# Dave Ramsey · Brand Spec

> **Captured:** 2026-05-19
> **Source:** ramseysolutions.com (logo CDN + grep of production HTML/CSS)
> **Asset completeness:** Logo (official SVG, blue + white versions). Color palette (extracted from real production CSS, frequency-ranked). Typography (real font identified, free equivalent selected). Voice and anti-patterns (synthesized from observable copy and the Ramsey publishing register).

A confident-warm financial register. Bright Ramsey blue spine, yellow accent. Geometric-humanist sans. Plain-spoken, action-oriented, kitchen-table optimistic. Built for financial coaches, debt-payoff programs, financial-literacy nonprofits, faith-and-finance ministries (FPU-style), and small-business advisory practices that serve working-family audiences.

**Slug:** `dave-ramsey`
**Verticals:** `local_business` (primary), `nonprofit` (for faith-and-finance / financial-literacy orgs)

---

## What this system is for

Someone is looking for a path out of debt, a plan for their money, or a coach who actually returns the call. They are not looking for slick portfolio management or Wall Street language. They want a voice that tells them what to do first, what comes next, and proof that other people have done it.

This system fits any business or organization in that register:

- Financial coaches (independent or RamseyTrusted-adjacent)
- Debt-payoff and credit-counseling programs
- Financial-literacy nonprofits, FPU-style church money classes
- Working-family retirement and estate planners (not high-net-worth)
- Real-estate education and first-time-buyer programs
- Small-business advisory practices (service businesses, $250K to $2M revenue)

The register reads as trustworthy authority, not corporate finance. Kitchen-table conversation about money, not glass-tower meeting.

---

## 🎯 Core assets

### Logo

- **Primary (blue):** `assets/ramsey-brand/ramsey-logo-blue.svg`
- **Reversed (white, for dark backgrounds):** `assets/ramsey-brand/ramsey-logo-white.svg`
- Both pulled from the official Ramsey CDN at `cdn.ramseysolutions.net/media/rscom/logos/`
- **Usage in JBSG context:** This system is a design-system reference for client builds in the Ramsey register. Real client logos replace this at build time. The Ramsey logo appears in the design-system reference pages only (footer disclaimer noted).

### Color tokens (frequency-ranked from production CSS)

| Token | Hex | Role |
|---|---|---|
| `--dr-primary` | `#0073b9` | Ramsey blue, the spine of the system (133 occurrences in source) |
| `--dr-primary-deep` | `#005b98` | Hover and pressed state for primary |
| `--dr-primary-darker` | `#003561` | Deep blue for stronger contrast |
| `--dr-navy` | `#001934` | Deep navy for footer and high-contrast sections |
| `--dr-navy-deep` | `#002342` | Darker navy for cards on dark sections |
| `--dr-ink` | `#1f2426` | Charcoal body text (not pure black) |
| `--dr-ink-medium` | `#495257` | Secondary text |
| `--dr-ink-quiet` | `#69757a` | Muted text |
| `--dr-surface` | `#f5f7f8` | Off-white surface |
| `--dr-surface-2` | `#e8eced` | Slightly darker surface |
| `--dr-hairline` | `#d5d9db` | Borders |
| `--dr-hairline-soft` | `#b6bec2` | Softer borders |
| `--dr-accent` | `#fcd214` | Ramsey yellow (lemon-bright, action accent) |
| `--dr-accent-soft` | `#ffe45e` | Lighter yellow for highlights |
| `--dr-success` | `#1b8533` | Baby-step-complete green |
| `--dr-danger` | `#e64b40` | Debt-balance red |
| `--dr-danger-deep` | `#cc392f` | Pressed danger |
| `--dr-on-primary` | `#ffffff` | White on blue |
| `--dr-on-accent` | `#1f2426` | Charcoal on yellow (yellow needs dark text) |
| `--dr-bg` | `#ffffff` | Page background |

### Typography

**Real font:** `canada-type-gibson` (Adobe Typekit, paid license, used at `https://use.typekit.net/fdp3qaw.css` on ramseysolutions.com).

**Free Google Fonts substitute:** **Mulish** (variable, 200 to 1000 weights). Mulish is a clean geometric-humanist sans with friendly proportions, designed by Vernon Adams and Cyreal. Closest free analogue to Gibson's warm-geometric feel. Falls back to Inter, then system-ui.

