For Designers · Internal Use Only · 2024

Freedom Tools
Brand Guide

This document covers everything your team needs to produce on-brand product packaging, marketing materials, and digital assets for Freedom Tools. Read it once. Refer to it constantly.

F
Freedom Tools

01 · Brand Overview

What Freedom Tools Is

Positioning

Freedom Tools fills the gap between pro brands that price out homeowners and budget brands that embarrass them. We are not a cheap alternative. We are a complete tool ecosystem priced for the person doing 4–12 serious projects a year.

The psychological shift: from "budget tool brand" to "complete tool ecosystem." This eliminates cheap-equals-bad anxiety and replaces it with smart-buyer satisfaction.

Target Audience

Homeowners who take their projects seriously — the weekend warrior segment. They want professional performance without professional-tier pricing. They own a garage and use it.

They are competent. Don't condescend. They know the difference between a brushed and brushless motor. Trust them.

Core Tagline

One Battery. Total Control.

Alternate Tagline A

One battery. Three product families. Your complete garage system.

Alternate Tagline B

Five power tools. One 18V battery. Three complete product families.

Retailer Partners — use logos prominently on packaging back panels

TargetHome DepotAmazon

03 · Color System

Color Palette

All colors are defined as CSS custom properties. Near-black backgrounds create the "showroom" feel that gives the cobalt-blue products their visual authority. Amber is the only warm accent — use it sparingly and purposefully.

Backgrounds

#0D0D0D

Workshop Black

--color-canvas

Primary page background

#111111

Vault Dark

--color-vault

Alternating section backgrounds

#1A1A1A

Shelf Surface

--color-shelf

Raised elements, badges, inputs

Text

#F4F4F5

Showroom White

--color-showroom

Primary body text on dark backgrounds

#A1A1AA

Secondary

--color-secondary

Secondary / meta text on dark

#09090B

Card Ink

--color-card-ink

Headlines on white product cards

#52525B

Card Body

--color-card-body

Body copy on white product cards

#71717A

Card Muted

--color-card-muted

Tertiary / meta text on white cards

Accents

#F59E0B

Precision Amber

--color-amber

Underlines, icons, accents on dark — PRIMARY accent

#B45309

Amber on Card

--color-amber-card

Accents on white product cards only

#DC2626

Freedom Red

--color-red

Logo mark ONLY — NEVER use as a UI color

#2563EB

Freedom Blue

--color-blue

Brand accent, gradients, interactive highlights, section accents

#3B82F6

Blue Light

--color-blue-light

Labels, badges, spec tags, gradient endpoints

#1E40AF

Blue Deep

--color-blue-deep

Gradient base, dark blue accents

Surfaces & Borders

#FFFFFF

Card White

--color-card

Product card backgrounds only

#27272A

Border Subtle

--color-border-subtle

Hairline borders on dark backgrounds

#E4E4E7

Border Card

--color-border-card

Borders on white product cards

04 · Typography

Type System

Three typefaces. Each owns a role and does not cross into another's territory.

Display / Headlines

Aa

Barlow Condensed

Weights: 700, 800, 900

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
0123456789

Body / UI

Aa

DM Sans

Weights: 400, 500, 600

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 0123456789

Specs / Monospace

Aa

IBM Plex Mono

Weights: 400, 500

18V · 2.0Ah · 280 in-lb
0123456789

Type Scale

Level
Size
Range
Font
Tracking
Usage
Hero
clamp(4.5rem → 7.5rem)
72–120px
Barlow Condensed 900
0.02em
Main page hero headline only
H1
clamp(3rem → 4.5rem)
48–72px
Barlow Condensed 800
0.02em
Section headers
H2
clamp(2rem → 3rem)
32–48px
Barlow Condensed 700
0.02em
Subsection headers
Spec Label
11–12px
11–12px
IBM Plex Mono 500
0.12em
Metadata, spec lines, mono labels above headlines
Body
15–16px
15–16px
DM Sans 400
—
All body copy, descriptions, paragraphs
CTA
13–14px
13–14px
DM Sans 600
0.08em
Buttons, calls to action (uppercase)

Live Examples

18V Platform · Three Families · Available at retailers

One Battery.
Total Control.

The PowerPro 18V Series gives you five tools on a single battery platform — drill, impact driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw, and work light. One battery. No adapters. No asterisks.

