---
type: best-principles
owner: hearth
status: active-draft
created: 2026-07-09
source: Jack-style rerun: competitor/style intelligence + Bond-inspired structural pass
---

# best_principles.md — Hearth Advisory Jack-style rerun

## Target style
Use Bond's about-page *layout energy* without copying it: oversized elegant serif headline, warm cream/brown palette, founder-led letter section, large human/visual blocks, sparse navigation, generous whitespace, trust/proof section, and a focused CTA panel. Avoid Bond's exact hexagon/honeycomb visual identity; translate it into Hearth-specific workflow nodes, system maps, layered documents, and warm operating diagrams.

## Market inspiration set to research/consider
AI-native / AI consulting / AI workflow-adjacent sites to compare for direction and offer clarity:
- Bond — premium AI chief-of-staff positioning, founder letter, warm editorial rhythm, human/company storytelling. Do not copy its hex identity.
- Lindy — AI agent productivity with simple buyer language and clear product framing.
- Clay — AI-native GTM/data workflow, strong specificity and modern visual system.
- Relevance AI — AI workforce/agents positioning, clear workflow outcomes.
- Hebbia — AI for financial/professional work, premium enterprise credibility.
- Writer — enterprise generative AI, strong trust/proof and governance messaging.
- Dust — AI assistants for teams, sophisticated but practical AI-native feel.
- Cognition / Devin — AI-native technical operator positioning and high-conviction product narrative.
- Sierra — premium AI customer-service brand with tasteful enterprise feel.
- Mercor / Harvey-style professional AI sites — focused on serious knowledge-work buyers, not neon AI agency hype.

## Judging matrix
Score each comparable on:
1. Offer clarity: can the buyer understand what is being sold in 5 seconds?
2. AI-native credibility: does it feel truly AI-first, not a generic agency?
3. Premium editorial feel: does it have taste, whitespace, typography, and visual restraint?
4. Trust/proof: does it show operators, backers, customers, security, or artifacts?
5. Conversion: does the CTA feel natural and specific?
6. Hearth fit: can it translate to oilfield/service/fintech advisory without feeling fake?


## Research results from AI-native / AI consulting comparables

Top direct inspiration set:

| Site | URL | Why it matters for Hearth |
|---|---|---|
| Every Consulting | https://every.to/consulting | Best premium founder/intellectual advisory model: builder-led, selective, high-trust AI strategy + implementation. Borrow the editorial authority and selective intake posture. |
| Rogo | https://www.rogo.ai/ | Best finance-workflow specificity: investment memos, diligence materials, decks, Excel models, integrations. Borrow artifact-specific finance language. |
| Invisible Technologies | https://www.invisible.co/ | Best bridge for traditional enterprise buyers: people + process + platform. Borrow the operating-system/process modernization framing. |
| Gradient Labs | https://gradient-labs.ai/ | Best workflow-by-workflow packaging for financial services automation. Borrow concrete agent/use-case menu patterns. |
| Parcha | https://www.parcha.ai/ | Useful fintech/compliance/risk reference: KYB, EDD, AML, merchant/vendor diligence, SOC2/security posture. Borrow governance and risk-control language where relevant. |
| StackAI | https://www.stackai.com/ | Useful enterprise security/governance and complex-operations AI agent reference. Borrow human-in-the-loop and secure deployment cues. |
| Gumloop | https://www.gumloop.com/ | Useful approachable automation language and business-function agent cards. Borrow clarity, not product-led loudness. |
| 11x | https://www.11x.ai/ | Useful named digital-worker packaging and outcome-heavy proof, but less aligned to Hearth unless packaged carefully. |

Key combined takeaways:
- Use Every's premium editorial authority.
- Use Rogo's finance artifact specificity.
- Use Invisible's people + process + platform bridge for traditional businesses.
- Use Gradient/Parcha's workflow-agent packaging.
- Avoid generic “AI transformation” language; name exact workflows and artifacts quickly.
- Use real proof or artifact proof, not fake logos/testimonials.

## Top principles for Hearth
1. Lead with a single sharp promise: practical AI modernization for oilfield, service, and fintech teams that still run important workflows by hand.
2. Use founder-led language. Hearth is not a faceless AI agency; it should feel like an operator-led advisory practice.
3. Show artifacts instead of fake case studies: workflow map, credit memo, AI visibility scorecard, website/entity map, automation plan.
4. Keep a premium warm palette: cream, ink, walnut, ember, muted sand. Avoid neon/cyberpunk.
5. Use big editorial sections: one idea per screen, not dense agency-service grids.
6. Treat images/visuals as proof packaging: workflow-node maps, operator desks, layered documents, credit/AR artifacts, visibility scorecards, and dashboard mockups.
7. Use letter-style copy to make the pain human: "Dear operator... your team is not behind because they are lazy; the system around them is outdated."
8. Keep CTAs audit-specific: "Book an AI Modernization Audit" or "Audit one workflow".
9. Avoid unsupported claims: no fake clients, fake logos, guaranteed AI recommendations, or "replace employees" language.

## Three generated directions
1. Bond Founder-Led AI Advisory — closest to Bond about-page rhythm: large serif hero, workflow visual field, founder letter, restrained CTA.
2. AI-Native Operator System — more productized AI consulting: workflow operating system, artifact cards, modern AI-native proof.
3. Industrial Finance Modernization — more grounded for oilfield/service/fintech: field-to-finance, credit/AR workflows, conservative premium look.


## Visual reset after review
Ibrahim noted the first rerun used the same design with different words and the headings were too large/long. The revised set now uses three genuinely distinct layouts:
1. Editorial founder note — Bond-like pacing, but shorter headers and Hearth workflow visuals.
2. AI workflow console — dashboard/productized workflow layout.
3. Industrial audit ledger — operational ledger and audit deliverables layout.
Header scale was reduced from oversized 100px+ hero typography to a tighter 42–74px range for easier scanning.


## Header correction after visual review
After visual review, the headings were still too oversized and broke across too many lines. The live pages now use shorter headline copy and a reduced header scale: h1 max ~58px, h2 max ~42px, with shorter labels for scanability.