h2o — Graphic Assets

Graphic Assets

Visual Language

Four primary graphic elements define the h2o visual language — the Orbiting Circles, Infinity Loop, Arrow Graphic, and Touchpoints Graphic. All are built from dashed orbital paths and open-circle nodes in the brand palette, communicating interconnection, momentum, and the continuous marketing cycle.

Lead Asset 01

Orbiting Circles

Concentric dashed orbit rings with open-circle nodes in Gold, Sage, Ink, and pale Sage — a visual metaphor for interconnected channels, touchpoints, and momentum. The circular motif echoes the h2o logoform at scale. Always presented full-bleed or partially cropped; never shrunk to fit.

Digital Hero Backgrounds Large Format Print Video Intros / Outros Section Overlays

Lead Asset 02

Infinity Loop

Interlocking dashed ellipses forming a continuous figure-eight — a direct metaphor for the integrated, perpetual marketing cycle. Gold and Lime nodes mark key moments. Designed for animation; equally powerful as a static graphic. Always shown in full — never crop the loop.

Animated / Motion Website Hero Sections Presentations Campaign Advertising

Lead Asset 03

Arrow Graphic

A directional dot-field graphic where density and colour shift from background tones through to Sage and Lime — a visual flow suggesting progress and forward momentum. Works on both light and dark backgrounds. Used to provide movement and energy within campaign layouts and digital contexts.

Campaign Materials Presentations Directional Layouts Motion / Animation

Lead Asset 04

Touchpoints Graphic

Concentric arc sections bleeding from a corner — the large-circle system at its most architectural. Open-ring nodes in Gold, Sage, and Stone mark key positions along each arc. Can be used as a corner element, full-bleed crop, or animated with nodes travelling the arcs. Built for dark and light backgrounds.

Touchpoint Diagrams Digital Backgrounds Print & OOH Motion / Animation

Colour Nodes

All four graphics use the same node colours: Gold (#E5AC34), Sage (#879F80), Ink (#323526), and pale Sage/Lime (#D3E694). Never recolour nodes individually — the multi-colour node language is intentional and must stay intact.

Animation

All four assets are built for motion. Orbiting Circles and Touchpoints: nodes rotate or travel their arc paths. Infinity Loop: nodes travel the figure-eight continuously. Arrow: dots pulse or shift in density. Use easing — never linear. Pace should feel calm and measured.

Scale & Background

Orbiting Circles, Arrow, and Touchpoints can bleed to edges and be partially cropped. The Infinity Loop must always be shown in full. Orbiting Circles and Infinity Loop are designed for light backgrounds; Arrow and Touchpoints work on dark grounds.

The Circle Language

Circles and arcs are the structural backbone of the h2o visual system — used to create graphics, divide space, contain imagery, and mark moments on a journey. The ring form — a solid circular stroke with an open centre — exists in every palette colour and is the primary node element across all brand communications.

Large Circles

Full-bleed and cropped circle forms used as page architecture — dividing sections, framing content, and creating depth. The dashed concentric arcs of the Touchpoints graphic are an extension of this language at editorial scale.

Quarter Circle

A single arc quarter anchored to a corner — creates spatial depth and frames a section without overpowering content. The fill is always a light tone from the palette.

Mid

Thick

Bold

Keyline Weight

Always use mid to thick strokes — never thin. The keyline should read with confidence at any size. Colour the stroke using the brand palette; a weak or hairline ring loses presence and breaks the visual language.

Circle Image Container

Photography clipped directly to the circle form — no keyline, the shape alone frames the image. The crop always centres on the subject's natural focus point.

Circle + Gold Keyline

On warm light grounds (Cream, Stone, Sand) the Gold ring is the natural choice — premium and confident. One of the most recognisable h2o brand conventions.

Circle Palette

The ring form exists in every brand colour. Select the variant that suits the background — ensuring the ring reads with sufficient contrast and sits naturally within the palette combination in use.

