12 chaptersUse ← → , scroll sideways or drag to walk through the guide
Questions about this guide?
Contact LucíaLast updated 24 Sept 2026
Made with brandbooks
01Chapter
Why Onda exists: our story, purpose, vision and values.
Onda brand guidelines · version 3.0
Everything you need to make Onda look, sound and feel like Onda — from the logo on a key card to the caption under a Sunday-morning post.
Onda is a small family of coastal guesthouses in Portugal, Spain and Italy — five houses, around a hundred rooms, and a lot of people who love where they live. We don't sell holidays. We invite people to slow down, meet our hosts and neighbours, and go home with stories instead of souvenirs.
This guide is for everyone who makes something in our name: our own teams in the houses, the agencies and photographers we work with, and partners who put our logo next to theirs. It explains who we are, how we look and how we sound, and it gives you the files to get started.
If something isn't covered here, ask yourself what a good host would do. Then ask us.
Brand story
Onda means wave in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian — the one word our three countries share. It's also how we'd like a stay to feel: unhurried, rhythmic, and always pulling you back to the sea.
In 2014, Ana Duarte and Marco Ricci bought a tired fisherman's house in Comporta, on the Alentejo coast. They fixed the roof, painted the shutters blue and opened six rooms. There was no reception desk — just a long kitchen table where Ana poured coffee and Marco drew maps of the best beaches on the back of napkins.
Guests didn't come back for the rooms. They came back for the table: for the neighbour who brought fish at seven, the baker who saved them the last loaf, the evening swims nobody had planned.
"We never wanted to run a hotel. We wanted to share the place we love with people who'd take care of it." — Ana Duarte, co-founder
Ten years and five houses later, that table is still the heart of Onda. Each house is small (12 to 24 rooms), run by people from the area, and rooted in its own village.
Why we exist
To bring people closer to the places they visit — and to the people who live there.
A Mediterranean where travel gives back more than it takes: to villages, to the sea, and to the people who come to rest.
We run small coastal houses with local hosts, and we open doors guests couldn't open alone: a fisherman's morning, a grandmother's kitchen, a cove only the neighbours know.
What we stand for
Four values guide every decision, from who we hire to which supplier we choose. If a piece of communication contradicts one of them, it isn't Onda.
Every guest knows their host's name by the first evening. We'd rather remember how you take your coffee than upsell you a room.
Our hosts, cooks and guides live nearby. At least 80% of what we buy comes from within 50 km of the house.
No checklists, no must-sees. We plan less so there's room for the things you'd never find in a guidebook.
We restore old buildings instead of building new ones, and 2% of every stay goes to our coastal clean-up fund.
Remember
Lead with people and place. A host, a street, a plate of food — never an empty infinity pool.
Give the logo room. Clear space is the height of the "o", on every side.
Sunset is the accent, not the wallpaper. Most of a layout is Shell and Night.
Write like a host, not a hotel. Short sentences, specific details, no superlatives.
Use the files in this guide. Don't redraw, retype or recolour the logo.
02Chapter
Who we're for, what they need and how we're different.
Audience & positioning
Our guests differ in age and budget, but they share a mindset: they travel to understand a place, not to tick it off. Click through the three guests we design for, then see where Onda sits among the alternatives.
Both 41, Amsterdam · four nights or more, twice a year
We want to eat where the neighbours eat — and know their names by Friday.
Parents 38 and 40, two children (6 and 9), Madrid · a week in May or October
I want the kids to learn to fish, not to queue for a slide.
34, writer and remote worker, Berlin · stays two to four weeks
I come for the quiet, and I stay for the people at the table.
For curious travellers who want to feel at home somewhere new, Onda is the group of small Mediterranean coastal houses that connects you with local people and culture — because every house is run by people who live there.
Where we sit
Onda sits between the anonymous resort and the do-it-yourself holiday rental. We offer the comfort and care of a good hotel, with the closeness and character of staying with friends.
Not a resort. No buffets, no animation team, no wristbands.
Not a rental. There's always a host, a breakfast table and a tip for tomorrow.
Not luxury for show. Linen sheets and good coffee, yes. Gold taps, no.
Our promise
Every guest goes home with at least one real connection — a host, a neighbour, a fisherman, a cook. That is the promise behind everything we make, and the test for every message: does it bring people closer?
03Chapter
The traits that shape how Onda looks, sounds and behaves.
Brand personality
If Onda were a person, you'd meet her on the terrace at eight: barefoot, coffee in hand, already knowing where the boats will come in. Slide over each scale to see what it means for design and copy.
What this means: We never shout. One headline, one accent colour, plenty of space — confidence doesn't need volume.
What this means: We write like a host: first names, 'you', a personal tip in every message.