See the LineupFind a Store

05 · Voice & Tone

How We Sound

The Freedom Tools voice is the hardware-store conversation — not a pitch, not a deck, not a press release. Matter-of-fact. States outcomes. Trusts reader competence.

Direct

Lead with the outcome. Skip the build-up.

"The anchor of the system." Not "Introducing the tool that starts every project."

Grounded

Casual, but not bro. Hardware-store casual.

"One battery. Five tools. Done." Not "Smash through every project with total freedom!"

Confident

State facts. No hedging. No soft language.

"Every power tool in the lineup." Not "Compatible with most PowerPro tools."

Concise

Fragments are a feature. Shorter is better.

"Organized. Complete. Ready." Not "A comprehensive and organized tool set that is ready for use."

Dry wit permitted

Once per page. No more.

"We made a system. Not a starter kit."

Never condescending

The reader knows what a drill is.

"280 in-lb torque." Not "Powerful enough for even the toughest DIY projects!"

Write Like This

  • ✓"The drill that starts the system."
  • ✓"18V. One battery. No exceptions."
  • ✓"Priced for homeowners. Built for projects."
  • ✓"Organized, complete, and ready for the job."
  • ✓"Five tools. One battery. Done."
  • ✓"Chrome vanadium steel. 100 pieces."

Never Write This

  • ✗"Transform your weekend projects!"
  • ✗"The ultimate tool for serious DIYers."
  • ✗"Unleash your inner craftsman."
  • ✗"Professional quality at an affordable price!"
  • ✗"Take your home improvement to the next level."
  • ✗"The tool that has everything you could ever need."

06 · Product Families

Three Families. One Brand.

18V

PowerPro

18V Power Tools

Drill, Impact Driver, Circular Saw, Reciprocating Saw, Work Light. All on the same 18V battery.

Key Message

"One battery runs every tool in the lineup."

Packaging Photography

Cobalt blue tools on near-black

18V

PowerEdge

Yard & Garden Tools

String Trimmer, Leaf Blower, Hedge Trimmer, Complete Yard Kit. Same 18V platform, outdoor-ready.

Key Message

"Built to handle your entire outdoor footprint."

Packaging Photography

Cobalt blue tools on near-black

STEEL

SteelWorks

Hand Tools & Sets

100-Piece Tool Chest, Combination Wrench Set, 40-Piece Socket Set, 12-Piece Screwdriver Set. Chrome vanadium steel.

Key Message

"Organized, complete, and ready for the job."

Packaging Photography

Chrome/metallic tools on near-black

07 · Photography Direction

How to Shoot the Products

Freedom Tools photography has a signature look: extreme contrast, deep black sweep, harsh single-source lighting. This is not a lifestyle brand. Never show hands, operators, job sites, or completed projects. Show the tool. Let it speak.

Background#0D0D0D – #111111 studio sweep (seamless)
Key lightHarsh single-source rim light from 7–8 o'clock position, hard shadow on right
Fill light20% intensity secondary fill only — preserve shadow depth
Product finishHigh local contrast, no color washes, no vignettes, no post-processing tints
Crop / Ratio4:3 horizontal for product cards; 3:4 portrait for hero callouts; 16:9 for banner/packaging panel
SubjectTool only — no hands, no operators, no background context objects
Cobalt polishEnsure cobalt blue PowerPro/PowerEdge bodies read as saturated and clean against dark sweep
SteelWorksChrome surfaces should have sharp specular highlights — no diffuse glow

Lighting Setup (Top View)


  Key light (7–8 o'clock) ──┐
  Single harsh source        │
  Hard shadow, right side    ▼

            ╔══════════════╗
  ●  KL ──→ ║   PRODUCT    ║
            ╚══════════════╝
                               ←── Fill (20% only)

  Background: seamless near-black sweep
  No vignette. No color grading. High local contrast only.

08 · Spacing & Layout

Grid, Spacing & Radius

--content-width

80rem / 1280px

Max container width

--text-width

42rem / 672px

Reading column width

py-24

96px top/bottom

Section padding (standard)

py-32

128px top/bottom

Section padding (major)

py-12

48px top/bottom

Section padding (mobile)

gap-6 / gap-8

24–32px

Product card gap

Border Radius Scale

2px

Buttons, logo mark, badges

4px

Cards, inputs, tags

6px

Medium elements

8px

Large panels

10px

Extra-large containers

09 · Motion & Animation

How Things Move

Animations are snappy and confident — never fussy, never slow. The universal easing function creates a "snap and settle" feel that matches the brand's directness. All animations respect the user's reduced-motion preference.

