Brand

Brand Guidelines

Please carefully read and review our brand guidelines before presenting the Tatem brand publicly.

Name

Tatem (pronounced TATE-UM) is a single word that is always spelled using a capital “T.” Tatem is the name we use for both our company and product. When referring to specific sub-products, features, or releases from Tatem, please capitalize both words as proper nouns (e.g. “Tatem Beliefs” or “Tatem Subtasks”). When referencing Tatem on social media, use #tatem.

Etymology

When selecting a name for our brand, we considered three principles to help guide our selection: 1) the name had to be two syllables 2) the name had to be relatively meaningless to most people so that our brand could become the embodiment of the word and 3) the .com domain had to be available for less than $10,000. Rich Barton, the founder of Zillow, Expedia, and Glassdoor, initially developed this brand building framework.

We eventually stumbled upon the word Totem, inspired by the mental image of a Totem pole representing something important and sacred to a community of people, something that the community adopts as an emblem. Further, we thought the base of the Totem pole serves as the foundation for both the Totem pole itself, but also for the community. The foundation creates a kind of trust, which is what we want for Tatem: to serve as the trusted foundational (software) layer for businesses around the world.

Unsurprisingly, Totem.com was not available. However, tatem.com was available for $7,000. Further, it aligned with our guiding principles: the name (to most individuals) meant nothing, it was 2 syllables, it was affordable, and to us, it felt special and memorable once said aloud. Within minutes, the domain had been purchased and Tatem was born.

Wordmark

The Tatem wordmark should be used in every instance where Tatem is referenced, space permitting. The dark wordmark should be used on light background colors (preferably “Pure White,” shown below), while the light wordmark should be used on darker backgrounds (preferably “Dune Gray,” shown below).

Logo

When working with logo-only grids or layouts that do not provide adequate space, we suggest using the Tatem logo (mark). In these scenarios, it is a concise way to refer to Tatem. Use your best judgement when considering your audience as the Tatem wordmark is more easily recognizable.

Logo Inspiration

While our name was inspired by what we wanted Tatem’s brand to become, our logo was inspired by how we wanted people to feel when using our products. We have always wanted our products to be delightful, beautiful, and inspirational; to feel human and natural; to be experienced and shared with others; and to evoke past adventures (both those in real life, and those in video games). As a result, we immediately were inspired by a campfire. A campfire is beautiful, signifies nature, brings people together, and is a core part of many (if not most) adventures and journeys. If you look closely at our logo, the inspiration is quite clear.

Colors

Tatem’s primary brand colors are monochromatic, with a singular accent color used sparingly throughout our products and marketing materials. Because of this, Tatem’s primary brand colors are best featured against light and dark backgrounds.

Writing

To read about our copywriting guidelines, check out our Writing page.

Legal

Please note that our name, brand imagery, and brand assets are protected by intellectual property laws. Do not alter our images or assets in any way, use our images or assets to develop your own images or assets, display them in your own product, business, or service, or combine our images or assets in any way.