What this means: Comfortable, never posh. No 'VIP', no velvet ropes — everyone gets the same welcome.
What this means: Crafted, not glossy: real photos, hand-drawn maps, local ceramics — but always neat and correct.
What this means: A light touch and a smile, never jokes or puns. Practical information stays practical.
What this means: Old fishermen's houses, modern comfort. Our design is simple and current, our stories are rooted in history.
Warm and optimistic, quick to smile. We see the best in a place and in people.
“Rain today? Perfect for Rosa's bread class at eleven.”
But not: Forced cheerfulness, exclamation marks, 'Amazing!!'
We ask questions, notice details and love a good story — about the village, the food, the guest.
“Did you know the shutters in Tavira are blue to keep the flies away?”
But not: Showing off, trivia for its own sake
Calm and confident. We give people time and space — on the page and in the house.
“Breakfast waits for you. Come down whenever you're ready.”
But not: Urgency, countdowns, 'only 2 rooms left!'
We make everyone feel like a regular, from the first email to the last goodbye.
“Hi Sanne, your room faces the rice fields. See you on Thursday — Inês.”
But not: Formal phrases like 'Dear valued guest'
In practice
Generous white space, one accent per layout, round shapes and real photography. Nothing glossy, nothing crowded.
Short sentences, first names and specific details: times, places, people. We'd rather tell one true story than list ten features.
Hosts introduce themselves by name, breakfast has no end time and every guest gets a hand-drawn map on arrival.
04Chapter
Wordmark, symbol and lockups, and how to use them.
Logo
The Onda wordmark is built from circles and straight stems in a single, even line weight — round like the sun, steady like the horizon. Use the files from this guide; never redraw or retype it.
For screens: websites, apps, social media, presentations and email.
Screen previewWordmark is the default, in almost every situation. Use Night on light backgrounds and Shell on dark ones.
On Sunset the wordmark is always Night (4.7:1) — never white, which only reaches 3.3:1.
Black is only for single-colour print: newspapers, stamps, engraving and embossing.
Symbol is for small or square spaces where the name is already clear: app icons, favicons, avatars, wax seals and room keys.
Lockup is for first impressions where we need both: the website header on mobile, the front of a brochure, flags.
Use the switch on each logo card to pick the right file. Digital · RGB is for screens: websites, apps, social media, presentations and email. Print · CMYK is for everything printed in four colours: brochures, menus, posters and business cards. Pantone is for spot-colour work where the colour must match exactly: signage, textiles, ceramics, embroidery and our letterhead (Pantone 2768 C for Night, 7579 C for Sunset). The reversed logo in print is never printed white — it's the paper showing through.
Clear space
The minimum clear space around the logo is x: the height of the letter o. Nothing enters that area — no text, no image edges, no other logos. More space is always better.
Minimum size
Below these sizes the counters of the o and d close up. If you need to go smaller, switch to the symbol.
Hotel lockups
Each house uses the Onda wordmark with its place name, separated by a short Sunset rule. The place name is set in DM Sans Regular, in capitals, with 20% letter spacing, at 45% of the wordmark's height.
Do's and don'ts
The logo works because it's calm. Please don't add anything to it.
Use Night on Shell or white, with generous clear space.
Place Shell on a calm, even area of a photo — sky, sea or a plain wall.
Use the Night wordmark on Sunset for our boldest moments.
Use the symbol on its own for app icons and avatars, centred with even padding.
Use the lockup on light supporting colours such as Sky or Apricot.
Don't stretch, squash or change the proportions.
Don't recolour the logo or use gradients.
Don't rotate the logo or set it on a curve.
Don't place it on busy images where it loses contrast.
Don't add shadows, outlines, glows or 3D effects.Details
05Chapter
Our palette, codes, proportions and accessible pairs.
Colour
Our palette comes straight from a day on the coast: the sun going down, the harbour at noon, the sky after a swim and the deep blue of a summer night. Warm, but never loud.
Primary palette
Click a value to copy it. Use the CMYK values on coated paper and the Pantone references for signage, textiles and merchandise.
Supporting palette
Use these in illustrations, tiles, charts and backgrounds for quieter content. They never replace Sunset as the accent.
Proportion
A typical Onda layout is mostly Shell and Night, with Sunset as the one accent that draws the eye. Supporting colours appear in small doses. If a page feels orange, there's too much Sunset.
Accessibility
We follow WCAG 2.2 AA: at least 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text (24 px, or 19 px bold) and icons. The ratios below are calculated live — try your own text, or swap the colours. The last two pairs fail on purpose.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Contrast is calculated with the WCAG 2.2 formula. AA: at least 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text (24 px, or 19 px bold); AAA: 7:1.
