knock
opportunity infrastructure
Brand Guidelines · 2025
One brand.
Zero compromise.
Everything needed to represent Knock consistently — in design, copy, campaigns, and communication. When in doubt, refer here.
00 — North Star
Why Knock exists.
Before applying any brand rule, understand what we're building and why. Every design decision flows from this.
our north star
It only takes 1 opportunity to change a life.
We help it find you.
— Knock · Where opportunity finds the student.
🎯
Precise
The right opportunity to the right student. Not mass blasts — targeted, verified reach.
⚡
Fast
Campaign creation to student click in under 60 seconds. Speed is a feature.
📊
Data-driven
Every campaign is tracked. Every click is measurable intent data.
🤝
Trusted
Students trust the link. Companies trust the data. That trust is the product.
01 — Colours
Colour palette.
A minimal palette anchored in Electric Purple. Use black and white for structure — purple for energy and emphasis. Never introduce new colours.
Electric Purple
#5E17EB
Primary brand colour
Black
#000000
Backgrounds, headlines
White
#FFFFFF
Text on dark, surfaces
Purple Light
#F0EBFF
Backgrounds, tags, tints
Purple Mid
#C9AAFF
Accents on dark backgrounds
Off White
#F8F7F5
Page backgrounds
02 — Typography
Two typefaces. No exceptions.
Cabinet Grotesk Black for display and headlines — bold, modern, confident. Switzer for everything else — clean, readable, versatile. Poppins for UI headings only.
The infrastructure
for opportunity.
for opportunity.
Connecting South African industry and student talent through a verified, intent-driven network — from discovery to development to hire. Every click is an intent signal. Every signal is a data point.
STEM students aren't afraid of not finding a job — they're blind to what's out there.
03 — Logo
The mark & wordmark.
The Knock mark is a tilted-door K on a purple ellipse inside a white circle. The wordmark is always lowercase "knock" in Cabinet Grotesk Black. Use together or separately — never recreate either from scratch.
knock
opportunity infrastructure
Primary — Light Background
Purple mark · black wordmark. Default usage.
knock
opportunity infrastructure
Primary — Dark Background
Purple mark · white wordmark.
knock
opportunity infrastructure
On Purple
Light mark · white wordmark.
Mark Only — Scalable
Works at any size. SVG only — never raster.
The period rule: In wordmark-only contexts (e.g. "Knock." as a headline), include the period. In lockup form alongside the mark, the period is omitted — the mark acts as punctuation.
04 — Voice & Tone
How Knock sounds.
We speak like a sharp, trusted colleague. Direct, confident, and clear. We don't use corporate jargon or over-explain. We get to the point — then we stop.
We are
✓Direct and confident — no hedging
✓Concise — one idea per sentence
✓Action-oriented — verbs over nouns
✓Human — we talk to people, not audiences
✓Data-backed when making claims
We are not
✕Corporate or jargon-heavy ("synergies", "solutions")
✕Overly casual or slangy
✕Vague or qualifier-heavy ("kind of", "sort of")
✕Exclamation-mark heavy (one max per campaign)
✕Passive voice — always active
✓ Knock voice
"ABSA's grad programme is now open. Applications close 31 July — limited spots available. Who it's for: final-year students in Commerce, Finance or Accounting."
✕ Not Knock
"We are incredibly excited to announce an amazing opportunity with one of South Africa's most prestigious and innovative financial institutions — don't miss out!!!"
05 — Assets
What exists & where to use it.
All assets live in the Knock branding folder. Always use the approved file — never recreate logos, assets, or templates from scratch.
Logo SVG
Dark (purple on white) and light (white on purple) variants. SVG at all sizes — never raster for logos.
Email Signatures
HTML signature templates. One per team member. Use the approved format only.
LinkedIn Banners
1584 × 396px. For company page and personal profiles. Do not crop or stretch.
WhatsApp Assets
Group profile image and post card templates. Maintain consistent visual across all groups.
Instagram
Feed: 1080 × 1080px. Story: 1080 × 1920px. Always use templates — @knock_talent.
Merch & Print
Print-ready files for shirts, table cloths, and physical brand items. Vector only.
06 — Usage Rules
Always. Never.
These rules exist so Knock always looks like Knock — regardless of who created the asset or how quickly it needed to be done.
✓ Always
✓Use Electric Purple (#5E17EB) as the sole accent colour
✓Use Cabinet Grotesk Black (900) for all display headlines
✓Use SVG format for the logo in all digital contexts
✓Maintain clear space around the logo equal to the height of the K
✓Include the period in "Knock." in wordmark-only headlines
✓Use approved background colours only: black, white, purple
✕ Never
✕Stretch, skew, rotate, or distort the logo or wordmark
✕Place the logo on busy photographic or patterned backgrounds
✕Introduce new colours outside the approved palette
✕Use serif, decorative, or display fonts other than Cabinet Grotesk
✕Add drop shadows, glows, or effects to the wordmark
✕Use low-resolution (raster) versions of the logo at any size