Standard easingcubic-bezier(0.25, 1, 0.5, 1) — snap and settle, confident
Card hover lifttranslateY(-6px) + shadow 0 20px 40px rgba(0,0,0,0.45) — 280ms
Hero CTA scalescale(1.02) on hover, scale(0.98) on tap — 150ms
Scroll revealsFade-up + opacity 0→1 — 400–600ms
Tab indicatorUnderline slides across — 250ms
Staggered items40–70ms delay between sibling elements
Reduced motionAll animations disabled when prefers-reduced-motion: reduce

10 · Brand Principles

What We Stand For

01

One Battery Unifies Everything

The 18V battery is the conceptual and visual center of all communications. Lead with it. Every headline, every product card, every packaging back-panel should reinforce the single-platform promise.

02

Products, Not People

No lifestyle imagery. No smiling operators. No project-completion context. Show the tools clean, staged, and lit. The product earns trust by looking like it can do the job — not by suggesting it already did.

03

Typography for Authority

Barlow Condensed at massive scale establishes brand dominance before the reader processes a single word. Never downsize it to feel 'humble.' The size is a design decision, not a volume knob.

04

Retail Trust as a Credibility Signal

Target, Home Depot, and Amazon logos appear early and often. On packaging, display retailer logos prominently on the back panel. Their presence is proof, not decoration.

11 · Dos & Don'ts

Hard Rules

Do
Don't
✓Use Freedom Red (#DC2626) for the 'F' logo mark only
✗Use red for any other UI element, border, button, or background
✓Use Precision Amber (#F59E0B) for 2px underlines, icon accents, and hover states on dark backgrounds
✗Use amber as a fill color for large shapes or backgrounds
✓Use Barlow Condensed UPPERCASE for all headlines
✗Use mixed-case or lowercase for display type
✓Use IBM Plex Mono for spec lines, labels, and metadata (ALL CAPS, 0.12em tracking)
✗Use mono font for body copy, headings, or general UI text
✓Apply 4:3 image crops for horizontal product shots
✗Use square or portrait crops for primary product images
✓Stage products against near-black (#0D0D0D–#111111) for packaging inserts / catalog imagery
✗Use white or lifestyle backgrounds for primary product photography
✓Keep messaging direct and fragment-forward: 'One battery. Five tools. Done.'
✗Use marketing fluff, superlatives, or lifestyle copy ('Transform your weekend!')
✓Pair the red-square 'F' mark with 'Freedom Tools' text as a lockup
✗Use the 'F' mark alone without the wordmark except at very small sizes

12 · Packaging Notes

For Product Packaging

Key requirements when translating the digital brand to physical packaging.

Front Panel

  • –Logo lockup (red F mark + Freedom Tools wordmark) — top left or top center
  • –Product series name in Barlow Condensed 900 uppercase — large scale
  • –Product name below in Barlow Condensed 700
  • –18V badge for all PowerPro / PowerEdge products — top-right corner
  • –Hero product image: cobalt blue tool on near-black or on the box art background

Back Panel

  • –Retailer logos: Target, Home Depot, Amazon — bottom strip
  • –Key specs in IBM Plex Mono, all-caps, 0.12em tracking
  • –Battery compatibility callout: '18V Compatible' with battery icon
  • –3–4 feature bullets in DM Sans 400, short fragments
  • –Legal / UPC / barcode in DM Sans 400 at minimum sizes

Color on Print

  • –Workshop Black (#0D0D0D) → CMYK: C0 M0 Y0 K97
  • –Freedom Red (#DC2626) → CMYK: C0 M84 Y84 K14 (logo only)
  • –Precision Amber (#F59E0B) → CMYK: C0 M37 Y95 K4
  • –Showroom White (#F4F4F5) → CMYK: C1 M0 Y0 K4 (or paper stock)
  • –Confirm pantone match with printer for red and amber

Typography on Print

  • –Minimum headline size on packaging: 18pt Barlow Condensed 900
  • –Minimum body copy: 7pt DM Sans 400
  • –Spec lines: 7pt IBM Plex Mono 500, all-caps, 0.12em tracking
  • –Ensure font files are embedded in all print-ready PDFs
  • –Use optical kerning, not metric, for display sizes
F
Freedom Tools

Brand Guide · Internal Use Only · freedomtools.com

Built for grit. Crafted for precision.