Marta Barandiy · Brand system

Components

The building blocks, live. Press them, drag them, scroll past them. Each one says what it is for, when to reach for it, and the one thing to avoid.

Grouped by job, not by shapeTurn a card over for the don’tEvery state shown: rest, hover, focus, pressed

Act

Things you press. The thread pulls tight under the label; a knot ties where you click.

Read the paper Outline Silk Small

Button

For
Every action on a page. Plum is the everyday button; red is the one decision; outline is the second choice; gold silk is for gala moments.
When
The label is a verb that says what happens: “Read the paper”, “Start”, “Save my card”.

Read the policy brief and its sources.

Link

For
Links inside running text.
When
Anywhere in a sentence. A thread draws under the words on hover.

Knot burst

For
Confirming a decision: a small red knot ties where you pressed.
When
Someone locks an answer, saves a card or finishes a step. People who ask for less motion see a simple state change.

Choose

The tools ask before they tell. These are the ways a person answers.

Which topics do you follow?

Chips

For
Picking one or more short answers. A knot ties into the chip when it is chosen.
When
Two to six options of one to three words.

Toggle

For
A setting that is on or off. The knob becomes a knot when on.
When
The change happens at once.
Barely seenFull size

Tape slider

For
Answers on a scale, drawn as a tailor’s tape. The measure belongs to the person holding it.
When
The answer is a degree, not a category.

Field

For
Typed answers. The dashed stitch sews itself shut when you click in.
When
A name, a date or one sentence. Ask it as a question.

A stitch runs under the active tab. Arrow keys move between tabs.

Tabs

For
Switching between views of one thing: a paper’s summary, recommendations and sources.
When
Two to four views of equal weight.

Read

Type does the work. Poster for the moment, lede for the point, voice for Marta.

Toolsnot texts.

Poster

For
The one statement a page or post is about. Biggest size, Fixel Display Black, tight spacing. It may run off the edge.
When
Heroes, social posts, slide titles. Magenta on pink only at this size: it is decorative contrast.
Policy brief

Temporary protection at a crossroads

What happens to people under temporary protection when it ends.

Label, headline, lede

For
The reading order of any block: what it is, what it says, why it matters.
When
The top of every card, section and cover.

Fact Promote Ukraine received the European Citizen's Prize in 2022.

Interpretation What the evidence suggests.

Hypothesis What we think, to be tested.

Claim labels

For
Saying what kind of statement this is. Legal precision, made visible.
When
Before any claim in a tool, a paper summary or a data post.
A quote from Marta goes here, exactly as she said or wrote it.
Marta Barandiy · source and date

Quote on silk

For
Marta’s own words, set large. For a single clause inside running text, use her italic red voice.
When
Only with a real quote, its source and its date.
What is the TPD?

The EU Temporary Protection Directive. Answer in two sentences, then a source.

Where do I get help?

Link to the organisations, never to a private contact.

Fold

For
Questions people may want to skip.
When
FAQs, definitions, “how we know”.

Show data

Facts look like posters, not spreadsheets. One number, one sentence, one source.

12editions of Brussels Ukraïna Review, which she edited from 2019 to 2024.

Big number

For
One number and the sentence that explains it. Counts up once when seen.
When
The number is the story.
Option A82
Option B64
Option C41
Option D23

Pill bars

For
Comparing a few values. Bars grow like fabric strips; colours run lavender, pink, orchid, violet, magenta. Sample data.
When
Two to five values on one scale.

  1. Founds Promote Ukraine in Brussels.

  2. Founds Promote Freedom Foundation.

  3. Promote Ukraine receives the European Citizen's Prize.

  4. MOFA Taiwan Fellow at INDSR, Taipei.

Timeline

For
Events in order: one thread, many knots. The red fills as you scroll.
When
Career moments, a case history, the steps of a law.

Progress knots

For
Showing how far someone has come: knots tied, not a percentage. From Marta Unbound.
When
Any tool with steps.

Converse

The Unbound pattern: the brand talks with you; it doesn't lecture.

I won't give you a lecture. You answer, I show you the source.

Deal.

Conversation bubbles

For
Tools that talk with you, one turn at a time. Typing dots last under a second. Example copy, not a quote.
When
Trainings and tools where a question comes before a fact.

Structure

Surfaces, fields and ornaments. Vary them: the same rounded card everywhere is the slop we avoid.

Blush card

The everyday tinted surface.

Arch card

Hover: it morphs into a petal.

Hem card

Its hem ripples with scroll speed.

Plum card

For the one dark moment.

Cards

For
Grouping one idea with its action. Colours: blush, lilac, sky, butter, plum. Shapes: plain, arch, hem.
When
Lists of papers, tools, talks. The whole card is the link.
Marta in a gold gown, illustration

Arch frame

For
Her window: portraits and illustrations. Comes on lilac, sky or butter.
When
Wherever Marta appears in a layout.
New tool
Live

Rosette, sticker

For
One small announcement: “New”, “Live”, “Out now”. The rosette is a scalloped badge.
When
Launches and fresh releases.

Halftone, dots

For
Texture, from the pink lioness posters and dot charts.
When
Behind big type, a portrait or a cover.
Magenta field: a loud field for one statement.
Red field, torn edge: the edge is torn paper.
Plum field: the dark moment.

Colour fields and edges

For
Full-bleed colour that sections sit on. Fields: magenta, lavender, red, plum. Edges: straight, torn paper or a rippling hem.
When
To pace a long page, or to make one statement land.

Band

For
A tilted ribbon of words that runs across the page, in plum or pink. The words come from Marta Unbound.
When
Once per page, between two sections.