Three-force IA
Trust Compression, Signal Loss, Complexity Drag — the taxonomy for forces section, case-study tags, and inquiry mapping.
01 — Foundations
Tokens
Extracted from live CSS. Values change only via locked BDR revision — not inline edits.
Color
BDR-0012 · BDR-0013 · BDR-0015Three-role CTA system (BDR-0013); complete three-hue force palette (BDR-0012); governed alpha scale (BDR-0015).
| Token | Value | Role |
|---|---|---|
| --c-ground | #F4EFE4 | Primary background (cream) |
| --c-ground-alt | #EDE6D8 | Secondary section background |
| --c-ground-dark | #E3DAC8 | Field-guide outer shell (BDR-0014) |
| --c-ink | #1A1916 | Primary text, footer background |
| --c-ink-muted | #7A7469 | Secondary text |
| --c-ink-faint | #C4BBB0 | Borders, faint UI |
| --c-deep | #1A3830 | Primary filled CTA, dark sections, Signal Loss tag |
| --c-deep-light | #2C5C52 | Deep hover state |
| --c-signal | #E05020 | Accent, labels; Trust Compression force tag |
| --c-signal-soft | #F5C4AD | Soft accent (work observation border) |
| --c-drag | #46586B | Complexity Drag force tag (BDR-0012) |
Typography trio
BDR-0009 · BDR-0026Bricolage Grotesque (display), Instrument Sans (body), Instrument Serif (accent emphasis) — supersedes BDR-0003 Inter body stack. Light-surface accent row uses BDR-0026 profile (normal style, optical sizing); dark-surface accent uses BDR-0022.
Built to carry.
Organizations rarely break all at once. Meaning leaks first — usually somewhere between what was decided and what got built.
Force: A sophisticated new brand identity existed on paper but hadn't survived translation into digital execution.
Spacing scale
Extracted8px-rooted scale — every padding, margin, and gap in style.css uses a token; no raw px spacing values.
| Token | Value | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| --sp-4 | 0.25rem | |
| --sp-8 | 0.5rem | |
| --sp-12 | 0.75rem | |
| --sp-16 | 1rem | |
| --sp-24 | 1.5rem | |
| --sp-32 | 2rem | |
| --sp-48 | 3rem | |
| --sp-64 | 4rem | |
| --sp-80 | 5rem | |
| --sp-96 | 6rem |
02 — Components
Live previews
Production classes from style.css — not mockups.
Navigation
BDR-0007 · BDR-0013Work → About → Inquire order; display font on name; nav CTA uses primary filled role (deep green).
Preview
Buttons
BDR-0013Primary filled (deep green) and secondary inline (underline) — shared role system with nav CTA.
Preview
Force card
BDR-0004 · BDR-0005Three-force taxonomy; symptom before capability in copy voice.
Preview
02
Signal Loss
Every handoff introduces entropy.
"Something keeps slipping between strategy and execution."
Work item row
BDR-0004 · BDR-0012Each case study tagged with exactly one force; three categorical hues including Complexity Drag (--c-drag). No homepage row tagged .cd yet — see BDR-0012.
Preview — Signal Loss
02
Signal Loss
Missouri Cancer Associates
Force: A sophisticated new brand identity existed on paper but hadn't survived translation into digital execution.
Preview — Complexity Drag
—
Complexity Drag
Example systems engagement
Force: Operational complexity outgrew the digital systems meant to support it.
Symptom line
BDR-0005Diagnostic-first voice — deficit stated before capability; accent serif on final line.
Preview
The brand launched.
The site works.
Something still feels disconnected.
Origin card
BDR-0005 · BDR-0009Sightline anecdote; Instrument Serif on client-voice quote.
Preview
Sightline — Intent, intact.
"The Maintenance Request form had been silently failing for months."
Meaning leaks first — usually somewhere between what was decided and what got built.
Inquiry option
BDR-0006Self-diagnosis CTA — A/B/C/D maps to three forces plus "not sure yet."
Preview
03 — Patterns
Information architecture
Cross-page behaviors that encode the Sightline method.
Self-diagnosis inquiry
Closing conversion is "Which of these sounds like you?" — not a generic contact form. Option D names uncertainty as valid.
Force tagging
`.work-force.tc/.sl/.cd` — unified outline + tinted fill per force hue: Trust Compression (`--c-signal-a06`), Signal Loss (`--c-deep-a06`), Complexity Drag (`--c-drag-a12`). BDR-0026 (supersedes BDR-0021 fill).
