# Sankofa Nexus — Visual Identity Rationale

**Version:** 1.0 · **Scope:** Sankofa, Phoenix, PanTel public marks and web shell

## Symbolism

### Sankofa master mark

The geometric Sankofa bird faces backward while the body advances — *return, retrieve, preserve, move forward*. The protective circular ring denotes sovereign jurisdiction and institutional continuity. Tail geometry resolves into network paths (data streams, orbital lines) rather than decorative plumage.

An optional eight-point grid references Hospitaller order geometry (precision, protection, service) without religious iconography — used at ≤8% opacity as structural scaffolding only.

### Phoenix sub-mark

Derived from the Sankofa bird ascending: horizontal wing strata imply cloud compute layers; a central core reads as continuity / rebirth / uptime. Meaning: restoration, resilience, sovereign cloud.

### PanTel sub-mark

Derived from the Sankofa central node with signal arcs and orbital paths — telecommunications, secure connectivity, propagation across distributed infrastructure.

## Tone

Institutional, sovereign, resilient, precise, civilizational — not startup SaaS, not DeFi meme aesthetics, not cartoon mascots.

## Palette

| Token | Hex | Use |
|-------|-----|-----|
| Obsidian | `#111111` | Primary surfaces |
| Deep Midnight | `#0D1B2A` | Depth, headers, panels |
| Sovereign Gold | `#D4A64A` | Primary accent, marks |
| Bronze | `#8B6A3E` | Secondary accent, borders |
| Signal Copper | `#C56B2C` | CTAs, signal / network emphasis |
| Cloud Ivory | `#F5F1E8` | Primary text on dark |

Gradients are used sparingly — prefer flat gold/copper on obsidian.

## Typography

**IBM Plex Sans** — institutional sans with engineering clarity (IBM-grade durability). Fallback: system-ui.

## Implementation

- SVG React components: `src/components/brand/logos/`
- Tokens: `src/lib/brand/tokens.ts`, CSS vars in `globals.css`, Tailwind `sovereign.*`
- Brand reference page: `/brand`
