274 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
274 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
# Greyhaven Brand Voice & Messaging -- Claude Skill
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> **Source of truth**: `vibedocs/greyhaven-brand-system.md` (Brand Guidelines v1.1)
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>
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> This skill applies when generating ANY user-facing content for Greyhaven:
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> marketing copy, landing pages, CTAs, product descriptions, documentation,
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> email, README intros, explanations of how the product works, or any prose
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> that will be read by a human. It does NOT apply to internal code comments,
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> commit messages, or technical logs.
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---
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## 1. The One-Line Test
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Before writing any sentence, ask:
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> Would an engineer who understands the system read this and feel it's accurate, direct, and free of hype?
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If no, rewrite. That single test catches 90% of brand drift.
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---
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## 2. Core Positioning (memorize)
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**Greyhaven builds custom, contained AI systems that run entirely inside the client's environment, shaped by real operational constraints and deployed under the client's control.**
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**Short form**: *Local-first AI systems shaped by real work. Built where work happens. Contained end to end.*
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Powered by Monadical's internal, open-source stack, hardened over eight years.
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---
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## 3. The Three Brand Axes
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Every sentence, heading, or visual choice should land on the correct side of these three axes. When in doubt, use them to explain *why* something is wrong without relying on taste.
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| Axis | Greyhaven is on this side | NOT this side |
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|------|---------------------------|---------------|
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| **Containment** | Systems run inside the perimeter. Nothing leaks. | Cloud/SaaS narratives. "Connected everywhere." |
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| **Human-centered** | Built around how people actually work. | Built around model capabilities or vendor features. |
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| **Engineered** | From real deployments, constraints, operator reality. | Vision-first, theatrical, speculative, futuristic. |
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If copy drifts toward **exposure, performance, or model-led thinking → it doesn't fit**.
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---
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## 4. Tone of Voice
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**Direct. Plain-spoken technical. Explains difficult things in simple terms.**
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Greyhaven speaks like an engineer who understands how systems work and can describe them cleanly -- without mystique or theatrics.
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- **No** jargon for its own sake
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- **No** oversimplification
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- **No** sales language
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- **No** hype adjectives ("revolutionary", "cutting-edge", "seamless", "powerful", "game-changing")
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- **No** evangelism ("unleash", "empower", "transform")
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- **No** emotional leverage or fear-mongering
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- **Yes** calm, precise, explanatory
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- **Yes** mechanical facts
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- **Yes** specifics over superlatives
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- **Yes** authority through clarity, not volume
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---
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## 5. Writing Rules
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### 5.1 Explain clearly. Don't perform.
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The goal is clarity, not persuasion. Readers have different levels of technical know-how. Describe what happens inside the environment, how data flows, which dependencies matter, what boundaries exist. If something is complex, break it down without dumbing it down.
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### 5.2 Plain-language engineering
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Use everyday words for technical realities. If a simpler word communicates the same thing, use it.
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| Instead of | Prefer |
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|-----------|--------|
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| "data paths" | "where the data goes" |
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| "surfaces" | "places where exposure/risk can happen" |
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| "dependencies" | "things the system relies on" |
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| "isolation" | "kept separate from the outside" |
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| "logs" | "records of what happened" |
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| "handoffs" | "when one person/system passes something to another" |
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| "leverage" | "use" |
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| "leverage AI to..." | "the system uses AI to..." |
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| "synergy" | (don't use) |
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| "cutting-edge solution" | (don't use) |
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| "transform your workflow" | describe what the system does instead |
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Don't assume the reader knows technical shorthand. The reader should leave with a clearer mental model, not an impressed feeling.
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### 5.3 Human-first in how we describe work
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Start from what operators actually do -- steps, judgment calls, knowledge. Explain operator behaviors the same way you explain systems: concretely and without dramatization.
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### 5.4 Security, stated without drama
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Mechanical facts, not alarmism.
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- **Good**: "Running inside the perimeter restores finite boundaries."
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- **Bad**: "Protect your data from devastating breaches!"
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State causal reasoning. No emotional leverage.
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### 5.5 Quiet confidence
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State specifics. No hype adjectives. No evangelism. Authority comes from clarity, not volume.
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- **Good**: "A working, testable prototype delivered in 24-48 hours."
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- **Bad**: "Lightning-fast, industry-leading AI delivery!"
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---
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## 6. Patterns for Reasoning
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Use these four patterns to structure explanations. They express engineering logic: minimal wording, direct causality, observable/verifiable outcomes.
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### Cause → Effect
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> "When work relies on external AI services, every step -- inputs, outputs, logs, metadata -- becomes part of someone else's infrastructure."
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### Constraint → Outcome
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> "No external APIs and no data leaving the environment. The system remains contained, and the client keeps full operational and security control."
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### Observation → Explanation
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> "We sit with the operators, map the steps, and build a system that mirrors what actually happens."
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### Finite Scope → Concrete Result
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> "One process at a time. A working, testable prototype delivered in 24-48 hours."
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---
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## 7. CTA Guidance
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Greyhaven CTAs should be concrete and engineering-flavored, not aspirational or urgent.
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**Good CTA patterns**:
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- "See how it runs in your environment"
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- "Map your first process"
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- "Review the architecture"
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- "Read how it's deployed"
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- "Get a working prototype in 48 hours"
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**Avoid**:
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- "Unlock the power of AI"
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- "Transform your business today"
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- "Don't miss out!"