04 — Provenance
Locked BDR index
One-line decisions only on public pages (BDR-0011). Full rationale and rejected alternatives live in repo BDR files.
| ID | Title | Decision (one line) | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDR-0001 | Primary mark geometry | Three concentric circles as sole graphic mark — hero only, no SVG logo shipped. | locked | bdr/0001 · 0016 trail |
| BDR-0002 | CTA color role | Four CTA treatments documented as-is — superseded by BDR-0013. | revised | bdr/0002 |
| BDR-0003 | Typography system | Two-font Bricolage + Inter stack — superseded by BDR-0009. | revised | bdr/0003 |
| BDR-0004 | Three-force IA | Site organizes around exactly three named forces for IA and case-study tagging. | locked | bdr/0004 |
| BDR-0005 | Diagnostic-first voice | Every section states organizational failure before capability claim. | locked | bdr/0005 |
| BDR-0006 | Self-diagnosis CTA | Closing conversion is A/B/C/D self-diagnosis, not a standard contact form. | locked | bdr/0006 |
| BDR-0007 | Work before About | Nav and page order: Work → About → Inquire; evidence before bio. | locked | bdr/0007 |
| BDR-0008 | Force-tag color gap | Incomplete two-hue map — superseded by BDR-0012. | revised | bdr/0008 |
| BDR-0009 | Instrument typography suite | Bricolage display, Instrument Sans body, Instrument Serif accent — replaces Inter. | locked | bdr/0009 |
| BDR-0010 | Public design-system surfaces | This catalog and Sightline Lived Out ship as footer-linked production pages. | locked | bdr/0010 |
| BDR-0011 | Public provenance policy | Public pages show ID, title, one-line decision, status — not full BDR essays. | locked | bdr/0011 |
| BDR-0012 | Force-tag complete palette | Three categorical hues — TC signal, SL deep, CD drag. Tag fill superseded by BDR-0021, outline parity by BDR-0026. | locked | bdr/0012 |
| BDR-0013 | CTA color role system | Primary filled, secondary inline, diagnostic selector, tertiary link — supersedes BDR-0002. | locked | bdr/0013 |
| BDR-0014 | Field-guide token roles | --c-ground-dark shell and --t-h2 doc titles on field guide only. |
locked | bdr/0014 |
| BDR-0015 | Alpha opacity scale | Governed --c-*-a* tokens; rgba only in :root definitions. |
locked | bdr/0015 |
| BDR-0016 | Mark provenance trail | Completes BDR-0001 rationale and rejected-alternatives audit trail. | locked | bdr/0016 |
| BDR-0017 | Field guide plain-language layer | Lead line + body + optional callouts on seam-field-guide — readability without voice dilution. | locked | bdr/0017 |
| BDR-0018 | Public BDR definition copy | Plain-language BDR definition on lived-out page; layered readability on case study. | locked | bdr/0018 |
| BDR-0020 | Deep-surface contrast + prose measure | --c-deep-text-muted/subtle roles on dark green; --max-prose: 65ch for body copy. |
locked | bdr/0020 |
| BDR-0021 | Force-tag fill pattern | Solid deep fill for Signal Loss; tinted drag outline for Complexity Drag — supersedes BDR-0012 fill. | locked | bdr/0021 |
| BDR-0022 | Instrument Serif on dark | Dark-bg accent legibility — full cream, optical sizing, weight 500 (extends BDR-0009). | locked | bdr/0022 |
| BDR-0024 | Public verdict sample page | Redacted Sightline verdict document at `/verdict/` — footer discovery, illustrative deliverable scope. | locked | bdr/0024 |
| BDR-0026 | Work-section typography + force-tag parity | Unified outline+tint force pills; Instrument Serif register numbers; light-surface accent legibility for force-obs and verdict em. | locked | bdr/0026 |
| BDR-0025 | Exposure-case content pattern | Promise → silence/exposure → verdict → next on origin card and one work item (MCA). | locked | bdr/0025 |
| BDR-0029 | MCA competing-hypotheses assessment | Second public sample at `/verdict/mca/` — bounded assessment without forced convergence. | locked | bdr/0029 |
| BDR-0030 | Sightline public offer page | Fixed-scope diagnostic engagement at `/sightline/` — embedded methodology chain, inquiry option E. | locked | bdr/0030 |