# The Hanko Seal — concept note

**Status:** Concept, partially implemented · **Date:** 2026-07-22
**Related:** [brand/BRAND.md](../brand/BRAND.md) · [brand/tokens.css](../brand/tokens.css)

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## What it is

The small vermillion square beside the wordmark is a **hanko** (判子) — a
Japanese seal, also called an *inkan* (印鑑). The character on it, **印**, is
read *in* and literally means "seal, stamp, mark."

When a seal appears on artwork next to the artist's signature, the signature
and seal together are a **rakkan** (落款) — the traditional finishing gesture
on ink paintings and calligraphy. You sign the work, then press your seal in
red.

The red is not decorative. Seal ink is a vermillion paste called **shuniku**
(朱肉), which is where the brand red comes from — `#D0342C` is named Shuniku in
the brand guide for exactly this reason.

## Why it fits this brand

The logo is a handwritten signature: a brush stroke. A seal is what completes a
brush stroke. The rakkan pairing already existed in the identity before the
sumi-e direction was chosen — the seal only made it explicit.

It is also the origin of the **1–2% coverage rule** in the brand guide. A seal
is small, pressed once, and means *this is finished, and it is mine*. Spread
the same red across a page and it stops reading as a seal and starts reading as
a generic accent colour. The restraint is not stylistic caution; it is what
makes the mark mean something.

## Where it currently appears

- Beside the signature wordmark in the site header
- Top-left of the full-page mobile menu
- Previously bottom-right of the hero portrait (removed with the photo)

## Open — the thing to do later

**印 is a placeholder.** A traditional hanko carries its owner's *name*, not a
generic character. Using 印 is close to signing a painting with the word
"signature." It reads well, but it is not yet personal.

Replacing it solves a second, unrelated problem already logged in the brand
guide: the signature wordmark is roughly 4:1, so it cannot serve as a favicon,
social avatar, or app icon — it becomes an illegible smear at 32px. A seal is
square and legible at any size.

Directions worth exploring when this is picked up:

1. **Initials in seal script** (篆書, *tensho*) — the archaic script style
   traditionally used on hanko. Most authentic; needs care to stay legible to a
   Western audience.
2. **A stylised C** carved in negative space, in the manner of a *hakubun*
   (white-character) seal, where the character is cut away and the ground
   prints red.
3. **カルロス** (Karurosu) — the name in katakana, which is how a non-Japanese
   name is conventionally rendered on a personal seal.
4. **A mark rather than a character** — abstract, derived from the signature's
   own stroke geometry.

Whichever is chosen becomes the favicon, the avatar, and the small-size lockup
across every surface. It is a brand-defining decision, not a detail — worth
doing deliberately rather than as a quick swap.

## Implementation notes

The seal is rendered as a token-driven element, not an image:

- `.ca-header-seal` and `.ca-menu-seal` in `app/src/styles.css`
- Colour comes from `--ca-seal`, which shifts to `--ca-ink-surface-seal`
  (`#E8564A`) on ink grounds — `#D0342C` muddies against near-black
- Square by design: `--radius` is `2px`, near-square rather than rounded

Swapping the placeholder for a real mark means replacing the character with an
SVG, keeping the same token-driven colour behaviour.
