FIG. 01 — THE CHARACTER OF PLAYFRIENDLY COMPETITION / PHONEMES FIRST ↓
Warm cream.Room to focus.Pixel type.A voice of our own.Familiar faces.A reason to play again.
01 / THE IDEA
A little rivalry. A lot of learning.
Yolo is being built for player-versus-player learning, starting
with phonemes: the sounds that make up words.
AI opponents keep matches available while the player community
grows. As real players join, the experience will look and feel the
same: the same game, photo cards, and friendly competition.
Arithmetic and reading will come later.
THE EXPERIENCE / NO CONFIGURATION
Just press Start.
We’re building toward one action: press Start. Yolo chooses the
opponent and what to learn next, with no configuration, opponent
picking, or lesson browsing. Save the thinking for learning.
MATCHMAKING / AIM FOR 50–50
A fair chance to win.
Yolo aims to match each learner with an opponent at the same or a
closely matched Elo skill rating, targeting a roughly 50–50 chance
of winning. The same goal applies to AI and real opponents: a
challenge that feels competitive, winnable, and worth the effort.
/a/NOW / PHONEMES
Start with sounds.
Short matches focused on the sounds that make up words. AI
opponents give learners someone to play while the community
grows.
+ − × ÷LATER / ARITHMETIC
Make room for numbers.
Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. A planned
extension of the same playful practice.
AaLATER / READING
Build toward reading.
Reading is part of the direction ahead. Keep the identity
flexible as the learning experience grows.
02 / IDENTITY
Unmistakably a little unusual.
Our lowercase wordmark is built from Alien Block. In the app, it
sits quietly in charcoal on cream. Keep the mark upright and let
the photo cards do the tilting.
THE WORDMARK
yoloCLEAR SPACE
SAME CHARACTER. EVERYWHERE.
y
yyy
A little mark with a lot to say.
Use the “y” for compact brand signatures and app icons.
Character portraits identify players; the monogram identifies
Yolo.
A FEW GROUND RULES
01
Keep the original proportions. No stretching, tilting, or extra effects.
02
Give the mark breathing room. Leave generous, uninterrupted space on every side.
03
Keep the contrast strong. Charcoal on cream or orange. Cream on charcoal.
04
Logo lowercase. Name title case. Write Yolo in copy. The full name is Yolo School, always
two words. Keep this capitalization even in uppercase
labels.
A warm foundation and one unmistakable accent. Start with cream
and charcoal. Bring in orange where the energy belongs.
CLICK A COLOR TO COPY ITS HEX ↗
White is the photo frame, cream is the page. That subtle
difference gives the cards a physical presence. The color inside a
portrait belongs to that character.
COLOR HAS A JOB
Cream holds the everyday interface. Charcoal carries the words.
Orange marks primary actions and question turns in the game. Stone
supports captions; warm gray defines quiet borders. Use these
roles rather than a fixed color ratio.
04 / TYPOGRAPHY
Two typefaces. One point of view.
Alien Block gives us our signature. Geist Pixel gives everything
else a voice. Digital bones, human character.
01 / ALIEN BLOCKAa
The signature.
Reserved for the wordmark and monogram. A little goes a
long way.
02 / GEIST PIXELAa
The everyday voice.
Headings, game words, names, and captions. The same pixel
voice, at every scale.
GEIST PIXEL / REGULARGO ON, TYPE SOMETHING ↑
GAME WORD / 112play
TITLE / 42Arjun wins
BODY / 17Find another opponent.
LABEL / 12GAME COMPLETE
Native sizes in points. Compact titles use 30; opponent names use
27; result names use 20. Captions use 11–12. Web specimens scale
down on small screens.
05 / OUR VOICE
Like a person. With a point of view.
We’re clear, encouraging, and a little playful. We talk to people
as people. The words should feel as considered as the design.
DIRECT
Less explaining. More doing.
Short sentences. Familiar words. A clear next step.
