feel, and voice.
Emotional Impact is defined by how the Secure Code Warrior brand makes people feel. It is a set of four positive emotions that drives the behavior of the brand across all experiences and touchpoints.Brand Positioning is the singular, differentiated and relevant idea we want to stand for in the minds of our customers.
Positioning Pillars are the evergreen, authentic truths about Secure Code Warrior. All our communications should accurately reflect one or more of our Positioning Pillars to ensure a cohesive story across all experiences and touchpoints.
Our audience is unified by an overarching psycho graphic profile, and all brand expressions should resonate with this target.
Emotional Impact is defined by how a brand makes people feel. It is a set of four positive emotions that drives the behavior of our brand across all experiences and touchpoints.
These feelings, which constitute Secure Code Warrior’s Emotional Impact, are intended tobe evoked through our actions, words, and the experiences we create to make stakeholders feel a certain way in relation to the brand.
Channeling these desired feelings across every brand touchpoint helps us create meaningful, consistent brand experiences. Most notably, the Emotional Impact informs the brand’s messaging and communications.
Our Emotional Impact is designed to be relevant to the audiences we need to appeal to today as well as those we want to appeal to in the future.
The Brand Narrative brings all the elements of our Brand Platform together to tell a succinct and powerful story that hits people in the head and the heart. We can use it internally to align people on the ethos of our brand. And we can draw on the language to develop external-facing communications that inspire people with our brand and create believers.
Emotional Impact is defined by how a brand makes people feel. It is a set of four positive emotions that drives the behavior of our brand across all experiences and touchpoints.
These feelings, which constitute Secure Code Warrior’s Emotional Impact, are intended tobe evoked through our actions, words, and the experiences we create to make stakeholders feel a certain way in relation to the brand.
Channeling these desired feelings across every brand touchpoint helps us create meaningful, consistent brand experiences. Most notably, the Emotional Impact informs the brand’s messaging and communications.
Our Emotional Impact is designed to be relevant to the audiences we need to appeal to today as well as those we want to appeal to in the future.
Pairing a solid shield symbol with a bespoke logotype, the Secure Code Warrior logo is a principal component of our brand system. The following pages include detailed guidance on the logo’s application and usage.
Our logo is available in three configurations to giveyou optimal flexibility.
The balanced logotype and compact shape of this configuration suit most applications. Use it whenever possible.
Use this vertical, centered configuration when horizontal space is limited on items such as swag.
You can use this horizontal configuration when vertical space is limited, e.g. on website mastheads.
The Secure Code Warrior Brand Identity must appear clearly and legibly in all applications.
Minimum clear space prevents elements such as type, images, or other logos from entering the exclusion zone and compromising the readability and impact of our logo.
For all logo configurations, the minimum clear space around the logo is half the width of the shield. Whenever possible, use more clear space to allow the logo room to breathe.
The minimum size is the smallest our logo can appear without compromising legibility. Shown here are the recommended minimum sizes you should use for both digital and print applications.
If you have an application that requires an even smaller size, please discuss your needs with our brand team.
The examples shown to the right illustrate uses you should avoid. The Secure Code Warrior logo is custom drawn. Never modify or recreate it or its elements. Always use the logo artwork as provided.
Although our full logo is the primary expression of our brand and should be used whenever possible, our symbol may be used on its own in certain applications
You can adapt our symbol for use as a social media icon or favicon. The Gold symbol variation (see page 17) is preferred for this application. In light mode, Midnight is the preferred background color. (Please see pages 20–24 for guidance on our brand colors.)
When using our symbol on apparel or swag, make sure it is accompanied by our full logo on a different side of the item, as shown here. On very small swag items, such as pins, you can use our symbol without our full logo.
You can use our symbol as a small graphic element in the header or footer (interior pages only) of a document, as shown here. For examples of our symbol in use, please see the Brand Applications section.
Clear space is the area surrounding our symbol that must be kept free of any visual elements—text, graphics, borders, patterns, other logos, etc. Shown here are specifications for the minimum clear space you should use for our symbol.
The minimum size is the smallest our symbol can appear without compromising legibility. Shown here are the recommended minimum sizes you should use for both digital and print applications. If you have an application that requires an even smaller size, please discuss your needs with our brand team.
