OEM Wordmark Placement

The Verdigris hero is reserved for Verdigris brand expression: our logomark, our category claim, our wedge. Partner and competitor wordmarks (Schneider, Eaton, ABB, Vertiv, Siemens, Honeywell, Packet Power, SkySpark, etc.) do not belong in the hero band, even on pages explicitly about a partner or integration.

The SOV R8 pixel review identified this as a pattern across all eight /integrations/* pages: the OEM wordmark was rendered next to the Verdigris logo in the hero, opacity-90, in the same visual band — and the result read as “endorsement ad,” not “we integrate with their gear.”

Rule

Hero band (the top viewport of any page): no OEM wordmarks.

The hero carries:

• The Verdigris logomark (in the global header).
• The page eyebrow (e.g. INTEGRATION · SCHNEIDER ECOSTRUXURE) — text only, no logo.
• The H1.
• The deck.
• The hero stat cards (no OEM logos inside).
• The hero CTAs.

Naming a partner in the eyebrow text is required (it’s the taxonomy label); rendering their wordmark in the hero is forbidden.

Body band: OEM wordmarks are permitted in specific composition contexts.

OEM wordmarks belong in body sections where they answer a specific reader question, not in chrome where they imply endorsement.

Wordmark rendering rules (when permitted)

Why

Trademark law and brand etiquette both say: do not render someone else’s wordmark in a position that implies endorsement, partnership, or co-branding unless that relationship is in writing.

/integrations/<partner> pages describe one-way Verdigris integration with the partner’s gear. They are not co-branded surfaces. The partner has not approved the Verdigris hero treatment, has not signed a co-marketing agreement, and is unlikely to. Putting their wordmark in our hero band invites a takedown request and reads — to the operator audience reading the page — as a vendor ad rather than a technical reference.

The same logic applies in reverse: when partner organizations publish about Verdigris integrations, they put the Verdigris wordmark in body sections (architecture diagrams, supported-system lists), not in their hero. We mirror that convention.

Compliant

---
hero:
  eyebrow: "INTEGRATION · SCHNEIDER ECOSTRUXURE"
  title: "Real signal in every kilowatt — at the EcoStruxure layer"
  description: "..."
  # No oemWordmark in hero frontmatter.
---

# How this integration works

<ArchitectureDiagram>
  <Box label="EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert">
    <img src="/og/oem-wordmarks/schneider-electric.svg" alt="Schneider Electric logo" />
  </Box>
  <Box label="Verdigris Signals" />
</ArchitectureDiagram>

Non-compliant

---
hero:
  eyebrow: "INTEGRATION · SCHNEIDER ECOSTRUXURE"
  oemWordmark:                      # ← forbidden
    src: "/og/oem-wordmarks/schneider-electric.svg"
    alt: "Schneider Electric logo"
  title: "Real signal in every kilowatt"
---

// Renderer that drops the OEM wordmark next to the Verdigris logo in the hero
<header>
  <VerdigrisLogo />
  {hero.oemWordmark && <img src={hero.oemWordmark.src} alt={hero.oemWordmark.alt} />}
</header>

SOV R8 finding (concrete reference)

The SOV R8 pixel-review pipeline rendered all eight /integrations/* pages at desktop+mobile and reported (in ~/Downloads/sov-r8-adversarial3-pixel-20260526-063656/raw-data.json):

wordmarks: [{ tag: "IMG", src: "/og/oem-wordmarks/schneider-electric.svg", top: 130, left: 383.9, classes: "block w-auto h-5 md:h-6 object-contain shrink-0 opacity-90 brightness-0 invert" }]

— rendering the partner wordmark inside the hero at ~24px height, next to the Verdigris logo. The Track I per-page agents stripped these. This rule prevents regression.

Thomas’s specific feedback (Packet Power case): “the Packet Power wordmark looks like an ad.” That’s the test: if the wordmark, in its rendered position, would read as advertising to a Verdigris operator first opening the page, it’s mis-placed.

Where this applies

Sources

1. rules/visual-rules.yml > brand_rejections.voice_and_content.brand.voice.no-sales-aesthetics-on-technical-surfaces — pre-existing rule banning “logo walls” and similar marketing aesthetics on technical surfaces. This rule narrows that constraint specifically to the hero band on all surfaces.
2. U.S. trademark law convention — using a third party’s mark in promotional positions implies endorsement unless contractually agreed. Cited via the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office “Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure” §1202.03 (descriptive use vs. promotional use of third-party marks).
3. Vercel, Stripe, and Linear integration pages — these companies use partner wordmarks inside architecture diagrams and product-row tables, not in heroes. Direct observation of vercel.com/integrations/<partner>, stripe.com/partners/<partner>, linear.app/integrations/<partner> as of 2026.

See also

• rules/visual-rules.yml > brand_rejections.voice_and_content.brand.voice.no-sales-aesthetics-on-technical-surfaces
• rules/visual-rules.yml > composition.oem_wordmark_placement — machine-enforceable rule