**Why Mulish:**
- Geometric construction matches Gibson's optical model
- Humanist warmth in lowercase counters (matches Ramsey's "approachable authority" tone)
- Variable axis means a single file covers display through small ui weights
- Wide availability on Google Fonts (no licensing friction)

**Scale:**

| Use | Size | Line-height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 display | `clamp(2.5rem, 5vw, 4rem)` | 1.05 | 800 |
| H2 | `clamp(1.875rem, 3.5vw, 2.75rem)` | 1.15 | 800 |
| H3 | `clamp(1.375rem, 2.25vw, 1.75rem)` | 1.25 | 700 |
| H4 | `1.125rem` | 1.35 | 700 |
| Lead | `1.25rem` | 1.55 | 500 |
| Body | `1.0625rem` (17px) | 1.65 | 400 |
| Eyebrow | `0.8125rem` | 1.4 | 700 with `letter-spacing: 0.14em` uppercase |
| Money (mono) | `1em` | `1.4` | 700 with `font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums` |

**Rules:**
- Display weight is 800. Headlines hit hard.
- Body weight is 400, never below.
- Tight tracking on display: `letter-spacing: -0.025em` on H1.
- Tabular monospace for any displayed dollar amount, step number, or ledger figure.
- No script fonts. No all-caps body. Eyebrows and labels only.

---

## 🎨 Voice and tone

### Do

- Plain, direct, second-person. "You can do this. Here's the plan."
- Strong verbs. "Pay off your smallest debt first. Roll the payment to the next one."
- Specific dollars. "Save $1,000 first." "$2,500 average paid down in 90 days." Never "a healthy emergency fund."
- Confident-warm. Authority without lecturing, warmth without being sappy.
- Action-oriented. Always tell the reader the next thing to do.
- Faith framing disclosed when applicable. Plain language. No bait-and-switch.

### Don't

- Wall Street language. No "optimize," no "leverage your assets," no "portfolio allocation," no "tax-advantaged vehicles," no "passive income streams."
- Hedge language. No "you might want to consider potentially."
- Aspirational stock-photo language. No "unlock your financial potential."
- Get-rich-quick framing. The register is plodding wins, not lottery tickets.
- Crypto, day-trading, or Web3 framing.
- "Believe in yourself" as standalone copy. Always pair encouragement with a specific next step.

### Voice samples

DO write:
- "The first call is free. Fifteen minutes. No pitch."
- "We've helped clients pay off $12.4 million in debt since 2014."
- "Average client saves $2,500 in their first 90 days."
- "Smallest balance first. Roll the payment. Watch the snowball roll."
- "Step by step, you'll get there."

DO NOT write:
- "Unlock your financial potential."
- "Believe in yourself, anything is possible."
- "Optimize your portfolio for tax efficiency."
- "Leverage your wealth-building strategy."
- "Join thousands of high-achievers."

---

## 🔀 Flex points

Set on the `<html>` element at build time. Stage 1 records which combination Stage 6 should compose.

| Attribute | Values | Default | Controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| `data-palette` | `classic`, `growth`, `executive` | `classic` | Accent family and spine variant |
| `data-faith` | `off`, `on` | `off` | Faith disclosure block, biblical-stewardship microcopy variants |
| `data-program-style` | `steps`, `tracks`, `coaching` | `steps` | Program-page label ("The Steps", "The Tracks", "The Process") |

### Palette variants

**`classic` (default).** Ramsey blue spine `#0073b9`, yellow accent `#fcd214`. The canonical ramseysolutions.com look. Use for debt-payoff coaching, general financial coaching, FPU-style classes, household money management.

**`growth`.** Ramsey blue spine, green accent `#1b8533`. The green reads "go, grow, harvest" rather than the alert-yellow of classic. Use for investing focus, retirement planning, wealth-building (not debt-payoff). Same family, different mood.

**`executive`.** Deep navy spine `#001934`, yellow accent `#fcd214`. Premium tier of the Ramsey family. Use for small-business advisory, working-family estate planning, or any audience where the bright Ramsey blue reads too consumer. Stays in the Ramsey family without abandoning it.

### Universal palette rules

- One accent family per build. Never combine yellow + green.
- White canvas, off-white surfaces. No dark mode. The register is daylight-confident.
- Success-green and danger-red are reserved for semantic use (checklist ticks, debt-balance status). Never decorative.
- No neon, no gradients-as-decoration, no saturated stock-photo accents.

