---
bcp_version: "0.8"
file_type: visual
parent: https://registry.brandcontextprotocol.dev/houlihan-lokey-f12a9db6/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: 2026-09-08
---

# Visual guidance

This file records cautious observations from current public Houlihan Lokey web pages and sustainability materials. It is not an official visual identity manual. Exact logo files, color values, typefaces, spacing rules, and production templates require current firm-provided assets or direct measurement with retained evidence.

## Authority and gaps

```yaml
visual_authority:
  status: observed
  observed_sources:
    - "https://hl.com/"
    - "https://hl.com/about-us/"
    - "https://hl.com/services/"
    - "https://hl.com/media/dutbpx0s/hl-esg-sustainability-report-2025.pdf"
  not_confirmed:
    - "exact production color tokens"
    - "licensed corporate typefaces and fallback stack"
    - "logo clear space and minimum size"
    - "approved asset library and rights"
    - "motion timings and interface component rules"
```

## Logo

```yaml
logo_usage:
  generation_policy: official_assets_only
  generation_instructions: "Do not draw, trace, typeset, approximate, or hallucinate the Houlihan Lokey wordmark or symbol. Obtain a current official asset from Houlihan Lokey, verify its rights and integrity, and composite it without modification."
  forbidden_modifications:
    - "recoloring without an approved variant"
    - "stretching, compressing, skewing, rotating, outlining, or adding effects"
    - "rebuilding the wordmark with a substitute typeface"
    - "placing the mark into a generated transaction tombstone or endorsement"
  evidence_status: inferred
```

No logo URL or hash is published here because an official, redistribution-authorized asset with verified bytes was not available to this public-source demonstration.

## Color

The observed system relies on dark blue/navy fields, white or pale surfaces, restrained neutral text, and brighter blue accents. These are compositional observations, not approved tokens.

```yaml
color:
  observed_roles:
    - role: "primary / institutional field"
      description: "dark navy or blue"
      evidence_status: observed
    - role: "surface"
      description: "white and very light neutral"
      evidence_status: observed
    - role: "text"
      description: "near-black or dark navy"
      evidence_status: observed
    - role: "accent"
      description: "clear, brighter blue used selectively"
      evidence_status: observed
  usage_rules:
    - "Favor high contrast and generous unprinted space."
    - "Use accent color to organize or direct, not to decorate every element."
    - "Do not invent exact hex values from color names."
    - "Do not add metallic gold, neon gradients, or aggressive finance clichés without approved campaign direction."
```

## Typography

```yaml
typography:
  character:
    display: "controlled, modern, editorial, and authoritative"
    body: "highly legible, restrained, and suitable for technical financial content"
    data: "clear numeric hierarchy with aligned tables and unambiguous notes"
  rules:
    - "Use concise sentence-case headlines."
    - "Give statistics, source notes, dates, and role labels a consistent hierarchy."
    - "Do not use decorative script, novelty finance fonts, or faux engraved display faces."
    - "Do not name or substitute a corporate font until Houlihan Lokey provides the licensed family or an approved fallback."
  evidence_status: observed
```

## Imagery and media

```yaml
imagery:
  photographic_style: "Polished editorial photography of people collaborating, workplaces, city architecture, infrastructure, and sectors relevant to client work."
  composition:
    - "Use structured crops and clear focal subjects."
    - "Balance human collaboration with place, industry, or transaction context."
    - "Leave room for concise headlines and proof points."
  subject_behavior:
    - "Prefer credible working moments, discussion, and observation over exaggerated celebration."
    - "Represent global teams and communities without tokenistic staging."
  forbidden_treatments:
    - "handshake close-ups as the entire idea"
    - "bulls, bears, ticker tunnels, raining money, poker chips, or chess pieces as finance shorthand"
    - "fake trading screens, invented transaction documents, or fabricated client logos"
    - "AI-generated portraits presented as real employees, clients, or executives"
    - "luxury-for-luxury's-sake imagery that makes advisory work look like personal wealth promotion"
  evidence_status: observed
```

## Layout and composition

- Use strong grids, clear section breaks, and disciplined alignment.
- Pair one concise positioning statement with a specific proof point or service explanation.
- Treat rankings and transaction records as data: label the period, source, unit, and role.
- Keep footnotes readable. A qualification is not decorative fine print.
- Use ample whitespace and restrained density on brand pages; use denser, clearly structured tables for filings and data.
- Avoid crowded badge walls, floating glass cards, excessive rounded containers, and consumer-fintech dashboard tropes.

## Motion

```yaml
motion:
  character: "restrained and functional"
  principles:
    - "Use motion to reveal hierarchy or support navigation, not to imply market speed or deal urgency."
    - "Keep data and legal qualifications stable while a user reads them."
  forbidden_treatments:
    - "count-up statistics without an immediately visible final value and source"
    - "ticker-like movement that suggests live market data when the content is static"
    - "celebratory confetti or transaction-closing spectacle"
  reduced_motion_policy: "Preserve all meaning and ordering without animation."
  evidence_status: inferred
```