Details
06Chapter
Typefaces, hierarchy, scale and practical rules.
Typography
Two free, open-source typefaces from Google Fonts. Outfit has the same round geometry as our wordmark and sets every headline. DM Sans is friendly and very legible at small sizes, so it carries everything else.
Hero titles, posters and covers. Medium (500), 56–96 px, line height 1.05, tracking −1%. One short line, ideally fewer than six words.
Good typography is invisible. It guides the eye from line to line, so readers stay with the story instead of the letters. Spacing between lines matters as much as the letters themselves.
Stay a little longer.
Good typography is invisible. It guides the eye from line to line, so readers stay with the story instead of the letters. Spacing between lines matters as much as the letters themselves.
Stay a little longer.
Good typography is invisible. It guides the eye from line to line, so readers stay with the story instead of the letters. Spacing between lines matters as much as the letters themselves.
font-family: Outfit, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;Page and section headings. Medium (500) for H1 and H2, Regular (400) for H3. Sentence case, never all capitals.
Good typography is invisible. It guides the eye from line to line, so readers stay with the story instead of the letters. Spacing between lines matters as much as the letters themselves.
All running text, from web pages to booking emails. Regular (400) at 16–18 px, line height 1.6, 60–75 characters per line. Bold (700) for emphasis only.
Good typography is invisible. It guides the eye from line to line, so readers stay with the story instead of the letters. Spacing between lines matters as much as the letters themselves.
Rosa bakes the bread at six.
Good typography is invisible. It guides the eye from line to line, so readers stay with the story instead of the letters. Spacing between lines matters as much as the letters themselves.
Rosa bakes the bread at six.
Good typography is invisible. It guides the eye from line to line, so readers stay with the story instead of the letters. Spacing between lines matters as much as the letters themselves.
font-family: "DM Sans", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;Captions in Regular at 13–14 px. Labels, tags and wayfinding in Bold capitals at 11–12 px with +12% letter spacing.
Good typography is invisible. It guides the eye from line to line, so readers stay with the story instead of the letters. Spacing between lines matters as much as the letters themselves.
Scale
Seven steps cover everything from a poster to a key card, set live in our fonts — type your own text to try it. Sizes are px on screen; read them as pt for A4 print (body 9.5–10 pt). On mobile, scale Display and H1 down by about 30%; body text stays at least 16 px.
In use
Letters, menus and cards use the same scale: one bold subject line, calm body text, generous margins.
Details
07Chapter
Shapes, pattern, illustration and icons — and how to combine them.
Graphic language
Three shapes from the symbol do all the graphic work: the circle of the sun, the line of the wave and the arch of a Mediterranean doorway. Combined with real photos and plenty of Shell, they make anything recognisably Onda — even without the logo.
A full or half circle in Sunset. Use one per layout, as a highlight behind a headline, a price or a photo. Never more than one sun.
A soft wave line in Harbour or Sky, 2% of the format width. Use it as a divider or along the bottom edge — never as a frame around text.
Our frame for photos: a rectangle with a half-round top, like the doorways of our houses. Corners elsewhere are rounded at 24 px (screen) or 4 mm (print).
Illustration
Our illustrations borrow the logic of the wordmark: one even line weight in Night, round ends, and a single Sunset sun as the only solid shape. Use them for maps, menus, little guides and anywhere a photo would be too much.
Built from the symbol: half a sun and a wave, repeated. Use it on packaging, tissue paper, room-key sleeves and the back of business cards — never behind text or the logo, and never on more than one surface per item.
Icons
On the website, in the app and on signs in the houses we use Material Symbols: Rounded, weight 300, in Harbour. Search for what you need, click an icon to copy its name or SVG, or download it as SVG or PNG.
Material Symbols by Google, open source (Apache 2.0)
Combining
08Chapter
Subjects, light, mood and what fits — with a moodboard.
Photography & image style
Our pictures should make you want to be there — not because it looks perfect, but because it looks real. We show the morning light on a terrace, the host who made the bread, the street behind the house. People and places first; rooms second.
Shoot in the first two hours after sunrise or the last two before sunset. No flash, no studio light. Shadows are welcome.
Hosts and guests doing something — pouring, laughing, swimming. Nobody looks into the lens, nobody poses.
Straight horizons, simple compositions and plenty of sky or sea, so there's always space for a headline.
Image style
Hover over each scale to see what it means, and use the moodboard when you choose or brief images: green fits, red doesn't.
What this means: Daylight, ideally early or late. Bright but never blown out; real shadows stay in.
What this means: True to life and sun-warmed. No filters, no teal-and-orange grading.
What this means: Slow moments: a swim, a long lunch, a quiet street at noon.
What this means: Caught mid-moment, never looking into the lens. Hosts and guests, not models.