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- "Revolutionary AI solutions await"
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- Urgency/scarcity framing ("limited time", "hurry", "act now")
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- Hype verbs ("unleash", "supercharge", "revolutionize")
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---
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## 8. Driving Ideas (use these to self-check)
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A sentence, heading, or design choice should feel like one of these:
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> **(System-)aware · Applied · Adaptable · Unblocking · Safe-to-experiment · Contained · Durable · Iterative**
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If it doesn't land on any of them, or lands somewhere else (flashy, theatrical, aspirational), rewrite.
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---
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## 9. Typography Approach (for written-content UI)
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Hierarchy is built through **tonal shifts**, not decorative treatments.
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- Primary points stay **dark and controlled** (foreground text)
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- Supporting detail **moves lighter** (muted-foreground)
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- The orange accent is **reserved** for parts that require immediate attention -- never decorative
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Do NOT establish hierarchy through:
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- Multiple contrasting typefaces
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- Decorative styles (italics for emphasis, ALL CAPS for drama, oversized type for style)
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- Color variety
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DO establish hierarchy through:
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- Weight differences within the same family (serif for content, sans for UI)
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- Shade shifts between foreground, muted-foreground, and the orange accent
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- Spatial rhythm (section padding, line-height)
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This keeps the system quiet, structured, and readable.
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---
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## 10. Logo Usage
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### Available files (in `public/logos/` after install)
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| File | Use when |
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|------|----------|
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| `gh-logo-positive-full-black.svg` | Full logo (symbol + wordmark) on light backgrounds |
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| `gh-logo-white.svg` | Full logo on dark backgrounds |
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| `gh-logo-offblack.svg` | Full logo in off-black (#161614) for warm-neutral contexts |
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| `gh-symbol-full-black.svg` | Symbol only, light bg (use when name recognition is already established) |
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| `gh-symbol-full-white.svg` | Symbol only, dark bg |
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| `greyproxy-positive.svg` | Greyproxy product logo (Greyhaven symbol + product wordmark) |
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| `greywall-positive.svg` | Greywall product logo (Greyhaven symbol + product wordmark) |
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### Rules
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- **Structure**: The logo is **Symbol + Wordmark**. Keep them locked together in most contexts. Use the Symbol alone only when Greyhaven name recognition is already assured.
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- **Clearspace**: Minimum 1× (one grid module of the symbol) on all sides. Nothing -- text, images, other graphics -- enters this zone.
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- **Minimum sizes**:
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- Wordmark lockup: 20mm print / 120px digital
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- Standalone symbol: 8mm print / 14px digital (22px preferred)
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### What to avoid (all of these are brand violations)
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- Do NOT change opacity
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- Do NOT apply new colors (black, white, off-black only -- per file)
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- Do NOT stretch or alter proportions
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- Do NOT apply gradients, shadows, glows, or other embellishments
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- Do NOT rotate
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- Do NOT change the lockup or alter symbol/wordmark relative scale
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### Product logos
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New Greyhaven products/demos reuse the Greyhaven symbol with the product wordmark in the same lockup pattern (see `greyproxy-positive.svg`, `greywall-positive.svg`). Typography for new wordmarks: Circular Medium. Do NOT invent a new symbol unless the product genuinely needs its own sub-identity.
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---
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## 11. Self-check Before Shipping Any Copy
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Run the output through these checks:
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1. ☐ Does it pass **The One-Line Test** (accurate, direct, no hype)?
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2. ☐ Does it land on the correct side of all **three brand axes** (containment, human-centered, engineered)?
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3. ☐ Did I use any **banned words** (unleash, transform, revolutionary, seamless, game-changing, cutting-edge, leverage, synergy, unlock)?
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4. ☐ Is every claim **specific and verifiable**, or am I using vague superlatives?
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5. ☐ Does the copy **explain how the thing works**, or just tell the reader how to feel about it?
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6. ☐ Does it match a **reasoning pattern** (cause→effect, constraint→outcome, observation→explanation, finite scope→concrete result)?
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7. ☐ Does it fit one of the **driving ideas** (system-aware, applied, adaptable, unblocking, safe-to-experiment, contained, durable, iterative)?
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8. ☐ Is the orange accent used only where immediate attention is warranted, not as decoration?
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If any box is unchecked, rewrite.
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---
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## 12. Quick Examples
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### Bad vs. Good: Hero headline
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| Bad | Good |
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| "Unleash the power of AI in your organization" | "AI systems that run inside your environment" |
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| "Revolutionary cloud-native AI platform" | "Custom AI, contained end to end" |
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| "Transform your workflows with next-gen AI" | "Map one process. Deploy a working prototype in 48 hours." |
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### Bad vs. Good: Feature description
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**Bad**:
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> Our cutting-edge AI seamlessly integrates with your existing infrastructure to unlock unprecedented productivity gains.
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**Good**:
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> The system runs on the machines you already have. Data, models, and execution stay inside your perimeter. Nothing is sent to external APIs.
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### Bad vs. Good: CTA
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| Bad | Good |
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| "Get started today!" | "Map your first process" |
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| "Try it free -- limited time!" | "Review the architecture" |
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| "Unlock AI superpowers" | "See a 48-hour prototype" |
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---
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## 13. When You're Unsure
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Default to:
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1. **Fewer words**. Greyhaven copy is shorter than you expect.
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2. **More specifics**. Numbers, concrete nouns, named constraints.
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3. **Less enthusiasm**. No exclamation marks. No superlatives. No urgency.
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4. **Describe the system, not the feeling**.
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