Ink

Olive 800

Slate 800

Gold 500

Gold 700

Honey 500

Sand 400

Sage 500

Lime

Tealgray 400

Bluegray 500

Bluegray 200

Circles as Nodes

The ring form is used as a node element — positioned along dashed lines to mark points on a journey, stages in a process, or milestones in a project. The open centre gives each node visual weight without solidity; the dashed connector implies progression without rigidity.

Customer Journey — light ground

Awareness

Consideration

Decision

Onboarding

Advocacy

Project Milestones — dark ground

Discovery

Strategy

Creative

Launch

Optimise

Supporting Graphic Elements

Dark Gradient

Ink → Olive — primary dark background treatment

Gold Gradient

Gold → Sand — accent and highlight sections

Sage Gradient

Sage → Bluegray — calm, secondary sections

Touchpoints — Dark

Arc system on Ink — cornered, architectural, directional

Arrow — Olive Ground

Dot-field arrow on Olive 800 — campaign sections

Dark Sage Gradient

Ink → Sage — moody, brand-forward section backgrounds

Visual Style

Photography

Our photography feels like a genuine moment caught — natural light, real environments, people in motion or absorbed in thought. Never posed, never performative. The camera is a quiet observer, not a director.

No Eye Contact

Subjects never look directly at the camera. They're engaged with each other, their work, or their surroundings. This creates authenticity — the viewer feels like they've caught a real moment, not been invited into a staged one.

Natural Light

Prefer available, ambient light over studio setups. Warm morning tones, soft window diffusion, dappled outdoor light. Avoid harsh flash, over-exposed whites, or clinical studio backgrounds that feel sterile.

Natural Environments

Real offices, real streets, real spaces. Not white cyc studios or artificially pristine rooms. Slight imperfections and lived-in environments add credibility and warmth to the brand story.

Motion & Energy

Capture people mid-gesture, mid-conversation, mid-thought. Walking, talking, writing, laughing. The energy of doing — not the stillness of posing.

Tonal Consistency

Photography should sit comfortably within the brand palette — warm, earthy tones complement our creams, sands and olives. Avoid oversaturated, high-contrast edits or heavy vignetting.

Considered Framing

Negative space is an asset. Allow breathing room around subjects. Offset compositions, natural depth of field, and slightly looser crops feel more editorial and less stock-library.

Photography Style Reference

Designer working late at desk, screen light, candid and absorbed

Late-night focus — moody ambient light, candid

Three colleagues laughing in conversation on a sofa

Informal conversation — natural connection, not staged

Woman smiling at laptop in bright home workspace

Bright workspace — natural light, relaxed energy

Young woman on bus with headphones and phone, candid

On the move — candid, urban context

Photographic Do's

Candid, unposed moments — people in the act of doing
Subjects looking at each other, at work, or into the middle distance
Natural, available or ambient light sources
Real, lived-in environments and authentic spaces
Warm, earthy tonal editing consistent with the brand palette
Loose, editorial crops with generous negative space
Motion and energy — walking, gesturing, laughing mid-conversation
Detail shots — hands, objects, environments — no face required

Photographic Don'ts

Direct eye contact with the camera lens
Stiff, posed group shots or forced smiles at the camera
White studio cyc backgrounds or artificial setups
Heavy retouching, oversaturation, or dramatic filters
Generic stock photography tropes — handshakes, thumbs up, pointing at whiteboards
Harsh flash or clinical, overlit imagery
Heavily cropped, portrait-style headshots as primary imagery
Busy, distracting backgrounds that compete with the subject

Visual Style

Illustration

Our illustration style pairs flat, abstracted figures with the brand's circle language — Ink outlines, Lime and Sage fills, and Gold accent nodes. People are shapes, not portraits. Circles are always structural, never decorative. The overall feeling is warm, modern, and purposeful.

Reference Illustration 01

People & the Loop

The founding illustration. Two abstracted figures — one kneeling at a device, one standing and holding a circle aloft — are embedded within the Infinity Loop form. Circle-within-circle icons (social media, community) sit inside the rings. Gold and Lime nodes float along the loop's orbit path. This piece establishes every rule: Ink outlines, Lime fills, circle as icon container, figures without faces, black background or transparent.