What this means: Mostly wide with room for a headline; close-ups for food, hands and textures.
Gallery
From the first coffee to the last candle. Use this set as a reference for briefing photographers and choosing images.
Do's and don'ts
Natural daylight with real shadows and true colours.
People caught mid-moment, in their own setting.
A straight horizon and space for a headline.
Heavy filters, colour casts or dark vignettes.
Tilted horizons and 'dramatic' angles.
Discount stickers or text slapped on top of a photo.Specifications
09Chapter
How we write: principles, slogans, examples per channel and a word list.
Tone of voice
Imagine you've just arrived and your host is showing you around: relaxed, warm, full of little tips, never selling. That's how we sound everywhere — on the website, in a confirmation email and on the card on your pillow.
We're glad you're here, and we say so simply. No 'dear valued guest', no exclamation marks in every line.
Not 'authentic local experiences', but 'fishing with João at six'. Names, times, smells and places.
We share what we love and ask what you love. No puns, no jargon, no showing off.
Short sentences and plenty of air — but always correct, clear and complete. Calm is not careless.
Character
Welcoming, like an open kitchen door Curious about people and places Calm and confident Sunny and optimistic Honest about what we are — and aren't
Pushy, salesy or full of urgency Posh, exclusive or snobbish Over-familiar or too cute Vague, poetic for its own sake A hotel chain talking to 'customers'
Lines
The brand line is fixed; campaign lines change by season. Always in the guest's language — never translate the brand line word for word into a third language without checking with us.
Travel, people, culture. Under the logo on covers, posters and the website footer. Always with full stop, never in capitals.
Stay a little longer. You'll leave knowing someone. Breakfast waits for you.
Bom dia, Comporta. Buenos días, Cádiz. Buongiorno, Procida. Local greetings are welcome in headlines and on social — never in contracts or invoices.
Before and after
In practice
The voice stays the same; the volume changes. Here's how we adjust it, with examples you can borrow.
Word list
house (not hotel or property) guest (not customer) host (not staff) room, terrace, table, kitchen slow, warm, simple, together local names: João, Mercado, praia stay, come back, see you tomorrow
luxury, luxurious, premium, deluxe breathtaking, stunning, paradise hidden gem, authentic experience exclusive, VIP, world-class book now, last chance, hurry package, upgrade, amenities dear valued guest
House style
10Chapter
Grids, white space, alignment and the balance of text and image.
Layout & composition
Every layout should feel like a quiet terrace: room to breathe, one thing to look at, nothing in a hurry. Pick a format to see its grid, and switch on the overlay to see it on our home page.
Content max. 1280 px wide. Text columns span at most 7 of 12 columns (about 70 characters).
Composition
Text on Shell on the left (5 columns), photo on the right (7 columns). For web heroes, brochures and presentations.
One photo in an arch, centred, with a short headline above and the logo below. For posters, covers and menus.
Photo edge to edge, headline in Shell on the calmest area (sky or sea). For social, billboards and campaign pages.
11Chapter
The brand at work: website, print, social, signage — and ordering.
Applications
This is where everything comes together: the logo, colour, type, images and voice on the things guests actually see and touch. Use these as the reference when you make something new — and use the templates in Files & governance to start.
Website
More
Order
Need business cards, letterhead or a poster for your house? Fill in the form and the design studio prepares a print-ready file and a proof within three working days.
Handled by Matteo Ricci, design studio
85 × 55 mm, 400 g uncoated, Sunset front. Boxes of 250.
A4, 120 g warm-white uncoated, printed in Pantone 2768 C and 7579 C.
A2 or 50 × 70 cm destination poster with your house name.
12Chapter
Master files, which file for what, version and who to ask.
Files & governance
All files on this page are the master versions — download them here rather than from an old email or a shared drive. They are vector SVGs that scale to any size; please don't edit the logo files. Need PDF, EPS or PNG? Ask the design studio.
3.0 · 24 September 2026 New in 3.0: print logo files (CMYK and Pantone), the image-style moodboard and layout grids.
Lucía Moreno, brand manager, owns this guide. The design studio maintains the files and templates.
Anything new that carries the logo — signage, campaigns, partner materials — is checked by the brand manager before it's published or printed.
01
02
03
Everyone at Onda uses the same signature. Fill in your details, check the preview and copy it into Gmail, Outlook or Apple Mail. Your first name is enough in the greeting — the signature does the rest.
04
05
Questions?
We'd rather answer a question than fix a print run. Get in touch early — we usually reply within one working day.
Ask about: brand approvals, partnerships, co-branding and anything this guide doesn't answer
Ask about: logo files, templates, print specs, proofs and photo briefs
Ask about: the website, newsletters, social media, ads and the email signature