Note: The minimum size exhibit on this page is shown at 200% scale for clearer Illustration.
Our symbol is available in the three color variations shown here: Gold, Midnight, and White.
You can use this special-use variation for b&w print applications, such as newspaper ads, or co-branding situations where our symbol has to appear on a color outside of our palette. Avoid using this variation onscreen or in full-color print applications.
The approved symbol/background color pairings shown to the right have been chosen to be legible and on-brand. These are the only pairings you should use. For information on our color palette, please see pages 20–24.
The Secure Code Warrior color palette has been refreshed to elevate a series of blues as the primary color approach. Gold is still a primary brand color, but it should used minimally in our logo and as a highlight color. A bright secondary palette has been crafted for additional accents and data visualization. See page 23 for usage guidance.
Shown to the right are specifications for reproducing our color palette in both digital and print applications. Secure Code Warrior colors are based on current RGB standards and the Pantone Matching System. These colors have been carefully chosen to represent our brand and should never be altered.
Midnight is softer than regular black and contains a hint of blue. Never use black in digital applications— always use Space Blue. In print applications where Pantone spot colors are not available, use regular black for smaller typography to avoid registration issues on press.
Note: The Pantone and CMYK colors specified here are for use on coated paper stocks. If an application requires printing on uncoated stock, please work with our brand team and your printer to determine optimum color matches.
Our colors have been tested against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for optimal legibility across a variety of backgrounds. Shown here are the recommended typographic and background color combinations that pass WCAG 2.0 AAA and AA international standards.
The “AA Large” designation on this page denotes usage that is reserved for large text only. Large text is defined by WCAG standards as 14 point (typically 18.66px) and bold or larger, or 18 point (typically 24px) or larger.
Note: Within our color palette, there are additional color combinations that pass accessibility standards. However, they are not part of our visual system, and you should avoid their use.
You can use any of our primary or secondary warm or cool colors for large background floods or color blocks, but always prioritize primary colors. Gold should be a constant presence but not overused; consider it an accent that adds a touch of brand magic to a design. Avoid using our secondary neutral colors in these contexts. Secondary colors should always support the design and never dominate. Ensure colors do not clash or impede legibility.
Primarily use Midnight or White for typography, especially for longer passages and body text. Reserve other colors for accents or data visualization. Always follow accessibility standards (refer to the previous page).
Our illustrations and icons use only our primary colors and follow specific color rules. Please see pages 29–31 for guidance.
You can use any brand color for data visualization, but prioritize primary colors. Use secondary colors and grays only to differentiate information or visualize complex data sets. Avoid using color solely for decoration.
Note: Within our color palette, there are additional color combinations that pass accessibility standards. However, they are not part of our visual system, and you should avoid their use.
The examples shown here illustrate color usages you should avoid.
The Secure Code Warrior typographic system is built upon two fonts: Red Hat and Clash Display.
Red Hat, developed by MCKL for Red Hat, Inc., features a modern, geometric sans-serif design with clean lines and a versatile aesthetic, making it suitable for both digital and print media. Its straightforward, professional appearance ensures readability across different platforms. Red Hat Mono, a monospaced variant, completes the typographic system by providing a distinctive option for code and technical content.
Clash Display is a bold and expressive typeface that stands out with its high contrast and unique character shapes. It adds a touch of sophistication and flair wherever it’s used.
Together, these fonts create a balanced and cohesive design language that is both functional and visually appealing.
Clash Display and Red Hat are our primary brand fonts. You should use them in all external-facing marketing materials.
Both Clash Display and Red Hat are available as free downloads at Google Fonts.
Note: Only the font weights shown on this page are used in the Secure Code Warrior visual system. Avoid using any other weights.
Midnight is softer than regular black and contains a hint of blue. Never use black in digital applications— always use Space Blue. In print applications where Pantone spot colors are not available, use regular black for smaller typography to avoid registration issues on press.
Note: The Pantone and CMYK colors specified here are for use on coated paper stocks. If an application requires printing on uncoated stock, please work with our brand team and your printer to determine optimum color matches.
Follow the specifications outlined here when creating layouts.