Ink — outlines, dark fills, hair

Lime — primary figure fill, ring fill

Gold — accent nodes on orbit paths

White — circle interiors, highlights

Ink Keylines

All shapes carry a consistent Ink (#323526) stroke — 2.5px at standard illustration sizes. Outlines never change colour. No drop shadows, inner glows, or gradients on any shape.

Four-Colour Palette

Ink, Lime, White, and one accent (Gold or Sage). Figures are Lime-filled with Ink outlines. Dark variant: Ink-filled figures on a black ground. Never more than four colours per piece.

Circles as Structure

The ring and circle forms are always integral to the composition — not decorative. They act as icon containers, backdrops for figures, and connectors in the orbit system. Never use a circle as mere decoration.

Data Visualisation

Charts and graphs using Lime fills, Ink outlines, and Gold/Lime orbit nodes as data callouts

Scene illustrations — figures in industry and retail settings with Lime fills, Ink outlines, and circle icon containers

Scene & Context

Figures in real-world settings — circle containers hold icons, dashed lines connect elements

Illustration Do's

Ink (#323526) outlines on every shape — consistent weight, 2–2.5px at standard size
Lime as the primary figure fill; Ink for the dark figure variant
White legs/trousers on light backgrounds, Lime on dark backgrounds
Circles always structural — icon containers, orbit backdrops, node rings
Gold or Lime as orbit node rings along dashed paths
Abstract faces — circle heads with no facial features drawn
Maximum 4 colours: Ink + Lime + White + one accent (Gold or Sage)
Black or transparent background for full compositions; Cream/Offwhite for detail panels

Illustration Don'ts

Facial features, expressions, or realistic skin tones on figures
Gradients, soft shadows, or inner glows on any shape
More than 4 colours — palette discipline is the style's signature
Circles used purely decoratively — every circle must serve the composition
Off-brand colours or any palette not drawn from the h2o system
Variable stroke weights within a single piece without intentional hierarchy
Drop shadows (these belong to UI components only)
Generic icon-library or clip-art aesthetics — figures must feel h2o-specific

Work in Action

Examples

Real campaign materials produced for the SMMT Connected 2026 event — the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' annual automotive technology summit. These pieces demonstrate the brand system applied across print formats: exhibition banner, A3 poster, and A5 postcard front and back.

Exhibition Banner

Electrification Alone Doesn't Sell Itself

Portrait roller banner for the SMMT Connected stand. Olive ground, bold Kantumruy headline in two weights, client logo grid in circle containers, Sage dashed orbit arcs as background motif.

A3 Poster

Prize Draw

A3 event poster driving engagement via a Lego Technic prize draw. Olive ground, concentric dashed orbit rings, Gold circle callout, B Corp and SMMT membership marks.

A5 Postcard — Front

20th Anniversary Client Grid

Cream circles on Olive ground carrying 19 client logos, with the 20th anniversary mark centred as the hero circle. Demonstrates the circle-as-container language at editorial scale.

A5 Postcard — Back

Automotive Marketing Specialists

Services overview with bold headline, sector bullet strip, and Touchpoints arc graphic bleeding from the right edge. Contact details and SMMT membership mark at foot.

20th Anniversary

Personalised thank you cards sent to every member of the team to mark the start of h2o's 20th anniversary year. Each card was individually named — the front features the Orbiting Circles asset with the anniversary mark centred, the inside carries a personal message with the recipient's photo in a Gold keyline circle.

Thank You Card — Front

Orbiting Circles Cover

White ground with the Orbiting Circles asset at full bleed — Gold, Sage, Ink and Stone nodes on concentric dashed rings. The 20th anniversary mark sits centred as the focal point.

Thank You Card — Inside

Personalised Message

White ground, Gold serif headline personalised per recipient, body copy in Kantumruy Light. The recipient's photo is cropped into a circle with a Gold keyline — the brand's circle-as-image-container convention applied personally.