Button
Six variants (primary, secondary, accent, neutral, ghost, outline), three sizes, default and pill shapes.
Tokens
--primary--secondary--accent--radius-md--radius-full--font-primaryVariants
Sizes
Shape
State
Tangelo Orange leads. Midnight Blue carries institutional weight. Three cuts of Messina hold the editorial range.
00 · Overview
Resume Place
Tangelo Orange leads. Midnight Blue carries institutional weight. Three cuts of Messina hold the editorial range.
The design system behind Resume Place, the first-ever federal resume writing service. Brand Book v1.1 (September 2024) codified the Tangelo / Midnight palette, the Messina type family across Sans / Serif / Mono, the wordmark and circle-checkmark logomark, and the Ten Steps and CCAR Accomplishment Builder sub-brand systems.
2
Brand buckets
11
Type sizes
13
Space steps
5
Radius tokens
01 · Foundations / Color
Color
Named brand buckets layered over a semantic system. Product UI leans on the semantic layer. Marketing leans on the buckets directly.
Brand buckets
2 bucketsorange
3 stops
tangelo
#F94D00
mahoganyWood
#C04000
spicedTea
#B35C44
blue
6 stops
bright
#2F62C4
brightLifted
#5B8AE0
deep
#1C3664
evening
#0F264C
midnight
#223240
night
#0B1D3A
Neutral
3 stopsrichGray
#010203
darkGray
#5B5E60
lightGray
#D2D9DB
Semantic roles
13 rolesdefault
#F94D00
focus
#C04000
content
#FFFFFF
default
#1C3664
focus
#0F264C
content
#FFFFFF
default
#B35C44
focus
#C04000
content
#FFFFFF
default
#5B5E60
focus
#010203
content
#FFFFFF
default
#FFFFFF
focus
—
content
—
default
#010203
focus
—
content
—
default
#F4F4F0
focus
—
content
—
default
#5B5E60
focus
—
content
—
default
#D2D9DB
focus
—
content
—
default
#D2D9DB
focus
—
content
—
default
#F94D00
focus
—
content
—
default
#C04000
focus
—
content
—
default
#FFFFFF
focus
—
content
—
02 · Foundations / Typography
Typography
The type families this brand uses, the scale it ships with, and the weights it relies on.
primary
Messina Sans
'Messina Sans', 'Inter', ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 0123456789
editorial
Messina Serif
'Messina Serif', 'Newsreader', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 0123456789
mono
Messina Sans Mono
'Messina Sans Mono', 'JetBrains Mono', ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, monospace
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 0123456789
condensed
Messina Sans Condensed
'Messina Sans Condensed', 'Manrope', 'Messina Sans', 'Inter', ui-sans-serif, sans-serif
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 0123456789
Scale
11 sizesdisplay
69px
Designing the system, not the skin.
h1
57px
Designing the system, not the skin.
h2
48px
Designing the system, not the skin.
h3
40px
Designing the system, not the skin.
h4
33px
Designing the system, not the skin.
h5
28px
Designing the system, not the skin.
h6
23px
Designing the system, not the skin.
lead
19px
Designing the system, not the skin.
body
16px
Designing the system, not the skin.
xs
11px
Designing the system, not the skin.
small
13px
Designing the system, not the skin.
Weights
5 weightslight · 300
Aa
book · 400
Aa
semibold · 600
Aa
bold · 700
Aa
black · 900
Aa
03 · Foundations / Spacing
Spacing
The brand's spacing scale and container widths. Mono-keyed for scan, not for memorization.
Scale
13 steps1
4px
4px. Micro
2
8px
8px. Tight
3
12px
12px
4
16px
16px. Base
5
20px
20px
6
24px
24px. Comfortable
8
32px
32px. Spacious
10
40px
40px
12
48px
48px. Section gap
16
64px
64px. Large section
20
80px
80px
24
96px
96px
32
128px
128px. Hero breathing room
Containers
3 widthsnarrow
720px
Reading / form / long-form article width
max
1140px
Standard content width
wide
1440px
Marketing hero / dashboard width
04 · Foundations / Radius
Radius
Corner-radius tokens. Small UI sharp. Large surfaces soft. Pills and avatars full.
none
0
sm
4px
md
6px
lg
12px
full
9999px
05 · Foundations / Motion
Motion
Durations and easings. Conservative product-UI motion. Quick hovers, gentle transitions, no theatrics.
Duration
4 durationsinstant
0ms
No animation (reduced-motion fallback)
fast
150ms
Hover, focus, micro-interactions
normal
300ms
Standard transitions
slow
500ms
Reveals, page transitions
Easing
4 curvesdefault
500ms
Standard ease. Most transitions
in
500ms
Ease-in. Exits
out
500ms
Ease-out. Entrances
linear
500ms
Linear. Progress and continuous motion only
03 · Components
Component library
A token-driven component set. Every component reads from the brand scope above. Swap the brand and the same components reskin without code changes.
