/01 The product
Cranky Old Bastard Motorsport
Owns the website, app shell, social presence, product voice, and every customer-facing call to action.
Lead with this
Identity system // 2026
Brand
kit.
Loud enough to be remembered. Disciplined enough to be trusted with the next change on the car.
Cranky Old Bastard MotorsportNew Albany, IndianaVersion 1.0
Scroll for standards
/01Architecture
One product. One engine. One maker.
COBMS is a product brand inside the Mu Works family. The three names have different jobs and should never compete for the same line of attention.
/02 The technology
Mu Works Optimization Engine
Explains how suggestions are produced. Use in supporting copy, technical material, and trust statements.
Support the claim
/03 The maker
Built by mu works
The quiet family endorsement. Use in footers, press material, legal pages, and company-level contexts.
Sign the work
Approved family line
Powered by the Mu Works Optimization Engine.
/02Logo family
The C turns into the next move.
A heavy C forms the product initial. The signal arrow points forward and reads as the next adjustment. Keep the two shapes locked together.
Cranky Old BastardMotorsport
Primary lockup
Default on paper, white, and quiet light photography.
Cranky Old BastardMotorsport
Reversed lockup
Default on ink, asphalt, and sufficiently dark photography.
Mark
App icon, favicon, avatar, compact controls, and equipment labels.
COB / MSMotorsport
Compact environments
Compact lockup
Use only where the full name cannot fit. Never use “COB” alone.
/03Construction
Give the mark some room.
Clear space protects the mark from crowded controls, sponsor blocks, and loud motorsport photography. Minimum sizes keep the arrow readable.
xxxx
x = 25% of mark diameter
Clear space / markAt least 25% of the mark diameter on all sides.
Clear space / lockupAt least one mark radius around the full lockup.
Minimum / mark24 px digital · 8 mm print.
Minimum / full lockup152 px digital · 32 mm print.
Minimum / compact112 px digital · 24 mm print.
Minimum / mascot160 px wide. Below that, use the mark instead.
96 px
48 px
24 px
Misuse // Don't get creative here
Do not stretch
Do not rotate
Do not mute signal
Do not add effects
/04Color
Mostly ink. One loud signal.
Ink and paper carry the system. Signal orange points to the next action and should earn attention by staying scarce. Tap a value to copy it.
InkCore / field
Primary field, mark, display type, and high-contrast controls.
PaperCore / surface
Primary light surface and reversed type. Warm white, never cream.
SignalAccent / action
Calls to action, selected states, warnings, and the arrow in the mark.
AsphaltNeutral / depth
Raised dark panels, equipment silhouettes, and secondary fields.
SteelNeutral / data
Rules, diagrams, and non-text data marks. Use contextual ink or paper for small labels.
FogNeutral / line
Hairlines, dividers, disabled controls, and printed rules.
Usage balance
Treat signal as a spot color. Use one clear orange focal point per composition. It is not body-copy color on paper and it never replaces the ink or paper fields in the mark.
Paper 58Ink 30Neutral 84
/05Typography
Built from one hard-working family.
IBM Plex gives the product a technical backbone without looking sterile. Condensed display type brings the pit-board voice; Sans and Mono keep the interface readable.
Aa
Display / Headlines
IBM Plex Sans Condensed
Bold 700. Uppercase. Tight tracking. Short statements only.
Aa
Interface / Reading
IBM Plex Sans
Regular 400 through Bold 700. Body, navigation, controls, and forms.
Aa09
Data / Specification
IBM Plex Mono
Regular 400 through SemiBold 600. Labels, values, IDs, and measurements.
Display / 700 / -0.055em
Quit guessing.
Heading / 700 / -0.04em
One call, fully explained.
Body / 400 / 1.6
Log what the car did. The engine checks your hardware, today's conditions, and the run history, then gives you one adjustment before you go back out.
Data / 500 / 0.16em
Run 04 // Autocross // Surface 112°F // Confidence 0.82
/06Voice
Cranky is the skin. Discipline is the product.
The crew-chief character makes the advice memorable. It never excuses vague, insulting, reckless, or unsupported claims.
Paddock noteSoften the front bar one position. Then leave everything else alone.
/01
Cranky, not cruel
Aim the attitude at guessing, bad habits, and needless complexity. Never insult the driver.
/02
Specific, not mysterious
Name the adjustment, magnitude, reason, expected effect, and way back.
/03
Conservative, not timid
One bounded change at a time. State uncertainty instead of pretending.
/04
Fast to use, not rushed
Write for the two minutes before grid moves. Put the call before the explanation.
Use
“Do this”
Lead with the single primary adjustment.
“Here's why”
Explain the mechanical intent in plain language.
“Undo”
Make the way back explicit every time.
“Usually right”
Confidence without pretending the track owes anyone a result.
Avoid
“AI-powered race engineer”
The engine is deterministic and explainable. Do not hide that strength behind hype.
“Guaranteed faster”
Never promise outcomes the product cannot control.
“Perfect setup”
Conditions and driver goals move. There is no universal perfect setup.
Fake swagger
No profanity for decoration, chest-beating, or jokes that make safety feel optional.
/07Applications
The system at work.
Every surface should feel like it came from the same pit cart: high contrast, compact labels, one signal action, and an explanation close at hand.
Driver report
Understeer on corner entry
Primary adjustment
Soften the front bar one position.
Why
Let the outside front load up and bite.
Expect
Sharper initial turn-in.
Product UI
Dense enough for the paddock, ordered enough to scan under pressure.
Cranky Old BastardMotorsport
Your setup notebook finally talks back.
Autocross // Drag // Drift
Social / launch
Mark, one statement, one signal device. No feature pileup.
Cranky Old BastardMotorsportSetup card / 0042
Front
29.0 psi
Rear
31.0 psi
Surface
112°F
Baseline // Salem Motorsports Park
Print / setup card
Paper-first, monochrome-capable, and legible beside the toolbox.
Character asset
Use for onboarding, editorial moments, campaigns, and empty states. Not as a substitute for the mark.
/08Assets
Use the source. Don't redraw it.
The marks and mascot are self-contained SVGs. Lockups are editable live-text sources that require IBM Plex Sans Condensed and IBM Plex Mono; outline the type before production handoff.
Primary mark
cobms-mark-ink.svg
Ink field, paper C, signal arrow. Default on light surfaces.
Reversed mark
cobms-mark-reversed.svg
Paper field, ink C, signal arrow. Use on dark surfaces.
App icon
cobms-app-icon.svg
Rounded-square source for app stores, PWA, and social avatars.
Crew chief mascot
cobms-crew-chief-mascot.svg
Full-color character asset for campaigns, onboarding, editorial moments, and empty states.
Editable primary lockup
cobms-lockup-ink.svg
Live-text source for light surfaces. Install both IBM Plex families and outline type before production handoff.
Editable reversed lockup
cobms-lockup-reversed.svg
Live-text source for dark surfaces. Install both IBM Plex families and outline type before production handoff.
Design tokens
cobms-brand-tokens.json
Colors, typography, spacing, radius, and usage rules for product work.
Written guide
cobms-brand-guide.md
Portable brand architecture, logo, color, typography, voice, and implementation rules.
Implementation rule
In the app, use the shared BrandLockup, CobmsMark, and MuWorksEndorsement components. Do not paste a second copy of the SVG into feature code.