Foundation brand guidelines
Transparent, warm, and rooted in community impact. Official colors, typography, logo usage, and downloadable assets for partners, media, and internal teams.
Brand essence
The Foundation brand sits alongside the Ardent Africa platform. Use the Foundation lockup when you represent grantmaking, donations to the Foundation, or nonprofit programs.
The Ardent Africa Foundation is the charitable arm of the Ardent Africa ecosystem. Our brand extends the platform palette with a softer cream body surface and the Foundation wordmark, while keeping the same human-centered Africa mark and trust-first tone.
Use these guidelines for the Foundation marketing site, grant materials, partner decks, email, and co-branded campaigns. When representing both the platform and the Foundation, lead with the correct lockup for each entity.
Color palette
Core colors for the Foundation marketing site, email, and partner materials. The platform product uses a closely related navy and gold palette documented separately.
Foundation navy
#233d4d
Primary brand color. Headlines, footer, top contact bar, and key actions.
Gold
#ddba7d
Accent color. Donate buttons, highlights, icons, and focus states.
Header white
#FFFBF5
Main navigation header background. Keeps the light lockup legible.
Cream body
#FFEDC7
Default page background across the Foundation marketing site.
White
#FFFFFF
Cards, panels, and form surfaces.
Body text
#334443
Supporting copy and labels on light backgrounds.
Extended UI colors
Navy hover
#1a2f3c
Primary button hover and pressed states.
Gold light
#e8cf9a
Soft gold fills and hover accents.
Gold dark
#c9a56b
Gold button hover and subtle emphasis.
Logo
The Foundation lockup includes the Africa mark and the words "Ardent Africa Foundation". Always use approved files. Minimum display height: 48px. Keep clear space equal to the height of the "A" in Ardent on all sides of the lockup.
Light background lockup (primary)
Default for the Foundation header and light marketing sections. Navy and gold wordmark with the Africa mark.
Header, light hero panels, PDF covers on white or cream.Dark background lockup (primary)
Default for the Foundation footer and navy surfaces. White Africa mark with gold Foundation wordmark.
Footer, top contact bar contexts, navy section backgrounds.Dark background lockup (gold monochrome)
All-gold lockup for premium dark placements where a single metallic tone is required.
Event signage, embossed materials, or dark photography with a solid navy overlay.Dark background lockup (white monochrome)
All-white lockup for maximum contrast on photography, video lower-thirds, or very dark overlays.
Broadcast, hero video overlays, and partner slides on busy imagery.Do
Use the provided PNG lockups. Do not recreate the Foundation mark from scratch.
Use Ardent_Founda-01 on light surfaces and Ardent_Founda-04 as the default on navy.
Use Ardent_Founda-03 or Ardent_Founda-05 only when a single-color lockup is required on dark backgrounds.
Scale proportionally. Maintain the built-in aspect ratio.
Use the Ardent Africa platform lockup (not the Foundation lockup) when referring to the main product.
Do not
Do not stretch, rotate, skew, or add effects (shadows, glows, outlines) to the logo.
Do not swap Foundation and platform lockups in the same layout without clear context.
Do not place the light lockup on busy or low-contrast photography without a solid panel.
Do not use unapproved gradients, purple tones, or generic stock icon sets in Foundation materials.
Typography
Sora for headings. Manrope for body copy, labels, and buttons. Both are loaded via Google Fonts in the Foundation site.
Advancing charitable impact across Africa
Programs that communities can trust
Transparent grantmaking and reporting
The Ardent Africa Foundation channels charitable capital toward vetted NGOs and local leaders with accountability, dignity, and measurable outcomes.
Donate to the Foundation
Voice and tone
Foundation copy should sound accountable, human, and specific about how charitable capital is used.
Impact with evidence
Lead with programs, outcomes, and transparency. Avoid vague charity language without specifics.
Dignity and partnership
Center communities and NGO partners as leaders. Celebrate progress without sensationalism.
Clear next steps
Tell donors and volunteers exactly how to give, apply, or get involved. Plain language over jargon.
Preferred language
Avoid
UI principles
Marketing layouts use consistent spacing, border radii, and surface colors across the Foundation site.
header surface · #FFFBF5
Main navigation header above page content. Lighter than the cream body so the light lockup stays legible.body surface · #FFEDC7
Default marketing page background across the Foundation site.footer surface · #233d4d
Site footer and other primary-navy brand surfaces.· Use Foundation navy for primary actions and gold for donate and secondary emphasis.
· Keep the header on #FFFBF5 and the page body on cream (#FFEDC7) for a warm, layered look.
· Prefer flat surfaces and subtle gold borders over heavy shadows.
· Do not use thick left-edge accent bars on cards or callout boxes. Use uniform borders instead.
· Use Sora for headings and Manrope for body copy, matching the Ardent Africa platform.
· When co-branding with the platform, show both lockups with equal clear space and correct color variants.
Download assets
Official PNG files for media, presentations, and approved partner use. Right-click or use the download button to save.
Logo (light backgrounds)
Primary horizontal Foundation lockup for white, header white, and cream surfaces.
Download Ardent_Founda-01.png
Logo (dark backgrounds)
Primary horizontal Foundation lockup for navy footer and dark sections.
Download Ardent_Founda-04.png
Logo (dark, gold monochrome)
Single-color gold lockup for premium dark placements.
Download Ardent_Founda-03.png
Logo (dark, white monochrome)
Single-color white lockup for high-contrast dark overlays.
Download Ardent_Founda-05.png
Favicon / app icon
Square Africa mark for browser tabs and small placements.
Download ardent_africa_favicon_.pngQuestions or co-branding requests
For media kits, co-branding requests, or questions about these guidelines, contact the Foundation team.
Looking for Foundation background? Visit About the Foundation.