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| 1 | +# Phony Branding Guidelines |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +This document defines the **final, approved brand identity** for **Phony** — a PHP developer tool orchestrator. It explains *what Phony is*, *why it is called Phony*, and *how the brand must be represented* visually and verbally. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +This is the **single source of truth** for branding decisions. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +--- |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +## Brand Overview |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +| Attribute | Value | |
| 12 | +|----------------|-----------------------------| |
| 13 | +| **Name** | Phony | |
| 14 | +| **Package** | `wayofdev/phony` | |
| 15 | +| **Namespace** | `WayOfDev\\Phony` | |
| 16 | +| **Binary** | `phony` | |
| 17 | +| **Repository** | `github.com/wayofdev/phony` | |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +--- |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +## Brand Rationale: Why “Phony”? |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +The name **Phony** is intentionally ironic. |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +At first glance, Phony looks like a single CLI tool. In reality, it is an **orchestrator** — a facade that coordinates multiple best-in-class PHP quality tools behind one simple interface. |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +In this sense, Phony is *“phony”* in the same way many software abstractions are: |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +> it presents a simplified surface while hiding real complexity underneath. |
| 30 | +
|
| 31 | +This deliberate illusion is a **feature, not a flaw**. |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +Phony does not replace existing tools — |
| 34 | +it *pretends* to be one tool so developers don’t have to think about many. |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +This mirrors familiar software concepts: |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +* Facade pattern |
| 39 | +* Adapter |
| 40 | +* Proxy |
| 41 | +* Unified interface over complex systems |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +The name rewards curiosity: once understood, it feels *earned*. |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +--- |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +## Brand Mantra |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +> **One stable. One command. Trusted PHP quality.** |
| 50 | +
|
| 51 | +Alternative internal phrasing (not for logo use): |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +* *A friendly facade over serious tooling* |
| 54 | +* *Simple on the surface. Powerful underneath.* |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +--- |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +## Mental Model (ASCII) |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +This is how Phony should be understood architecturally and conceptually: |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +```text |
| 63 | +┌──────────────┐ |
| 64 | +│ phony │ ← one command, one interface |
| 65 | +└──────┬───────┘ |
| 66 | + │ |
| 67 | + ▼ |
| 68 | +┌──────────────────────────────┐ |
| 69 | +│ linters • formatters • SAST │ |
| 70 | +│ analyzers • custom checks │ |
| 71 | +│ best-in-class PHP tools │ |
| 72 | +└──────────────────────────────┘ |
| 73 | +``` |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +Phony is the **stable master**, not the horse. |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +--- |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +## Mascot (FINAL) |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +### Concept |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +**Illustrated / plush elephant–pony hybrid** inspired by the official PHP **elePHPant** mascot. |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +* Elephant head → PHP heritage |
| 86 | +* Pony body → speed, elegance, agility |
| 87 | +* Hybrid → intentional abstraction |
| 88 | + |
| 89 | +This mascot is **not realistic**. It is friendly, symbolic, and recognizably PHP-native. |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +### Anatomy |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +* **Head:** Elephant-like, short rounded trunk, big friendly eyes, round ears |
| 94 | +* **Body:** Compact pony body, plush proportions |
| 95 | +* **Pose:** One front hoof slightly raised (confidence + friendliness) |
| 96 | +* **Mane & Tail:** Flowing, stylized, adds motion |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +--- |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | +## Color Palette (FINAL) |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +| Usage | Hex | |
| 103 | +|-----------------|-----------------------------| |