SOUNDS LIKE US ↗
“Press Start. We’ll take it from here.”
Name the action in familiar words.
ENCOURAGING
A nudge. Never a lecture.
Invite the next try. Make progress feel possible.
SOUNDS LIKE US ↗
“Not quite. Give it another go.”
Give the next try more attention than the mistake.
PLAYFUL
A little wink. At the right time.
Let personality in. Keep the useful part easy to find.
SOUNDS LIKE US ↗
“You win!” “Arjun wins”
Celebrate a win. Keep a loss kind. Let the portrait carry the
emotion.
06 / CHARACTERS
A familiar face. Every time you play.
For real players, we plan to generate illustrated avatars from
children’s photos. A personal likeness helps the opponent feel
real, while the original photo stays out of the match. The same
style, photo cards, and four expressive poses connect today’s AI
opponents with tomorrow’s real players.
15 AI OPPONENTS / VARIED POSES V2
01 / BASE
The introduction.
The reference for who this character is.
02 / BRING IT ON
A friendly challenge.
The invitation on the opponent card.
03 / WON GAME
A little celebration.
The winner’s portrait comes to the front.
04 / LOST GAME
There’s another round.
A human reaction, never humiliation.
KEEP THE CHARACTERPreserve the
likeness, clothing, and background palette. Vary the whole-body
gesture, gaze, head direction, and camera distance so each
reaction feels individual.
KEEP THE FRAMEKeep a square canvas,
with varied crops inside it. Give faces and gestures space. Keep
names below the artwork.
SHOW THE AVATARUse the illustrated
avatar in player-facing cards. Keep the source photo out of the
match, while giving each player a recognizable character of their
own.
Soft light, tactile clothing, and colorful backgrounds define the
portrait style. This gallery shows the 15 current AI opponents; the
pack also includes Lauren, the player example. Hometown captions are
placeholders. Photo-based avatar creation for real players is
planned.
07 / IN THE APP
A portrait. A name. A moment.
The opponent picker and result screen share the same visual
language: cream space, a small wordmark, white photo borders, soft
shadows, and a clear next step.
yolo☰
MayaAtlanta, GA
↻
01 / CURRENT OPPONENT CARD
The current card introduces an opponent. The direction ahead:
press Start and let Yolo handle the match and the lesson.
yolo×
GAME COMPLETE
Arjun wins
LaurenJoliette, QCArjunCalgary, AB
3–0Back
02 / A GAME TO REMEMBER
Winner in front. Both players in the picture. One simple
score.
THE PHOTO CARD RECIPE
A keepsake, not a panel.
Paper
Pure white on warm cream.
Shape
Square image; 3 pt photo corners.
Picker frame
18 pt inset, 12 pt corners.
Result frame
12 pt inset, 9 pt corners.
Depth
A soft charcoal shadow.
Angle
Picker ±2–4°. Result −11° / +5°.
Caption
Name first. Location underneath.
FIG. 02–03 — RECREATED FROM THE NATIVE APPLAYOUT SPECIMENS / NOT GAME CONTROLS
08 / MOTION
A little life. A light touch.
Cards deal, settle, and gently float. A winning portrait lands in
front. Motion gives the objects weight and makes the next moment
easy to follow.
ArjunCalgary, AB
A brief landing, then stillness.
DEAL & SETTLE
Objects with a little weight.
Opponent cards arrive in a staggered deal. Results use a
spring to bring the winner forward. Keep the wordmark and
captions steady.
QUICK WHEN IT COUNTS
Make room for the game.
Screen entrances take 190 ms; exits and presses take 140 ms.
Idle card floats run slowly, over 6–8 seconds, with only a few
points of travel.
RESPECT REDUCED MOTION
The same meaning, less movement.
Remove floating, rotation changes, and travel. Use a short
fade instead. The card order and result stay clear.
09 / RESOURCES
Make something feel like us.
The current identity, character artwork, and native design values,
ready to use.
