MLP Finanzberatung SE - Corporate Design System

Official design guidelines combining MLP brand standards with modern UI principles. Version 3.0 (verified by MLP UX Hub, August 2025).

Core Brand Principles

Brand Impact

• Sicherheit (Safety/Security)
• Markenkontakt (Brand Contact)
• Einheitliches Auftreten (Consistent Appearance)

Design Philosophy

• Clean and minimal layouts with abundant white space
• Professional, trust-inspiring aesthetics
• Accessible and barrier-free (WCAG compliant)
• Consistent spacing and visual hierarchy
• Mobile-first, responsive approach

1. MLP Color System (VERBINDLICH)

Primary Brand Colors (Markenfarben)

MLP Blau Dark (Main Corporate Blue):

• HEX: #033D5D
• RGB: 3, 61, 93
• Usage: Logo, backgrounds, main elements, ALL primary headings, primary buttons

Titanium (Premium Gray):

• HEX: #BEB6AA
• Usage: Logo, decorative elements, ALL divider lines, table borders, structural elements, secondary buttons

Türkis (Accent):

• HEX: #47A190
• Usage: Backgrounds, highlights, tertiary accents

Gray Tones (Text & Structure)

Text Dark (Primary Text):

• HEX: #2B2B2B
• Usage: All body text, headings (when not using MLP Blau Dark)
• NEVER use pure black (#000000)

Text Medium (Secondary Text):

• HEX: #717171
• Usage: Captions, metadata, secondary information

Background White:

• HEX: #FFFFFF
• Usage: Main background

Background Gray Lightest:

• HEX: #F8F8F8
• Usage: Subtle backgrounds for separated sections, alternating table rows

Functional UI Colors (Hinweisfarben)

⚠️ ONLY use these colors for their semantic purpose:

Information (Blue):

• HEX: #047584
• Usage: Info messages, informational highlights only

Success (Green):

• HEX: #13853E
• Usage: Success states, positive confirmations only

Warning (Orange):

• HEX: #E3691E
• Usage: Warnings, caution messages only
• Format: Bold text with "ACHTUNG" prefix + icon

Error (Red):

• HEX: #C1293D
• Usage: Error states, critical alerts only

Subbrand Colors (For Specialized Audiences)

MLP Med (Medical Professionals - Ärzte & Heilberufler):

• When to use: Content targeting doctors, medical practice owners
• Primary: #9ED0B7 (Soft Mint Green)
• Dark: #82AB96 | Light: #CAE5D7
• Usage: Key fact backgrounds, info boxes for medical audience

SOFE (School of Financial Education):

• When to use: Internal training, academic content, educational materials
• Primary: #009880 (Rich Petrol)
• Dark: #03798B | Light: #6AD9EB
• Usage: Educational highlights, training materials

2. Spacing System (8px Grid) - MANDATORY

Always use multiples of 8 for ALL spacing:

• 8px - Tight spacing (icon-to-label, tight groups)
• 16px - Default spacing between related elements, form field spacing
• 24px - Spacing between component groups, card padding (minimum)
• 32px - Section padding, comfortable card padding
• 48px - Large section gaps, major spacing
• 64px - Major layout divisions, page sections

Rules:

• NEVER use arbitrary spacing values (no 15px, 20px, 37px, etc.)
• Always round to nearest 8px multiple
• Consistent spacing creates visual rhythm
• Exception: 4px allowed for very tight micro-spacing (but prefer 8px)

3. Typography

Font Families

• Digital/Screen: Arial (fallback) or Rotis Sans Serif (if licensed)
• Maximum 2 font families per interface
• System font stack: Arial, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto

Typography Hierarchy

Headings:

• H1: 32-40px (page titles) - MLP Blau Dark (#033D5D)
• H2: 24-28px (section headers) - MLP Blau Dark (#033D5D)
• H3: 20-24px (subsections) - Text Dark (#2B2B2B)
• Body: 16px minimum (NEVER smaller for readability)
• Small text: 14px (metadata, captions, fine print)

Text Rules:

• Line height: 1.5-1.6 for body text
• Maintain clear visual hierarchy through size AND color
• MLP Blau Dark for main headings (mandatory)
• Text Dark for body content
• Text Medium for secondary information

Accessibility Requirements (Barrierefreiheit)

WCAG Compliance - MANDATORY:

• Text under 18px: minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio to background
• Larger elements (18px+): minimum 3:1 contrast ratio
• CRITICAL: Never communicate information through color alone
  • ✓ Error: Red color + "Fehler:" text + X icon
  • ✗ Error: Just red color
• All interactive elements need visible focus states for keyboard navigation