Input
Text input, textarea, and label. Standard size scale with hover and focus states tied to the primary token.
Tokens
--primary--base-300--background--foreground--radius-mdSizes
State
With label
Card
Default, soft, and outlined surfaces. Composable header, body, and footer regions.
Tokens
--background--base-100--base-200--base-300--radius-lgDefault
Standard surface for product UI. Sits on the base background with a subtle border.
Soft
A muted variant for secondary content. Reads as supporting, not primary.
Outlined
Transparent background with a defined edge. Good for placement over decorated surfaces.
Badge
Status indicators and chips. Pulls from brand and status tokens for semantic meaning.
Tokens
--primary--accent--success--warning--danger--radius-fullBrand
PrimarySecondaryAccentNeutralSoft
Status
InfoSuccessWarningDanger
Size
SmallMedium
Avatar
Image or initials, four sizes, optional brand tone for placeholder fills.
Tokens
--primary--secondary--accent--neutral--radius-fullSizes
HL
CL
EA
YL
Tones
P
S
A
N
Tabs
Underline and pill variants. Active tab uses the primary token; inactive tabs sit at 60 percent foreground.
Tokens
--primary--foreground--base-100--base-300Underline
Active lesson workspace.
Pill
Home view content.
07 · Patterns
Composed patterns
The applied design studies, ported onto the platform and driven entirely by the tokens above. Two registers: the document stays ATS-quiet (ink, Messina, mono federal data); the frame carries the brand (navy ground, bright-blue signal, tangelo as a whisper).
Accent discipline · buttons & pills
Tangelo is rare: one primary action per view. Bright book-cover blue carries the signal; navy is the ground. Condensed handles acronyms and editions.
Composes
ButtonPillMono noteCondensed labelsStart your résumé →Bright blueNavyQuietText link →
Ten StepsOPM ruleSES · ECQWebinarArchive
ONE tangelo action per view. Bright blue carries the signal. Navy is the ground.
Federal job block · the mono data strip
The metadata a federal résumé must carry — series/grade, hours per week, salary, supervisor may-contact — set in Messina Mono as a bordered strip. The title is the one Serif moment in the document body.
Composes
Serif titleMono stripCondensed cell labelsManagement & Program Analyst
Bureau of Land Management — U.S. Dept. of the Interior
May 2021 – Present
CCAR accomplishment · result in the signal
Four labeled beats — Context · Challenge · Action · Result — so a hiring manager scans it in six seconds. Only the quantified result carries the bright-blue signal.
Composes
Serif folioCondensed beat labelsMono metricSignal blue01Cleared a 14-month FOIA backlog and ended the bureau’s litigation exposure.
ContextBureau carried 1,200 overdue FOIA requests across three field offices.
ChallengeNo triage system; two pending lawsuits and an open IG audit finding.
ActionBuilt a priority-scoring workflow; trained 6 records staff; set weekly SLAs.
ResultCut the backlog 38% in two quarters with zero new litigation referrals.
Analysis rail · frame register
Lives only in the frame, never on the paper. Big thin-Serif match numeral in bright blue (same family as the marketing hero stats); covered keywords sit calm, a single required-but-missing term is the one tangelo whisper.
Composes
Serif numeralSignal meterMono keyword chipsTangelo gapMatch score
96%to the
announcement
announcement
Keyword coverage · 11 / 12
program analysisFOIArecords mgmtdata visualizationGS-0343auditstakeholder! data governance
08 · Screens
Real screens
Composed pages built from the foundations, components, and patterns above. Live, not stills. The marketing homepage and the résumé workbench — the two surfaces the whole system exists to serve.
01
Marketing homepage
We wrote the book on the federal résumé.
The marketing surface. The light editorial hero with its USAJOBS-ready preview card and serif proof stats, the navy Ten Steps books band with bright-blue covers, the "not dry, nor dull" character quote, the three-practice pillars, the core-services icon system, the articles and live-events bands, and the darkest-ground CTA. Navy is the ground; tangelo whispers once per view.
resumeplace.com
The original federal résumé service · since 1973Books & ShopCart (0)202 · 491 · 6498
Start a consultation →
Since 1973The original federal résumé service
Ten Steps®The methodology agencies train on
CertifiedFederal job search trainers and coaches
HundredsOf federal careers advised, and counting
Federal career articlesUpdated weekly
Browse all articles →The latest federal career articles.
01
Who we serveRP / Audience
Fifty years of federal résumés. Now for every career move.
Fifty years inside the federal hiring system taught us how a résumé wins. That expertise now works across the whole field, from the first federal job to the senior executive panel, and out into the private market.
02
What changedRP / The rules
The federal résumé rules changed in 2026.
The 2026 guidance rewrites how a federal application is supposed to read. We have tracked every OPM format era since 1973, so when a rule moves we already know what it means for your page.