In general, align typography flush left. You can use different justification when industry standards dictate formatting, such as for press releases. Use metric kerning and default letter spacing throughout. Headlines that are complete sentences should use punctuation. Use Italics only to denote titles and names of works; avoid using it for emphasis within body text.
For examples of our typographic system in use, please see the Brand Applications section.
It may not be possible to use our brand fonts when collaborating with other organizations on shared documents. In these instances, you can use Arial as a substitute.
Arial is a standard system typeface that is pre- installed on most computers.
Arial may also be used in other situations where it is not possible to use Red Hat, such as email signatures, some EDM platforms and other channels where only system fonts are permitted.
Illustration is an effective way to bolster a sense of storytelling to brand communications. Illustration may be used at large scale as a hero element or at varying smaller scale to support content.
As shown here, the Secure Code Warrior illustration style is a linear, infographic style of visual storytelling that utilizes a single, consistent line weight. When placed on a color background, select components of the illustration fill with white for more visual impact. Color is limited to Midnight lines and white fills to allow for flexibility when placing illustrations on background colors from our palette. Avoid using other colors within illustrations to maintain consistency and clarity. When scaling illustrations up or down, ensure the line weight is adjusted proportionately to maintain the illustration’s visual integrity and style. In print applications, ensure that lines are a minimum of 0.5pt thick.
Note: To maintain legibility and visual consistency, avoid placing our illustrations on Midnight or Sapphire backgrounds.
The Secure Code Warrior iconography style aligns with our brand’s illustration style and is organized into a tiered system for ease of use across various communications.
> Tier 1 icons represent the highest level, capturing descriptive storytelling concepts.
> Tier 2 icons are more abstract and support technical, product-focused content.
> Tier 3 icons are simpler, designed exclusively for use within the product interface.
All icons maintain a consistent, single line weight and a level of simplicity that ensures optimal legibility at small scale.
Tier 1 and 2 icons are built on a 96px x 96px grid with a 2px line weight (shown here at 50% scale). When scaling these icons, maintain the line-weight- to-size ratio. For print applications, ensure that lines are a minimum of 0.5pt thick.
Tier 3 icons are constructed on a 24px x 24px grid. These icons can be either linear or solid for flexibility across product needs. Linear icons use a 1px line weight (shown here at 100% scale), while solid icons use filled shapes with 1px line accents. Avoid mixing linear and solid styles within the same context.
To ensure optimal legibility and visual harmony, our icons adapt their colors based on background color. This adaptation is consistent across all tiers, with a specific accent added to Tier 1 icons.
> White background: All tiers are rendered in Midnight.
> Sapphire Background: Tier 1 icons are primarily white with the addition of a Gold accent
to enhance storytelling and add a touch of sophistication. Tiers 2 and 3 are white only.
> Sky Background: All tiers are in Midnight.
> Midnight Background: All tiers are in Sky.
By maintaining these color treatments, we ensure that our icons are versatile and adaptable to different design needs while retaining a consistent visual language.
Note: Tier 3 icons may be used on different background colors according to product needs. Always ensure legibility in these applications.
Development teams learn while they code to prevent security vulnerabilities before they happen with our all-in-one secure coding training platform.
Learn more about our Learning PlatformFounded in Australia by Pieter Danhieux, Fatemah Beydoun, Colin Wong, and Jaap Karan Singh.
After securing four major Australian banks as clients, the company embarked on a global expansion into the US and EU. This included the acquisition of the Belgian company Sensei, and appointment of its creators, Matias Madou and Nathan Desmet, to Secure Code Warrior’s founding team.
Today, the company serves over 650 global enterprise customers and employs more than 200 people worldwide. It has been honored with over a dozen awards - including the 2020 SINET 16 Innovator Award and JPMorgan Chase & Co’s 2021 Hall of Innovation - and has achieved SOC 2 Type II certification.
Our dedicated Legal team helps our business meet the needs of our customers by providing strategic advice on an increasingly complex, global and ever-changing regulatory landscape.
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Co-Founder
Chief Technology Officer, Director, and Co-Founder
Chief Customer Officer, and Co-Founder
Director of Product Innovation. Chief Dragon Slayer and Co-Founder
Director of Customer Strategy. Chief Singh and Co-founder.
Principal Engineer, and Co-Founder