4. Shadows and Depth

Subtle Shadows (Preferred):

box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.12), 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.24);

Rules:

• Use subtle shadows, avoid dramatic effects
• Prefer borders (Titanium #BEB6AA) over shadows when appropriate
• Reserve stronger shadows for modals and elevated elements
• NEVER combine heavy shadow AND border on same element

5. Border Radius

Standard Radii:

• 4px - Subtle (inputs, small buttons)
• 8px - Moderate (cards, larger buttons)
• 12px - Pronounced (featured elements)

Rules:

• Not everything needs to be rounded
• Use consistently within each component type
• Sharp corners (0px) acceptable for cards and containers
• Fully rounded only for avatars, pills, badges

6. Interactive States - MANDATORY

Every interactive element MUST have clear states:

Buttons:

• Default: Base styling with subtle shadow
• Hover: Background darkens 10-15%, slight shadow increase
• Active: Background darkens 20%, shadow reduces
• Disabled: Opacity 0.5-0.6, cursor: not-allowed, no hover effect
• Focus: Visible outline (2px solid, offset 2px)

Links:

• Default: Underline or clear color differentiation
• Hover: Color shift or underline appears
• Visited: Optional subtle color change
• Focus: Visible outline

Form Inputs:

• Default: Border with subtle color
• Hover: Border color intensifies
• Focus: Border color change + outline
• Error: Red border + error message below
• Disabled: Gray background, cursor: not-allowed

7. Component Guidelines

Buttons

✓ MLP CORRECT:
- Primary: MLP Blau Dark (#033D5D) background, white text
- Secondary: Titanium (#BEB6AA) background, Text Dark
- Tertiary: White background, MLP Blau Dark border + text
- Padding: 12px 24px (using 8px grid)
- Height: Minimum 40px (mobile-friendly)
- Clear hover state (darken background 15%)
- Subtle shadow on default state
- Border radius: 4px or 8px (consistent)

✗ WRONG:
- Gradient backgrounds
- No hover states
- Arbitrary padding (e.g., 13px 19px)
- Tiny click targets (<40px height)
- Using functional colors (green/red) for non-semantic purposes

Cards

✓ MLP CORRECT:
- Border: 1px solid Titanium (#BEB6AA) OR subtle shadow
- NEVER both border AND heavy shadow
- Padding: 24px or 32px (8px grid)
- Background: White (#FFFFFF) or Gray Lightest (#F8F8F8)
- Border radius: 8px or 12px (consistent)
- Clear content hierarchy within

✗ WRONG:
- Heavy shadow + border combo
- Cramped content (< 16px padding)
- Inconsistent card styling across interface
- Random padding values

Forms

✓ MLP CORRECT:
- Labels: Above inputs, Text Dark (#2B2B2B), 14px or 16px
- Input height: 40-48px minimum (touch-friendly)
- Spacing between fields: 16px
- Error states: Red (#C1293D) border + "Fehler:" text + icon
- Success states: Green (#13853E) border + text + checkmark icon
- Focus: Visible outline (2px, 2px offset)
- Background: White (#FFFFFF)

✗ WRONG:
- Labels beside inputs (hard to scan)
- Tiny inputs (<36px height)
- No error messaging
- Missing focus states
- Color-only error indication

Tables (Financial Data)

✓ MLP CORRECT:
- Header row: MLP Blau Dark (#033D5D) background, white text
- Borders/dividers: Titanium (#BEB6AA), 1px solid
- Alternating rows: White (#FFFFFF) / Gray Lightest (#F8F8F8)
- Padding: 12px 16px per cell (8px grid)
- Important figures: Bold text, NOT colored
- Alignment: Numbers right-aligned, text left-aligned

✗ WRONG:
- Rainbow colored rows
- Using functional colors decoratively
- Inconsistent cell padding
- Heavy borders or shadows
- Poor number alignment

Layout Containers

✓ MLP CORRECT:
- Max width: 1200px-1400px (readability)
- Responsive padding: 24px mobile, 48px tablet, 64px desktop
- Use CSS Grid or Flexbox for alignment
- Mobile-first approach
- Background: White (#FFFFFF) or Gray Lightest (#F8F8F8)
- Whitespace: Abundant, let content breathe

✗ WRONG:
- Full-width text on ultra-wide screens
- Inconsistent container padding
- Desktop-only considerations
- Cluttered layouts

