# Holmes Logo Exploration 20260626

Generated asset set:

- `assets/holmes-logo-v01-proof-orbit.png`
- `assets/holmes-logo-v02-source-lens.png`
- `assets/holmes-logo-v03-casefile-terminal.png`
- `assets/holmes-logo-v04-routing-switch.png`
- `assets/holmes-logo-v05-agent-handoff.png`
- `assets/holmes-logo-v06-bracket-memory.png`

Open `index.html` in a browser for the design board.

## Positioning Read

Holmes is local-first, evidence-backed memory for coding agents. The strongest
beachhead customer in the repo is Head of Platform or DevEx at a 50-500
developer, security-aware org already using Codex plus Claude, with repeated
repo-context loss and static instruction-file sprawl.

The visual system should communicate:

- local control without becoming a generic security shield
- evidence and source references without legal/audit dullness
- coding-agent context without generic code-bracket clip art
- static-file honesty: some context belongs in files, some in reviewed Holmes
  memory, and some nowhere
- trust and operator control before enterprise procurement

## Competitor Read

The crowded visual territory is "AI memory" as clouds, brains, node graphs,
profile cards, and abstract gradients. Holmes should avoid those. Competitor
positioning pressure:

- Mem0/OpenMemory: persistent memory layer and MCP memory operations.
- Zep/Graphiti: temporal knowledge graphs, provenance, and changing facts.
- Supermemory: broad context cloud, profiles, connectors, and RAG.
- Hindsight: retain/recall/reflect as crisp memory operations.
- Letta Code: memory-first stateful coding agent.
- Basic Memory: local Markdown plus SQLite/MCP.
- LangMem: framework primitives for long-term agent memory.

## Iteration Notes

Best primary path: v06 Bracket Memory. It has the cleanest small-size
silhouette and the most developer-native identity.

Best explanatory path: v02 Source Lens. It says "inspect local memory" quickly,
but is less ownable because database + magnifier is a common pattern.

Best story path: v03 Casefile Terminal. It fits proof packets and audit
collateral, but may be too artifact-specific for the master logo.

Best sales metaphor: v04 Routing Switch. It directly expresses the static file
versus Holmes routing thesis, but it is too complex for the smallest icon use.

v01 and v05 are useful supporting concepts, but both need simplification before
they could become durable identity marks.