Format2026
The two-page federal résumé
Agencies are moving off the old five-page outline to a tight two-page format. Every accomplishment now has to earn its line. We have written to this length since the day it was announced.
Narrative2026
Federal essay résumés
Some announcements now ask for a short narrative in place of a duties list. It reads like a story and scores like a qualification. Most applicants have never written one. We have.
Language2026
Plain-language applications
The new guidance pushes for skills-based, plain-language packages over jargon and acronyms. A clearer page that a human and an ATS both read the same way.
03
How it worksRP / The method
A certified writer writes your résumé, start to finish.
- 01Share
Hand us what you have
Drop your current résumé up top, or come as you are. We read your roles, dates, series and grade. No blank form to fight.
- 02Strategize
A certified writer reads it against a real posting
One hour with a consultant who measures your history against the announcement and names exactly what wins the referral.
- 03Delivered
We write your federal-format draft
You get a finished, OPM-correct résumé written to the current two-page format, not a template, not a wizard. Written for you.
Start a consultation →$210 · one hour · certified writer
04
We wrote the book · order directRP / Bookstore
The books the field still trains on.
Jobseeker’s Guide, 10th Ed.
Ten Steps to a Federal Job® — the methodology agencies still train on, for military and spouses.
From$21.95
Federal Resume Guidebook, 8th Ed.
The book on the two-page federal résumé. Keyword sets, accomplishment stories, real before-and-afters.
From$21.95
The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses®
The federal job search for active-duty spouses: the four hiring paths and how to win on each.
From$15.95
Transitioning Your Federal Résumé
Moving between federal and private industry: how to convert the record so the other market reads it.
From$29.95Shop all guides →
06
Teach the methodRP / Certification
Get certified to train others.
Since 2002 we have certified career counselors, workforce staff, and HR teams to teach federal résumé writing and the federal job search. A three-day program, train-the-trainer, with the books, the agenda, and the credential to run it yourself.
3-day certification · curriculum + license includedSee certification dates →
CFJST®
Certified Federal Job Search Trainer
For workforce, employment, and transition counselors who teach the federal job search.
CFRC®
Certified Federal Résumé Coach
For coaches and HR staff who write and review the federal résumé one-on-one.
07
Success storiesRP / Testimonials
In their words.
Success storyOn working with Kathryn directly
“More than a half-dozen federal job offers.
Kathryn Troutman, the owner of The Resume Place, literally wrote the book on federal resume writing. Her personalized feedback and coaching has been absolutely invaluable in helping me receive more than a half-dozen federal job offers (and still counting). Particularly in a few instances when I feel I’ve hit a wall, Kathryn always seems to know what I’m doing wrong and how to fix my mistake.
An offer the next day.
We discussed and reworked my résumé, also developing a suitable cover letter. I sent it out to four potential employers, and I was amazed to receive an outstanding offer the next day. True story, and I am grateful to Resume Place for the exceptional result.
A federal résumé in under a week.
Rita dedicated herself to understanding my concerns with my old resume. In under a week, she took my federal employment history with its disparate collection of duties and accomplishments and helped me craft an easy-to-read professional resume.
Ready for an SES interview.
Before a key agency Senior Executive Service interview, Kathryn efficiently designed an interview simulation, application, and post-op review. Her no-nonsense guidance provided lifelong tips on the “Last 5 Percent” interview elements crucial to placement success. I could tell the positive difference during the extensive agency interview that followed.
02
The résumé workbench
CenterpieceA two-page federal résumé, set in the system.
The centerpiece, and the artifact at the center of the business. The two registers made visible: a disciplined ink-on-paper federal résumé (Serif masthead, Mono metadata strips, CCAR accomplishments with the win in bright-blue) held inside the expressive navy frame — match score, keyword coverage, format checks, and the one tangelo whisper on a missing required keyword. Runs on JSON Resume plus a federal extension.
app.resumeplace.com/builder/rivera-jordan
02
The artifact · document register inside the frame
A two-page federal résumé, set in the system.
RP-DS / Document
Same tokens as the marketing tile. The difference is discipline: inside the paper, the system goes quiet so a machine can read it. Around the paper, it speaks.
04
The rules that keep it honest
Four laws of the résumé layer.
RP-DS / Doctrine
01
The paper stays quiet.
Inside the document: ink, one navy rule, no bleeds, no orange. If a machine can’t parse it, the design failed. The brand lives in the frame.
02
Mono is the federal data.
Grade, hours, salary, supervisor, dates. The fields that make a résumé federal are the fields that earn the monospace, set as a bordered strip on every job.
03
Blue marks the win.
One signal color in the body, and only on a quantified result. Everything a hiring manager should catch in six seconds is bright-blue, nothing else competes.
04
Tangelo only whispers a gap.
The accent never decorates the résumé. It appears once, on a required keyword that’s missing, because the brand’s job is to point at the next thing to fix.