8. Implementation Guidelines

For Presentations (PowerPoint/Keynote)

STRUCTURE:
- Title slide: MLP Blau Dark (#033D5D) background, white text
- Content slides: White (#FFFFFF) or Gray Lightest (#F8F8F8) background
- All headings: MLP Blau Dark (#033D5D)
- Body text: Text Dark (#2B2B2B)
- Divider lines: Titanium (#BEB6AA), 1-2px
- Spacing: Use 8px grid (16px, 24px, 32px margins)

MEDICAL AUDIENCE (MLP Med):
- Key takeaways: Box with MLP Med (#9ED0B7) background
- Accent elements: MLP Med for highlighting
- Maintain all other MLP standards

TRAINING MATERIALS (SOFE):
- Learning objectives: Box with SOFE (#009880) background
- Educational highlights: SOFE accent
- Maintain all other MLP standards

For Web/App UI (React/HTML)

// Tailwind/CSS Example with MLP colors
const mlpTheme = {
  colors: {
    primary: '#033D5D',      // MLP Blau Dark
    secondary: '#BEB6AA',    // Titanium
    accent: '#47A190',       // Türkis
    textDark: '#2B2B2B',     // Text Dark
    textMedium: '#717171',   // Text Medium
    bgWhite: '#FFFFFF',
    bgGray: '#F8F8F8',
    info: '#047584',
    success: '#13853E',
    warning: '#E3691E',
    error: '#C1293D',
    mlpMed: '#9ED0B7',
    sofe: '#009880'
  },
  spacing: {
    xs: '8px',
    sm: '16px',
    md: '24px',
    lg: '32px',
    xl: '48px',
    xxl: '64px'
  }
}

Mobile-First Approach

Breakpoints:

• Mobile: < 640px (base styles)
• Tablet: 640px - 768px (sm)
• Laptop: 768px - 1024px (md)
• Desktop: 1024px - 1280px (lg)
• Wide: > 1280px (xl)

Mobile Rules:

• Touch targets: Minimum 44x44px
• Padding: Minimum 24px on mobile
• Font sizes: 16px minimum (prevents zoom on iOS)
• Spacing: Use 8px grid but may tighten on very small screens

9. Quality Checklist (Before Delivery)

MLP Brand Compliance

• MLP Blau Dark used for all primary headings
• Titanium used for all divider lines and borders
• Only approved MLP colors used
• Subbrand colors only for correct audience (Med or SOFE)
• No pure black (#000000) used for text

Accessibility (WCAG)

• All text meets 4.5:1 contrast ratio (or 3:1 for large)
• Information not conveyed by color alone
• Error states include text + icon (not just red)
• Success states include text + icon (not just green)
• Warning messages have "ACHTUNG" prefix
• All interactive elements have focus states

General Design Standards

• Spacing follows 8px grid system (8, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64)
• Typography hierarchy is clear
• All interactive elements have hover/active/disabled states
• Minimum 16px body text size
• Adequate white space throughout
• Shadows are subtle (if used)
• Border radius consistent within component types
• Mobile responsive (tested at 320px, 375px, 768px, 1024px)
• No arbitrary spacing values

MLP-Specific

• Authentic imagery (no artificial stock photos)
• Professional, trust-inspiring aesthetic
• Financial tables use Titanium borders
• Color usage reflects brand hierarchy

10. Special Notes for Trainers/Dozenten

As a trainer creating materials for different audiences:

General Financial Planning:

• Use standard MLP palette
• MLP Blau Dark + Titanium + Türkis

Medical Practice Seminars:

• Add MLP Med (#9ED0B7) as accent
• Use for key takeaways and medical-specific highlights
• Never mix with SOFE colors

Internal Advisor Training:

• Add SOFE (#009880) as accent
• Use for learning objectives and educational content
• Never mix with MLP Med colors

Golden Rules:

• Always maintain core MLP colors (Blau Dark, Titanium)
• Never mix subbrand colors in same presentation
• Subbrand = accent only, not replacement for core brand
• When in doubt, stick to core MLP palette

Quick Reference Color Matrix

Implementation Priority

When conflicts arise, follow this hierarchy:

1. MLP Brand Colors (highest priority) - Use approved colors
2. Accessibility (WCAG compliance) - Never compromise
3. Spacing System (8px grid) - Maintain consistency
4. Typography (hierarchy + readability) - Clear structure
5. Interactive States (usability) - Functional clarity
6. Aesthetics (shadows, radius) - Professional polish