# CarbonPod social-media guidelines

Visual edition: [social-media.html](social-media.html). Shared art direction:
[BRAND.md](BRAND.md). Tokens and component rules: [DESIGN-SYSTEM.md](DESIGN-SYSTEM.md).

## One identity, adapted to the channel

Use the approved hand-drawn botanical/landscape artform: irregular pencil strokes,
charcoal shading, harvest gold and muted forest green on warm ivory. Keep the
CarbonPod fonts, unchanged logo, dark canvas and lime/emerald interface accents.
Draw plant and roots together. Roots grow and fade with the plant; the charcoal
sequence changes below ground. Keep complete crowns, roots and materials inside
safe margins. Do not switch to generic sustainability stock or unrelated vectors.

Paper-led artwork is the default for stories and education. Dark charcoal-led
cards suit sourced evidence, observations and short statements. An announcement
uses the same family; a partnership logo or photograph appears only with approved
rights and evidence. Artwork is symbolic, never operational proof.

## Channel roles and copy

| Channel | Role | House format | Copy direction | Useful action |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LinkedIn | Explain the developing model, evidence and people behind it | Portrait image, PDF document sequence, native film | A concrete opening, one explanation, evidence where relevant; aim for 70–140 words | Read an article or start a relevant conversation |
| Instagram | Make the material story visible | Portrait carousel, Reel, Story | Image first; short, human caption, usually 25–60 words | Explore the next frame or the profile link |
| X | Share one clear idea or sourced observation | Landscape image, native clip, concise thread | One or two sentences; if a thread is needed, make each post useful by itself | Read the linked source or article |
| Facebook | Explain the mission in accessible, community-oriented terms | Portrait/square image, native video, Story | Plain language, people/place context, usually 40–100 words | Read the story or contact CarbonPod |

These word counts are editorial targets, not platform limits. Adapt the caption,
link placement and composition rather than copying the same post everywhere.
Avoid unsupported superlatives, hype, emoji-heavy headings, engagement bait and
unverified numbers. Use a small set of relevant hashtags when helpful, not a
wall of generic climate tags. Do not invent account handles or profile URLs.

## Production presets

These are CarbonPod's working export canvases, not a claim about platform maximums
or every accepted organic/advertising placement. Recheck the intended upload tool
and its crop preview before publication. Advertising placements require their
own current specifications.

| Asset | Internal export preset | Application |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Portrait feed / carousel page | 1080 × 1350, 4:5 | Default LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook educational artwork |
| Square feed | 1080 × 1080, 1:1 | Alternative shared-feed composition |
| Landscape post | 1600 × 900, 16:9 | X and wide visual explanations |
| Vertical Story / Reel | 1080 × 1920, 9:16 | Dedicated Instagram/Facebook vertical composition |
| Landscape native film | 1920 × 1080 master, 16:9 | LinkedIn/X film composition; do not enlarge a low-resolution source and call it a high-detail master |
| Link share card | 1200 × 630 | Existing website Open Graph artwork, separate from native posts |
| X header | 1500 × 500 | Keep critical content away from edges and avatar overlap; verify the display crop |
| Avatar master | 1080 × 1080, square | Unchanged mark centred with generous padding; export to each platform's current requirements |

Use PNG for typography/illustration cards, JPEG for heavier painted textures,
PDF for document sequences and H.264 MP4 for native films. Review compression at
phone size. Preserve an editable source, platform export and approved copy.

## Layout recipes

### Paper story card

One short headline, one artwork, the original three-circle mark plus CarbonPod
wordmark. Place the complete lockup in the footer with clear space; text-only
signatures are not the default. Preserve mark colours and geometry. Use Cabinet Grotesk
for the headline and General Sans for necessary supporting text. Charcoal copy
sits in reserved blank paper space. Harvest gold belongs in the drawing; lime is
a restrained signal, not a full-frame background. Do not paste a website button
into a feed image: place the action in the caption or native interface.

### Evidence / insight card

Dark canvas, a clear sourced statement, one small botanical/material sketch,
source/date in readable metadata. Any chart must retain accurate labels, units
and uncertainty. A generated landscape cannot demonstrate measured air quality.

