Say who funded it.
Sponsorship and study outreach are identified in plain language at the point where they appear.
PainSignal identity system · v1.1
Warm evidence, made personal.
PainSignal should feel like an independent research journal crossed with a calm personal briefing: rigorous enough to trust, warm enough to live with.
Brand promise
“Pain research, explained for real life.”
Every visual and verbal choice should make complex evidence easier to inspect—never more dramatic than the source allows.
Always free for patients, families, and caregivers.01 · Logo
The evidence thread.
Three rules represent the research record. A rust thread crosses the evidence and ends in a dot: the finding made relevant to one person.
- Use the full lockup whenever space allows.
- Keep clear space equal to the terminal dot's diameter.
- Never rotate, outline, shadow, or recolor individual pieces.
PrimaryPainSignal
ReversedPainSignal
MarkPainSignal
02 · Color
Paper, forest, and a clear signal.
Warm neutrals reduce clinical coldness. Forest carries trust and action. Rust is the distinctive signal—and is reserved for emphasis, not long passages of text.
Canvas
#F2EFE6--canvasSurface
#FBF9F2--surfaceInk
#182622--inkForest
#1F5A49--forestSignal
#C65332--signalAmber soft
#F2E7C9--amber-softSignal rust is decorative or large-type only. Use signal strong (#963C27) for accessible text on the canvas. Focus rings always use #275FDB.
03 · Typography
Editorial authority. Human readability.
Literata brings a considered editorial voice to headings. Atkinson Hyperlegible keeps body copy and interface labels distinct at a glance, including on low-energy days.
- Reading measure
- 62–68 characters
- Body minimum
- 16px / 1.6
- Metadata minimum
- 14px / 1.45
Literata · 600
Evidence needs room to breathe.
Atkinson Hyperlegible · 400 / 700
A clear briefing explains what changed, what remains uncertain, and where the original source can be found.
04 · Voice
Clear before clever. Honest before hopeful.
The voice is calm, specific, and comfortable saying “we do not know.” It helps a reader form questions without telling them what medical choice to make.
PrincipleWrite thisNot this
Calibrate certaintyA small study suggests…A breakthrough proves…
Keep limits beside the findingWhat researchers found / What this does not showHide limitations in a footnote
Offer a next questionWhat might be useful to ask your clinicianWhat you should do next
Name the commercial boundarySponsored material is labeled and does not affect rankingOur partners help choose what matters
05 · Evidence language
Stage is always stated in words.
Color supports the hierarchy, but it never carries meaning alone. Every evidence tag has a visible stage name and a short explanation nearby.
Early signal
Exploratory work; may never become a treatment.
Clinical research
Being studied in people; no firm conclusion yet.
Clinical guidance
Considered in professional guidance or a regulatory decision.
06 · Layout & motion
Calm structure over decorative noise.
Use strong reading order, warm rules, compact labels, and generous—but not empty—space. Motion should explain state, never imitate a medical signal or compete with concentration.
- Maximum content width: 1180px.
- Primary card radius: 8px; featured briefing: 12px.
- Buttons use a 6px radius, not pills.
- Minimum interactive target: 44 × 44px.
- Honor reduced-motion preferences.
4px base scale
4
8
12
16
24
32
48
64
96
07 · Trust architecture
Commercial relationships stay visible and separate.
PainSignal is always free for patients. Research-side funding must never be styled, written, or ranked in a way that disguises influence.
Keep payment out of ranking.
Editorial explanations and trial suggestions are ordered by relevance and evidence—not commercial relationships.
Never sell identifiable patient data.
If aggregate insights are described, state clearly that they do not identify individual users.
Name the role of AI precisely.
AI may assist monitoring, organization, and drafting; published explanations follow a defined quality process.
08 · Use it well
The final check.
Make the source and the uncertainty easy to find.
Use short sections, explicit evidence labels, underlined links, and plain descriptions of what is not yet known.
Turn pain into visual drama.
Avoid glowing anatomy, lightning bolts, ECG lines, body-part stock photos, urgent countdowns, and “breakthrough” language.
The test for every choice