# Talk track — Punch Website Engagement briefing

*Companion doc: `Punch-Website-Engagement.html` · pull it up on the main screen, read from this on your laptop*

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## The headline
- Content and design, shaped together. Fusion is the methodology.
- Big Idea is the anchor. Fusion is the headline.

## The arc
- 4 phases, ~10 weeks typical.
- 9 gates total — 6 are client decisions, 3 are internal sign-offs.
- The whole flow exists to protect the Lead Designer's time for actual craft.

## Phase 0 · Discovery (~2–3 wks)
- Full internal brief + abbreviated client-portal brief + sitemap + three Big Ideas.
- **G1** — client signs off on the abbreviated brief + sitemap.
- The three Big Ideas pass to design. Client picks visually at G2, not verbally here.

## Phase 1 · Foundation (~3–4 wks)
- Homepage copy + three creative theme designs happen **in parallel**.
- Themes are designed in **Figma** (not Cowork) — real palette / type / hero treatment, not moodboards.
- **G2** — client picks one of three themes.
- Chosen theme gets fleshed out, sandbox prepped, two homepage variations built in HTML against real copy.
- **G3** — client picks one of two homepage variations. Picked hero dictates everything after.
- Remaining-pages content briefs drafted. Content-first wireframe of remaining pages built.
- **G4** — client signs off on the wireframe.

## Phase 2 · Expand (~3–4 wks)
- Lead Designer composes showcase pages. Production Artist amplifies standard pages.
- **NEW** — Lead Designer audits amplified pages for design quality before they advance.
- Per-page + per-batch QA. **G5** — TDM internal sign-off.
- **NEW** — Lead Designer creates the rich visual layer (custom imagery, motion, video, GIFs).
- **G6** — client signs off on **The Build**.

## Phase 3 · Ship (~1–2 wks)
- Dev migrates The Build to CMS — blocked until G6 passes.
- CMS-format polish → SEO/AEO/a11y/perf → pre-launch QA → training.
- **G8** — Launch.
- **G9** — 48-hour re-verify on production.

## Three changes to flag
- We split the old "direction" gate into **G2** (theme pick, 1 of 3) and **G3** (homepage variation pick, 1 of 2). Separate decisions, separate moments.
- **G6 (The Build) didn't exist before.** It's the firebreak before CMS migration. CMS-side rework is the most expensive rework Punch ships.
- **Rich visual layer is now an explicit step.** The whole point of the automation is buying the Lead Designer time for badass imagery — the system protects that time.

## The Build
- Punch's client-facing name for the complete designed website hosted as functioning HTML.
- Replaces "complete static site" / "staging site" — those felt incomplete or DB-technical.
- Reads cleanly when the client forwards it inside their org: *"Forwarding The Build for marketing's review."*

## Likely questions

**Why 9 gates and not fewer?**
- 6 are real client decisions, 3 are internal Punch sign-offs. Each is a written sign-off, not a calendar meeting.

**How much faster does this make us?**
- Faster isn't the headline. **More predictable** is.
- Fewer late-stage reworks. No surprise CMS-side rebuilds. Designer time re-invested in craft.

**How much depends on AI / Claude?**
- Claude assists at ~14 of the 24 process steps — drafting first passes, generating wireframes, running QA.
- Humans always edit, judge, and sign off.
- "AI-assisted, never AI-replaced." Use this phrase in client conversations.

**What's the client-facing name for the artifact at G6?**
- **The Build.** That's the noun. It's in the Glossary, the Playbook, every canonical doc.

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*Source: `Punch-Website-Engagement.html` · v2.0 · maintained by the CCO*