---

## 📐 Required pages (the IA)

| Page | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `/` Home | required | The composition is fixed: hero → outcome stats → the plan → coaching cards → testimonials → faith disclosure (if on) → CTA → footer |
| `/the-plan` (or `/the-steps` / `/the-process`) | required | The methodology page. Label controlled by `data-program-style`. |
| `/coaching` (or `/services`) | required | What you do for clients. Programs list. Pricing if applicable. |
| `/results` (or `/wins`) | required | Specific dollar-amount testimonials. Real-people-only photos. |
| `/about` | required | Founder story. Credentials. Faith disclosure if applicable. |
| `/resources` | optional | Free tools, calculators, downloadable budgets. |
| `/contact` | required | Book a call. Named human preferred. |

**Forbidden pages:** `/portfolio-management`, `/wealth-strategies`, `/private-client-services`. Any name that pulls the register toward high-net-worth wealth management. Wrong audience.

---

## 🚫 Anti-patterns (the never-do list)

- **Aspirational stock photography.** Luxury cars, mansions, beachfront sunsets, stack-of-cash, "businessman silhouette against city skyline." The register is kitchen-table, not yacht.
- **Two-men-in-suits-shaking-hands stock photo.** Cliche, dated, wrong audience.
- **Wall Street vocabulary.** "Optimize," "leverage," "portfolio allocation," "alpha," "passive income streams."
- **Get-rich-quick / crypto / day-trading framing.** Wrong vertical.
- **Hidden fees on the coaching page.** The register is trustworthy. Prices are visible or "First call free" is the explicit message.
- **Dark mode.** Daylight-confident only.
- **Pill-shaped buttons everywhere.** The register is structured, not soft-SaaS.
- **Generic charity-blue.** That's the nonprofit charity register, not the financial coaching register.
- **Page-flashing carousels on the hero.** One headline, one offer, two CTAs.

---

## ✅ When to pick `dave-ramsey`

- Financial coach, debt-payoff program, credit counselor
- Faith-and-finance ministry (FPU-style church class, set `data-faith="on"`)
- Financial-literacy nonprofit serving working families
- Working-family retirement planner, real-estate education
- Small-business advisory ($250K to $2M revenue service businesses, set `data-palette="executive"`)

## ❌ When NOT to pick `dave-ramsey`

- High-net-worth wealth management. Audience is wrong, register is wrong.
- Crypto, Web3, or fintech consumer app. Wrong family entirely.
- Pure tax prep or bookkeeping with no coaching component. Too motivational for transactional services. Try `maven` or `mc` instead.
- Bank or credit union with a regulator-conservative voice. Too motivational. Regulator wouldn't sign off on "You can do this" copy in product disclosures.
- K-12 financial-literacy education. Adult, household-focused register. Try `ps-edu` instead.

---

## 🔌 Privacy and legal

- HTTPS only (Cloudflare default).
- If the org is not a registered investment advisor, the footer discloses it. Plain language: "We are a financial-coaching practice. We do not provide investment, tax, or legal advice."
- Pricing transparency is part of the register. If prices vary, say "Starting at $X." Never "Contact for pricing."
- Lead-magnet forms collect email plus first name. Never SSN, account numbers, or income on a marketing form.

---

## 📚 Reference inspirations (study, do not copy)

- **ramseysolutions.com** is the canonical source. Bright Ramsey blue spine, yellow accent, bold sans display, specific-dollar testimonials.
- **everydollar.com** is the Ramsey budgeting product. Tighter, app-product register but same family.
- **financialpeace.com** is the FPU class brand. Faith-framing reference.
- **smartvestor.com / ramseytrusted.com** are coach-network references.

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## 🛠️ Build-time data flow

When Stage 1 picks `dave-ramsey` for a client build, it records:

- `data-palette` (classic / growth / executive)
- `data-faith` (off / on)
- `data-program-style` (steps / tracks / coaching)

…in `01-design-system.md`. Those flow into Stage 6 (content composition):

- Stage 6 picks the program-page label from `data-program-style`.
- Stage 6 includes or omits the faith disclosure block and biblical-stewardship microcopy from `data-faith`.
- Stage 6 picks the accent family from `data-palette`.

Stage 7 (validation) confirms:

- One accent family is used across the build. No cross-contamination.
- All displayed dollar amounts use the mono token.
- If `data-faith="on"`, the disclosure appears on both the homepage and the about page.

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## ✍️ Disclaimer

This is a JBSG design-system reference, captured from publicly observable visual assets of Ramsey Solutions, LLC. Not affiliated with Ramsey Solutions. The Ramsey Solutions name, logo, "Baby Steps," "Financial Peace University," and related trademarks belong to Ramsey Solutions, LLC. JBSG uses this system as a register reference for clients in adjacent financial-coaching verticals.