DsNetwork, by the book.
How DsNetwork looks and sounds: the logo, the palette, the type, the way we draw networks and the way we write about them. Use it for the website, slides, diagrams and documents.
A Swiss experimental network.
DsNetwork is a non-profit research project that explores and advances the Internet by running a real autonomous system, AS48390. The brand should feel like good network engineering: precise, open and calm, with one bright signal where it matters.
Precise
Exact names, real numbers, no vague claims. If we say it, the routing table agrees.
Open
Open peering, public data, plain explanations. We show how things work.
Curious
A research project first. Experiments are welcome; we say what we learn.
Calm
Quiet ink surfaces, generous space, one accent colour. Nothing shouts but the signal.
The disc and its traces.
The logo is a disc carrying the DS monogram and the word NETWORK, connected by six traces ending in nodes — a router and its sessions. It exists in three colourways; never redraw it.
Primary — Ink. Default on white and Mist backgrounds.
Reverse. On Ink 900/800 and dark photos.
Signal. Special use: covers, merch, the header mark. One per page at most.
The mark
For small and square spaces: favicon, avatars, the website header. Below 120 px wide, always use the mark instead of the full logo — the traces become noise.
Clear space & size
- Clear space≥ ¼ of the disc diameter on all sides
- Minimum, full logo120 px wide · 30 mm print
- Minimum, mark16 px · 6 mm print
Don’t
Stretch or squash itRotate or tilt itRecolour outside the palettePlace it on busy backgroundsAdd shadows, glows or outlinesFade it to a watermarkCrop the traces or the discInk, paper and one signal.
A cool ink palette carries the structure. Signal orange is the only brand accent: calls to action, the backbone, the one thing to look at. Cobalt is for data and exchanges. Status colours mean status — never decoration.
Ink & neutrals
Signal — the accent
Cobalt — data & exchanges
Status
Proportions
Mostly paper, a strong ink frame, a small amount of Signal, Cobalt only where there is data.
Accessibility — tested pairings (WCAG 2.x)
| Text | Background | Ratio | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ink 900 | Paper | 18.35 | AAA body text |
| Graphite | Paper | 7.70 | AAA secondary text |
| Signal 700 | Paper | 5.81 | AA links, accent text |
| Cobalt 700 | Paper | 8.36 | AAA IPs, ASNs, code |
| Ink 900 | Signal 500 | 6.04 | AA primary button label |
| Paper | Ink 900 | 18.35 | AAA text on dark |
| Haze | Ink 900 | 10.05 | AAA secondary text on dark |
| Signal 500 | Ink 900 | 6.04 | AA accent text on dark |
| Cobalt 300 | Ink 900 | 7.78 | AAA data on dark |
| Steel | Paper | 3.70 | AA large ≥ 18 px or bold ≥ 14 px only |
| Signal 500 | Paper | 3.04 | Fill only never as text on white |
| Paper | Signal 500 | 3.04 | Avoid white on orange — use Ink |
Three voices, one system.
All three families are free (SIL Open Font License) and served by Google Fonts.
Space Grotesk
Headlines, numbers, the node labels in diagrams. Tight tracking (−2 %), never for body text.
Inter
Everything people read: paragraphs, UI, buttons, tables. Line height 1.6 for body.
JetBrains Mono
Prefixes, IPs, ASNs, code, configs and the small uppercase labels.
Space Grotesk 700
48–76 px / 1.05
Space Grotesk 700
30–42 px / 1.12
Space Grotesk 700
22 px / 1.2
Inter 400
18–22 px / 1.55
Inter 400
17 px / 1.6
JetBrains Mono 600
12 px · uppercase · +12 %
JetBrains Mono 400
14–15 px
185.20.3.0/24 · 2a0c:d0c0::/32 · AS48390Traces, nodes and a dot grid.
Our graphics borrow from the logo: straight 2 px traces, small hollow nodes where a line meets something, and a quiet dot grid on dark backgrounds. Diagrams are schematic, never geographic.
Network diagram legend
Icons & patterns
- Grid24 px, 2 px stroke, round caps & joins
- ColourInk by default, Signal for the one active icon
- Dot gridHaze 1 px dots, 26 px pitch, on Ink only
- PhotosReal hardware and racks, cool & neutral, no stock clichés
Building blocks.
Defined in css/site.css. Corners: 14 px for cards, pills for buttons and tags.
Buttons
One primary (Signal) button per view. Labels are verbs, sentence case.
Tags
AS34019 route servers RPKI valid new
Mono 12 px. Neutral for identifiers, Cobalt for exchanges/data, Valid for status, Signal sparingly.
Eyebrow & label
// NetworkSection eyebrows start with //, mono, uppercase, Signal 700.
| Exchange | City | IPv4 | IPv6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| RomandIX | Lausanne | 185.1.93.23 | 2001:7f8:b5::17 |
| Lillix | Lille | 193.34.197.165 | 2001:7f8:6d::4:8390:1 |
Tables: mono uppercase headers in Steel, data in Cobalt 700 mono, no zebra stripes, 1 px Line dividers.
Say it like an engineer.
Short sentences, active voice, real numbers. Explain acronyms the first time on public pages.
Names & numbers
- Our nameDsNetwork — not DSNetwork, DS Network
- Our AS
AS48390no space - AS-SET
AS-DSNETWORK - Other networksHivane (
AS34019) - Prefixes
185.20.3.0/24,2a0c:d0c0::/32 - IPv6lowercase, compressed (RFC 5952)
- SitesLausanne · Paris TH2
- Dates2026-11-01 in tech docs, 1 November 2026 in prose
- Times24 h, always with zone: 14:05 UTC
Headlines
- Display headlinesshort statement, ends with a period
- Example“Our policy is open.”
- Section labels
// Network - Casesentence case everywhere, no title case
- LanguageEnglish for public pages; French/German welcome in direct contact
Do
- “Paris withdraws our prefixes within seconds if the backbone fails.”
- “We peer at four exchanges.”
- Link to PeeringDB and the RIPE Database as the sources of truth.
Don’t
- “Carrier-grade, ultra-resilient, world-class connectivity!”
- Unverifiable numbers or uptime promises.
- Internal addresses, hostnames or management details on public pages.
Logo files.
Transparent PNG, 1971 × 1160 (logo) and 1134 × 1134 (mark).
Questions about the brand: noc@dsnet.work