Brand mark I'M — effects only, never redesign letters

TL;DR

User order (repeated, angry when violated): brand mark is letters I ’ M. Apply visual effects from reference images to those letters. Do not invent new letterforms, swap glyphs (M/R plates), “improve” layout, or ship a different logo. Wrong letter = failure even if effects look cool.

Spec (source of truth)

| Glyph | Effect language (from Desktop refs) | |-------|-------------------------------------| | I | Cyan glow + cosmic particle swirl (M-icon ref aesthetic) | | M | Metallic chrome + radiating light-burst (R-icon ref aesthetic) | | ’ | Between I and M |

References (user Desktop; filenames may vary):

• Screenshot_*_3D-* swirl / cyan frame plate (M-ref)
• Screenshot_*_3D-* chrome / burst plate (R-ref)

Surfaces: favicon, nav, loading / boot (ImLogo + public/brand/*).

Forbidden patterns (already failed PRs #52–#61)

• Inventing animated SVG “letter-like” shapes that are not I/M
• Embedding raw M/R PNG plates and calling that the logo
• Hand-broken path glyphs that read as W / upside-down M / wrong letter
• Unifying into a “better” wordmark that changes spacing/identity without ask
• CSS @keyframes inside SVG served as <img> — animation does not run; animate in React (framer-motion on ImLogo)

Required pattern

1. Keep real upright typography (SVG <text> I / ’ / M preferred over invented paths).
2. Layer effects only: bloom, particles/swirl on I; chrome gradient + rays on M.
3. Same dark navy plate + cyan rounded frame language as refs — do not invent a new plate system unless user asks.
4. Ship via PR → merge → verify live hard-refresh.

Key paths

• src/components/ui/ImLogo.tsx
• public/brand/im-logo.png, public/favicon.svg, public/favicon-48.png
• Boot veil / PageLoader / Header / Footer consumers

See also

• memory/learnings/protos-web-brand-assets-vercel-public.md
• Session 2026-07-22-07