# Hey Borton / Pulse Launch Kit

v1.0.0 - Launch 04.23.2026

## What this is

The production launch kit for Hey Borton / Pulse. Ad creative, logos, fonts, palette, typography, copy, production briefs, and brand guardrails. Everything an agency needs to run the launch campaign without drifting off-system.

## Brand architecture

**Hey Borton** is the voice, invocation, and relationship layer. It is how the user addresses the system.

**Pulse** is the signal, product, and readout layer. It is what the system surfaces, reads, and returns.

**Tagline:** Context before the conversation. Clarity in the room.

**Core problem:** Good people still miss each other. Real communication needs context.

**Core positioning line:** Hey Borton - a private counterpart for the hardest ten minutes of your week.

**Hero CTA:** Walk in ready.

## Visual system summary

### Colors
- **Coral** `#E26B57` - single accent for CTAs, pulse mark, highlighted words
- **Peach** `#F2C8B1` - secondary warmth, tinted surfaces
- **Shell** `#FAF7F4` - canvas, never pure white
- **Charcoal** `#1F1F28` - primary text and contrast
- **Slate** `#8A8A90` - metadata, utility type

### Typography
- **Inter** for all brand and campaign typography
- **IBM Plex Mono** for overlays and operational readouts

### Ratios
~68% shell + 18% charcoal + 8% peach + 4% coral + 2% slate. Coral earns every appearance.

## Overlay system summary

Overlays are product evidence, not decoration. They imply private intelligence and specific context. What gets said matters. What goes unsaid matters more.

Use: signal chips, pulse halo rings, coral hairlines, room brief micro-cards, trust micro-lines, specific credible data points.

Avoid: vague labels, decorative filler, generic SaaS jargon, dense unreadable stacks, overlays placed in copy-safe space.

Full rules in `/08-guardrails/overlay-system-rules.md`.

## What is inside

| Folder | Contents |
|--------|----------|
| `01-ads/` | 4 final hero ad renders, size variants, display network templates, alt iterations archived |
| `02-logos/` | SVG lockups, pulse marks, favicon, PNG exports at 512/1024/2048 |
| `03-fonts/` | Inter and IBM Plex Mono license files and install script |
| `04-palette/` | `palette.json`, `.txt`, `.css`, and visual swatch preview |
| `05-typography/` | Type spec and live HTML specimen |
| `06-copy/` | Headlines, body copy, CTAs, LinkedIn captions, email subjects |
| `07-brand-system/` | Placeholder for the `/studio` PDF export (add manually) |
| `08-guardrails/` | Voice guide, do-not-do list, overlay system rules |
| `09-production/` | Targeting brief, measurement plan, motion storyboards, landing page spec |
| `LICENSE.md` | Usage and redistribution terms |

## Non-negotiable brand rules

### 1. Keep the brand architecture intact
- **Hey Borton** is the check-in
- **Pulse** is the readout
- Never collapse them, never rename, never introduce "Signal" as a product label

### 2. Keep the tone human
Human. Direct. Warm. Calm. Confident. Never hypey. No AI buzzwords.

### 3. Let the photography do the emotional work
Candid. Premium. Composed. Warm. Contemplative. No stock smiles, no conference rooms, no handshakes.

### 4. Keep the system restrained
Short headlines. Clear hierarchy. Strong negative space. One dominant idea per asset. Maximum 4 overlay elements per card.

## Flexible elements

These can flex by channel, audience, or testing:
- CTA button copy (from approved library)
- Headline variant within a concept family
- Crop and framing by aspect ratio
- Trust micro-line text
- Subline presence or absence
- Overlay payload (if it follows system rules)
- Platform-specific copy pairings

## Creative intent

Every asset in this kit helps a cold audience understand three things quickly:

1. There is a private counterpart.
2. It reads context the user does not say directly.
3. It helps the user walk into important rooms more ready.

If an asset fails on those three, rework it.

## What never to do

- Rename the product system
- Use "Signal" as a product name
- Add AI buzzwords
- Invent a second design language
- Overexplain the product in ad creative
- Crowd the layout with too many overlay objects
- Use pure white as the main canvas
- Use coral as body text
- Distort or restyle the wordmark
- Collapse Hey Borton and Pulse into one interchangeable label

Full list in `/08-guardrails/do-not-do.md`.

## Production notes

- Crop intelligently by aspect ratio
- Never squash creative into new sizes
- Preserve safe zones for headlines, overlays, and CTA buttons
- Keep files web-appropriate without visibly degrading photography
- Protect finish over aggressive compression
- Check included spec files before trafficking or resizing

## Version

**v1.0.0** - Launch 04.23.2026

## Revision protocol

- New concept (new photography/headline system): bump to v2.0.0
- New size extrapolation of existing concept: bump to v1.1.0
- Copy, overlay, or palette tweak: bump to v1.0.1
- Every zip replacement includes a one-line changelog at the top of `CHANGELOG.md`
- Download URL at heyborton.com/studio always serves the latest
- Prior versions archived at heyborton.com/studio/archive/v{x.y.z}

## Licensing

This package includes open-licensed fonts (Inter, IBM Plex Mono - both SIL OFL 1.1) and original creative assets prepared for Hey Borton / Pulse production use.

See:
- `03-fonts/LICENSE-inter.txt`
- `03-fonts/LICENSE-ibm-plex-mono.txt`
- `LICENSE.md`

## Handoff contact

For questions, revisions, or approval requests, contact the brand lead:
- Email: eric.cotter@gmail.com
- Studio page: https://heyborton.com/studio
