Brand Guidelines
The single reference for how the brand looks and sounds. Last updated July 2026.
Under the Hood with Mathias is a children's podcast about how things are built, how they work, and who makes them go. This page keeps the look and voice consistent wherever the show shows up.
1 · At a glance
- Name: Under the Hood with Mathias
- Tagline: How it's built, how it works, and who makes it go.
- Format line: Mathias meets the makers.
- What it is: a curious seven-year-old finds out how real machines work, straight from the people who build and run them.
- The four worlds: Things that go · Robots & humanoids · Big builds · Everyday machines & makers.
2 · Colours
A cool "telemetry" palette: calm blues with a cyan and electric-blue lift. Keep backgrounds light and let electric blue do the pointing.
Primary
Supporting & UI
3 · Typography
- Oswald (condensed, uppercase) for the wordmark, headings, labels and buttons.
- Inter (sentence case) for paragraphs, captions and anything you read.
- Pair them: Oswald for the short, loud bits; Inter for anything longer.
4 · Logo
The signature element is a pair of round glasses, a nod to Mathias and to looking closely at how things work. The final mark is being finalised, so until it lands, treat the colours, type and voice on this page as the source of truth.
- Keep clear space around the mark and never stretch, recolour or add effects to it.
- Place it on deep indigo, ice blue or white, never on a busy background.
- Use a simplified version (the glasses alone) for small sizes like the favicon.
5 · Voice & tone
Personality: a sharp seven-year-old's curiosity backed by a calm, knowledgeable grown-up. Curious, warm, clever and honest. Never babyish, never hyped, never dark.
Do
- Lead with the question: "how does it work?"
- Use plain words for big ideas.
- Short sentences, active voice, real examples.
- Wonder over hype.
Don't
- Baby talk or corporate buzzwords.
- Em dashes. Use commas, colons or full stops.
- Clichés and filler.
- Anything scary, or any personal detail about the child.
On-brand lines: "How it's built, how it works, and who makes it go." · "Mathias meets the makers." · "How does a plane engine actually work? Let's ask the people who build them."
6 · Artwork & the character
- Clean, flat, modern illustration. Crisp lines, flat colour, calm and uncluttered.
- Mathias appears as a friendly cartoon, never a real photo, and his look does not need to match the real child.
- Backgrounds use ice-blue to indigo tones with subtle blueprint and telemetry lines. Keep detail light so art reads at small sizes.
7 · Safeguarding (non-negotiable)
- Refer to the host by first name only. Never a surname, school, street or daily routine.
- Use the cartoon character in branding, never a real photo of the child's face.
- All accounts, uploads and audience contact are run by the parent or guardian, through hello@underthehoodwithmathias.com.
Owned and operated by Mathias's parent or guardian. The name, logo, artwork and design are protected by copyright and trademark. Questions: hello@underthehoodwithmathias.com.