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An Update Request is how a team member proposes a change to the brand record. They are the canonical request channel: structured, attributed, recorded, and reviewable. This page walks through the first time you receive one as a brand owner, and how to handle it.
Update Requests are available on Keeper and Guardian. On Scout, the atlas is read-only for team members.

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Why Update Requests exist

When a team member spots that the brand record is missing something, contradicting itself, or out of date, they need a way to surface it. Without a channel, they either guess (which is how brand drift starts) or email the brand owner (which scales badly and leaves no record). Update Requests give the team a structured way to ask, and give the brand owner a structured way to answer.

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Before you start

You will need:
  • A populated atlas with at least one team member on the Team Member role.
  • The team member needs Keeper or Guardian tier access.
  • Roughly five minutes per request to review.

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Step by step

1

A team member raises a request

From any section of the atlas, the team member clicks Raise Update Request. They describe what they think should change, attach any supporting material (a file, a link, a paste), and submit. The request enters your Inbox.
The team-member view of raising an Update Request from the Colour System section.
2

You receive the notification

Update Requests appear in your portal Inbox, and (if email notifications are on) in your email. The notification carries the section, the team member’s name, and the first line of the request. Open it to see the full proposal.
3

Review the request

On the request page you will see:
  • The proposed change, in the team member’s words.
  • The current state of the section, for comparison.
  • Any attached material.
  • The team member’s name, role, and request history.
Read the proposal. Look at the current section. If you need clarification, comment on the request; the team member is notified.
4

Choose your response

Three options:
  • Approve and apply. Brand Atlas opens the section editor with the proposed change ready to apply. You can edit before applying. Saving merges the change into the brand record.
  • Approve as drafted. The team member’s exact wording or change is accepted without modification. Useful for additions where the team member’s draft is already what you want.
  • Reject with a reason. The request is closed. The team member is notified with your reason. The request, including the reason, stays in the brand record’s history.
On Guardian, a fourth option appears: Escalate to Oswald. Oswald drafts the change against the current brand record and presents it for your approval. You still decide.
5

Confirm the change is live

After approval, the section updates immediately. The team member is notified that their request was applied. The brand record’s history records the change, the requester, and your approval. The next team member who reads the section sees the new state.
You have handled your first Update Request. The team has a working request channel; the brand record has a new accountable change.

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How to keep the request channel healthy

The fastest way to teach a team to stop using Update Requests is to ignore them. Two habits keep the channel productive:
  1. Acknowledge within 48 hours. Even a comment saying “I will look at this next week” keeps the channel trusted. Silence is what kills it.
  2. Reject with a reason. “No” is a legitimate answer. The team member who hears “no, because we are intentionally keeping the palette tight” learns something. The team member who hears “no” alone learns to stop asking.

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When to escalate to MadeBy_

Some Update Requests touch the brand identity rather than the brand record. A request to redesign the wordmark, replace the typeface, or rebuild the colour system is a brand evolution question, not a maintenance question. On those, escalate to MadeBy_ from the request page. You stay in control of the conversation; we draft the proposal.

What Update Requests are

The full deep dive.

Submitting (team view)

The team-member workflow.

Reviewing and approving

The brand-owner workflow.