### Educational carousel / document sequence

House structure: 4–6 pages. Opening question or premise → residue → collection
and controlled conversion → biochar and eligible use → evidence/limitations →
one next action. One idea per page; constant margins, palette and page numbering.
Draw plant, root and carbon stages coherently. A closing card works independently.

### Native film / Story / Reel

Start with an intelligible first frame. Use the sixteen-second memory story as
a motion reference; create a separate portrait composition instead of cropping
out the roots or crown. The root lifecycle and charcoal dispersal remain visible.
Match the loop seam. Silent viewing must communicate the story. If speech is
added, supply accurate captions and review audio rights; do not make music carry
information that is absent visually. Check the cover/thumbnail separately.

### Profiles and banners

Use the original three-circle mark for avatars. Do not recolour, redraw, stretch
or place detailed landscapes in a tiny avatar. Banners use a quiet landscape or
material drawing and a short mission line. Keep critical text outside avatar
and interface overlays. LinkedIn company/personal banners and Facebook covers
have different contexts: build to the current intended surface, not a universal
banner crop.

## Readability and safe areas

House starting point at 1080px width: headlines 64–96px, body copy at least 32px,
metadata at least 24px. Adjust to content and verify the result at actual phone
size; do not force long copy into a template. Aim for 6–8% inset on feed cards.
For vertical video, reserve an initial 10% on each side, 15% at top and 20% at
bottom for interface overlays; these are conservative design margins, not a
platform guarantee. Keep the main narrative centred, then inspect each app's
current preview. Maintain readable contrast and a complete plant/root silhouette.

Write meaningful alt text for static images. Keep important information in the
caption as well as the artwork. Add accurate captions to speech. Avoid flashing,
rapid repeated cuts and cluttered motion. Review multi-image crops and Story/Reel
covers on a phone before publishing.

## Brand-safe publication

State that the operating model is developing. The 1 / 10 / 100 sequence uses
In progress / Planned / Roadmap; it is not an operating fleet. Do not publish
financials, unannounced projects, government discussions, unsupported air-quality
results, certification, issued credits or endorsements. Keep net removal and
avoided burning distinct. For educational scientific claims, include a source.
Symbolic charcoal dispersal is not literal rapid dissolution or a fertilisation
claim. Mark illustrative content appropriately in captions/context when needed.
Obtain rights/consent for real people, partner marks and actual site material.

The examples in the visual guide are draft layout/copy demonstrations, not
announcements. Creating an asset does not authorize posting it. Publishing still
requires authorization for the specific content and destination.

## Pre-publication checklist

1. Intended channel, audience, one message and one action are clear.
2. Claims, sources, development status and rights are checked.
3. Art matches the botanical sketch family; plant/root stages are coherent.
4. Correct canvas and native crop preview preserve crown, roots, text and mark.
5. Typography, contrast, alt text, speech captions and thumbnail are reviewed.
6. Film has stable ground/background, purposeful lower-half motion and a clean seam.
7. Final copy and export match the specifically authorized destination.

## Platform references

Reviewed 14 October 2026. Platform help changes; internal templates above are
editorial choices, not an exhaustive specification table.

- [LinkedIn media types](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a565125):
  images, documents and video are supported media categories.
- [LinkedIn video requirements and safe zones](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a548372):
  check format/encoding and keep important content clear of interface overlays.
- [X photo/GIF posting](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/posting-gifs-and-pictures).
- [X profile and header guidance](https://help.x.com/en/managing-your-account/common-issues-when-uploading-profile-photo):
  recommended header 1500 × 500, profile 400 × 400, with possible display cropping.
- [Meta Reels creative guidance](https://www.facebook.com/business/ads/facebook-instagram-reels-ads):
  guidance for vertical creative; advertising advice is not an organic-feed limit.
- [Instagram photo resolution help](https://help.instagram.com/1631821640426723/):
  direct retrieval was rate-limited in this review; verify the live upload preview.

## Website share card

public/og.svg is the editable source; public/og.png is the 1200 × 630 raster used
in website metadata. Keep link previews distinct from platform-specific native
artwork. Follow the current website positioning and never add financials or
unannounced project locations to the share card.