A Guide to the Visual World of
Nicole
Roundy
and the podcast, LOOK WHO iT iS
This is not a brand about sports, motivation, or productivity.
It's a brand about noticing. Nicole Roundy — former Paralympian, entrepreneur, and marketing technology consultant — asks better questions about identity, ambition, reinvention, relationships, grief, and growth. The goal is never to inspire. It's to leave someone thinking, I've never thought about it that way before.
Who this is for
Readers and listeners of Brené Brown, Esther Perel, Adam Grant, Simon Sinek, and Chris Williamson. Readers of The Atlantic, Kinfolk, and Monocle. People drawn to intelligent conversation, psychology, travel, and well-made things — regardless of gender.
What it feels like
Becoming who we're meant to be. An independent magazine. A boutique hotel lobby. A coffee shop where someone asks an unexpectedly interesting question. Quality over noise, always.
“The brand's job is to make someone slow down and think — not to hype them up.”
Ten words in, ten words out.
Is
Curious. Observant. Warm. Sophisticated. Witty. Modern. Editorial. Human. Premium. Calm.
Is not
Corporate. Flashy. “Girl boss.” Motivational speaker. Luxury influencer. Loud. Salesy. Sentimental. Trend-chasing. Performed.
Write like you're mid-conversation, not mid-pitch.
The voice is observational, curious, and funny without trying. It notices. It asks. It rarely declares. Emotional maturity means holding complexity — not resolving it into a tidy lesson.
Write like this
- “Most people don't fear failure. They fear being seen failing.”
- “What if ambition isn't a personality trait — it's a season?”
- “I asked her the question and she just laughed. Which was, itself, an answer.”
Not like this
- “Unlock your best self with these 5 mindset shifts.”
- “Ready to level up your life? Let's dive in!”
- “Here's how I crushed my goals this year.”
Restraint is the point.
Cabernet is the signature — used the way a well-chosen accent wall is used, not the way a logo is used. Brass functions like jewelry: present, precious, and rare. The palette should never feel like “luxury.” It should feel like an intelligent, well-edited room.
Cabernet
#67202C
Signature — 10%
Warm Ivory
#F7F4EF
Background — 60%
Soft Charcoal
#222222
Text — 25%
Aged Brass
#A67C3D
Accent — 1%
Stone
#C8BFB5
Neutral — 4%
Soft Taupe
#DDD6CF
Neutral — 4%
Warm Gray
#8B8680
Neutral — 4%
Deep Olive
#58604E
Optional, sparing use
Open Sauce Sans Bold leads. Serif is reserved for Nicole Roundy.
Primary Display | Headlines
Look Who It Is
Typeface: Open Sauce Sans Bold
Nameplate Only
Nicole Roundy
Typeface: Source Serif 4
Primary Sans | UI & Body
Every episode starts with one honest question.
Typeface: Open Sauce Sans Bold
Data & Labels
EPISODE 042 · RUNTIME 51 MIN · JULY 2026
Typeface: Open Sauce Sans Bold
Fixed Exception | Podcast Wordmark Only
LOOK WHO iT iS
Sims Sans is the primary wordmark face, with Archivo ExtraBold as the fallback. Keep the lowercase i exactly as shown.
Real light. Real moments. Nothing posed.
Photography should feel documentary and architectural — natural light, negative space, real environments: airports, museums, bookstores, coffee shops. No arms-crossed power poses, no mountaintop motivation, no fake candids.
Recognition without a logo.
Editorial chapter numbers
Every section, episode, and slide opens with a large italic numeral in Cabernet.
Thin brass divider lines
A single 1px brass hairline separates sections — never a bold rule, never a block of color.
A small aside, set in Open Sauce Sans Bold, the way a reader annotates a book they love.
Margin notes
Eyebrow
Consistent title layout
A quiet 12-column grid, generous margins.
| Context | Grid | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Website | 12-col, 24px gutter | 80–120px desktop / 24px mobile |
| Instagram carousel | 1080×1350, 96px safe margin | Text never touches edge |
| Newsletter | Single column, 640px max | Generous line-height, 1.6 |
Monoline, editorial, never decorative.
Icons are thin (1.5px stroke), rounded-cap line marks in Charcoal or Brass — never filled, never illustrated cartoons.
Time / Episode
Listen
Read
Add / New
Instagram, Facebook & YouTube in one voice.
Every carousel opens with a single provocative line — no stock photo backgrounds, no gradients, no emoji. Ivory or Cabernet backgrounds, Open Sauce Sans Bold headlines, brass rule under the eyebrow.
Why ambition isn't a personality trait
“It's a season. And most people never let themselves leave it.”
LOOK WHO iT iS
An independent-magazine homepage.
LOOK WHO iT iS | Episode 042
Making sense of what it means to be human.
Conversations about identity, ambition, and the questions we're too busy to ask ourselves.
Listen to the latest episodeSlides that read like a book, not a pitch deck.
Chapter 03
Reinvention isn't a rebrand. It's a subtraction.
Data
One idea per slide.
LOOK WHO iT iS cover system.
A Show About Being Human
LOOK WHO
iT iS
With Nicole Roundy
Episode card anatomy
Every episode artwork keeps the same fixed elements: kicker, Open Sauce Sans Bold title, brass rule, and host line. Only the accent color rotates between Cabernet, Charcoal, and Olive across seasons.
Slow, confident, editorial.
Motion should feel like a page turning, not an app loading. Nothing bounces, spins, or pops. Every transition earns its time.
Legible first, beautiful second.
Contrast
Charcoal (#222222) on Ivory (#F7F4EF) exceeds WCAG AAA for body text. Cabernet on Ivory passes AA for large text/headlines; never set small body copy in Cabernet on Ivory.
Type & motion
Minimum body size 16px web / 11pt print. Line-height 1.5–1.65 for body copy. Respect prefers-reduced-motion.
The fastest way to check yourself.
Do
- Let Ivory breathe — most of the page should feel empty
- Use Cabernet like a signature, not a wallpaper
- Set one idea per slide, frame, or card
- Use real, natural-light photography
Don't
- Fill a layout edge-to-edge in Cabernet
- Add gradients, drop shadows, or glossy effects
- Write in exclamation points or emoji
- Introduce a second display typeface
Built to hold a book, a studio, and whatever comes next.
As the brand expands — a book, a keynote circuit, digital products, a possible physical event — the system should extend rather than reinvent.
Book cover & interior
Chapter numbers and margin notes translate directly
Keynote / stage deck
Same slide system at 16:9
Digital products
Use Olive as a tertiary accent
Physical event / studio
Brass signage, Ivory walls
The complete working system.
Buttons
Form
| Pattern | Use | State |
|---|---|---|
| Article layout | Single column, 640px max | Ready |
| Podcast layout | Episode as magazine feature | Ready |
| Quote / pull quote | Serif italic, brass rules | Ready |
| Gallery / callout | Documentary grid | Ready |
| Pagination / filters | Quiet text controls | Ready |
| Loading / empty state | Plain language, no spectacle | Ready |
| Footnotes | Open Sauce Sans Bold, numeric anchors | Ready |
No chapters match that search.
Empty state example