| 104 | +| Primary body | `#777BB4` (PHP purple-blue) | |
| 105 | +| Body shading | darker purple tones | |
| 106 | +| Mane & tail | `#CD853F` → `#DAA520` | |
| 107 | +| Eyes | `#FFFFFF` + dark pupils | |
| 108 | +| Text (light UI) | `#333333` | |
| 109 | +| Text (dark UI) | `#E6EDF3` | |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | +--- |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +## Logo System |
| 114 | + |
| 115 | +### Composition |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +* Mascot on the **left** |
| 118 | +* Wordmark **“Phony”** on the right |
| 119 | +* Optional tagline below |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +### Geometry Rule (MANDATORY) |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +The tagline must align **exactly under the left edge of the “P”** in “Phony”. |
| 124 | + |
| 125 | +```text |
| 126 | +P h o n y |
| 127 | +| |
| 128 | +Your PHP quality stable |
| 129 | +``` |
| 130 | + |
| 131 | +No centering by eye. This is a hard alignment rule. |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | +--- |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +## Tagline |
| 136 | + |
| 137 | +**Primary tagline:** |
| 138 | + |
| 139 | +> **Your PHP quality stable** |
| 140 | +
|
| 141 | +Meaning: |
| 142 | + |
| 143 | +* *Stable (noun)* — a collection of tools |
| 144 | +* *Stable (adjective)* — reliable, trustworthy quality |
| 145 | + |
| 146 | +The tagline is **optional** and only used in full logo variants. |
| 147 | + |
| 148 | +--- |
| 149 | + |
| 150 | +## Theme Variants (GitHub) |
| 151 | + |
| 152 | +Two official variants are required. |
| 153 | + |
| 154 | +### Light Theme |
| 155 | + |
| 156 | +* Optimized for white backgrounds |
| 157 | +* Tagline text: dark gray (`#333333`) or deep purple-gray |
| 158 | + |
| 159 | +### Dark Theme |
| 160 | + |
| 161 | +* Optimized for GitHub dark (`#0d1117`) |
| 162 | +* Tagline text: near-white (`#E6EDF3`) |
| 163 | +* Purple tones slightly brightened for contrast |
| 164 | + |
| 165 | +No glow, no background fills. |
| 166 | + |
| 167 | +--- |
| 168 | + |
| 169 | +## Canonical Logo Generation Prompt (LOCKED) |
| 170 | + |
| 171 | +```text |
| 172 | +Create a high-quality illustrated mascot logo for a PHP developer CLI tool named “Phony” |
| 173 | +(PHP + Pony = Phony). Output with a fully transparent background (alpha). |
| 174 | +
|
| 175 | +Mascot (left): |
| 176 | +- Cute elephant–pony hybrid inspired by the PHP elePHPant plush style |
| 177 | +- Elephant head, short rounded trunk, big friendly eyes, round ears |
| 178 | +- Compact pony body, plush proportions, one front hoof slightly raised |
| 179 | +- Flowing mane and tail with motion |
| 180 | +
|
| 181 | +Colors: |
| 182 | +- Body: PHP purple-blue (#777BB4) with darker purple shading |
| 183 | +- Mane & tail: warm chestnut / amber (#CD853F to #DAA520) |
| 184 | +- Eyes: white with dark pupils and highlight |
| 185 | +
|
| 186 | +Wordmark (right): |
| 187 | +- Text: “Phony” |
| 188 | +- Bold modern developer-friendly typography |
| 189 | +- Two-tone: “Ph” in purple, “ony” in warm chestnut/orange |
| 190 | +
|
| 191 | +Tagline (optional second line): |
| 192 | +- “Your PHP quality stable” |
| 193 | +- MUST align exactly under the left edge of the “P” in “Phony” |
| 194 | +
|
| 195 | +Composition: |
| 196 | +- Mascot left, wordmark right, tagline below |
| 197 | +- Transparent background only |
| 198 | +- Crisp edges suitable for SVG redraw |
| 199 | +``` |
| 200 | + |
| 201 | +--- |
| 202 | + |
| 203 | +## Asset Naming Convention |
| 204 | + |
| 205 | +```text |
| 206 | +assets/ |
| 207 | +├── logo.svg |
| 208 | +├── logo.gh-light-mode-only.svg |
| 209 | +├── logo.gh-dark-mode-only.svg |
| 210 | +├── logo-icon.svg |
| 211 | +├── logo-icon-512.png |
| 212 | +├── favicon.ico |
| 213 | +└── social-preview.png |
| 214 | +``` |
| 215 | + |
| 216 | +--- |
| 217 | + |
| 218 | +## README.md Structure (Recommended) |
| 219 | + |
| 220 | +The README should reinforce the brand narrative: |
| 221 | + |
| 222 | +1. **Logo (auto light/dark switch)** |
| 223 | +2. **One-sentence value proposition** |
| 224 | +3. **Short explanation of “phony” (facade metaphor)** |
| 225 | +4. **What Phony does / does not do** |
| 226 | +5. **Quick start** |
| 227 | +6. **Tool ecosystem (what it orchestrates)** |
| 228 | +7. **Configuration philosophy** |
| 229 | +8. **Contributing & design principles** |
| 230 | + |
| 231 | +--- |
| 232 | + |
| 233 | +## Brand Positioning Summary |
| 234 | + |
| 235 | +Phony is: |
| 236 | + |
| 237 | +* Friendly, not corporate |
| 238 | +* Honest about abstraction |
| 239 | +* PHP-native, not generic |
| 240 | +* Simple on the surface, serious underneath |
| 241 | + |
| 242 | +> **Phony is a deliberate illusion — built to make PHP quality boringly reliable.** |
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