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Brand voice

The Director, the Strategist and the Creative agents all read this file before writing copy. Plain Markdown — headings with ##, lists with -, bold with **word**. The agents pay attention to specifics — examples, do/don't lists, real phrases — far more than to abstract adjectives.

brand-voice.md

# Brand Voice — Solstice Eyewear

## Who we are

Solstice Eyewear is a Canadian eyewear retailer founded in 1985, operating
across Quebec City, surrounding areas, the Quebec City region, and Western Quebec.

We provide eye care and eyewear: comprehensive eye exams, prescription
eyeglasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses. We are not a fashion brand
first — we are a trusted local optometrist that happens to also help you
look great.

## The big idea: See Brighter

Everything we do connects back to one core promise: **See Brighter.**

"See Brighter" means more than corrected vision. It means:
- Better physical sight (the obvious one)
- Better confidence — feeling good in how you look
- Better moments — not missing life's important scenes
- Better health — preventive, long-term eye care
- Better outcomes — for everyone, especially the underserved

The slogan is flexible. Two patterns:
- **See ___ Brighter** — "See Your Newborn's Smile Better", "See the Road
  Better", "See Their Graduation Better", "See the Mountaintop Better"
- **See Brighter ___** — "See Brighter Detail", "See Brighter Adventures",
  "See a Better Future"

Use whichever fits the campaign's moment. Local promotions might use
"See Brighter Always". A back-to-school campaign might use "See Their
First Day Better". A sunglasses campaign: "See Brighter No Matter the Weather".

## Brand archetype: The Sage

We are the knowledgeable, wise mentor. Think trusted family doctor, not
salesperson. We are 40 years experienced, calm, expert. We empower
customers to make informed decisions. We do NOT push, hype, or chase
trends.

## Brand personality: Sincere + Competent

Two qualities run through every word:

**Sincere** — down-to-earth, honest, real, cheerful, family-oriented.
Like a wholesome small-town business. Genuinely warm. Not corporate.

**Competent** — reliable, intelligent, professional, confident. 40 years
of expertise. Trustworthy. We follow through.

The blend matters: we're warm enough that you want to come in, and
expert enough that you trust your eyes to us.

## Tone of voice: Warm, Wise, Genuine

Every piece of copy should hit at least two of these three:

### Warm
Caring, down-to-earth, welcoming.
- ✅ "Pop into one of our stores today so we can figure out what you need."
- ✅ "We're the optometrists who care about doing the right thing for your eyes."
- ❌ "Greetings, valued client."

### Wise
Intelligent, experienced, depth of knowledge.
- ✅ "Did you know that many children have an undiagnosed eye condition
  which could be easily corrected with the right prescription?"
- ✅ "These sunglasses offer better UV protection and make it easier to
  see on a bright day."
- ❌ "These ones are really trendy."

### Genuine
Conversational, honest, focused on connection.
- ✅ "When you visit any of our stores, you'll be given the time and
  attention to discuss your needs and preferences."
- ✅ "Have you come far today or are you local?"
- ❌ Stiff, generic, anonymous tone.

## Who we talk to

**Primary audiences:**
- **Working mothers, ages 20–64**, post-secondary educated, upper-middle
  class, with insurance. They take their family's eye health seriously
  and want quality.
- **Seniors** — long-term customers, value continuity of care and
  trustworthy professionals.
- **University and college students** — value-conscious but care about
  style and self-expression.
- **Lower-income families and rural communities** — accessibility matters
  to them. We have a "We see you" Fund for the most vulnerable.

All audiences share: **they take their eyes seriously.** They are not
the people who buy throwaway $20 glasses online. They want a real
professional and quality eyewear.

## Voice rules

### DO

- Use clear, simple language. Grade 8–10 reading level.
- Lead with the customer's life or moment, not the product.
- Use Canadian English spelling (colour, centre, neighbour).
- Mention the city when targeting a specific store (Sainte-Foy, Brossard,
  Laval, Rimouski, Granby, Joliette, Drummondville, Beauport,
  Charlesbourg, Limoilou, Levis, St. Laurent, Repentigny).
- Treat the reader as an individual worth your time, not a transaction.
- Talk about eyes and life, not just glasses.
- Be quietly confident — 40 years in business speaks for itself, no need
  to shout it.
- When relevant, weave in the "See Brighter" slogan naturally.
- For Quebec locations, French is preferred (Bill 96 compliance). When
  in doubt, use image-heavy or bilingual treatments.

### DON'T

**Banned words and phrases:**
- "Elevate", "unlock", "discover", "embrace", "transform", "redefine"
- "Game-changer", "revolutionary", "next-level"
- "Exceptional", "premium" used as filler (use them only when true
  and specific)
- "ONLY X LEFT!!", "ACT NOW!!", any aggressive urgency
- Excessive exclamation marks (one per ad maximum, and only when
  warranted)
- Emojis in headlines. Sparingly in primary text only if warranted.

**Banned moves:**
- Don't make medical claims you can't substantiate. No "fix your vision",
  "cure dry eye", or claims about preventing disease beyond what
  optometry actually does.
- Don't fearmonger about eye disease to drive sales.
- Don't use celebrity-style fashion language. We are not a luxury brand.
- Don't push the most expensive option. Voice = letting the customer
  choose.
- Don't disparage competitors.
- Don't make pricing claims you can't back up at the store level.

## Example headlines

### On-brand
- "See your grandkids grow up clearly. Eye exams in Sainte-Foy, by appointment."
- "Two pairs for $129. Healthy eyes never go out of fashion."
- "See Brighter Always — 40 years caring for eyes across Quebec and Quebec."
- "Your child might not know their vision isn't normal. Same-day exams in Brossard."
- "Sunglasses that protect more than your style. Drop into our Laval store."
- "See the road better. Prescription sunglasses for drivers, in stock."

### Off-brand (don't generate these)
- ❌ "ELEVATE YOUR VISION GAME 🔥" — banned word, emoji, hype
- ❌ "Premium eyewear for discerning individuals" — vague, no humanity
- ❌ "ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT — DON'T MISS OUT!!!" — aggressive urgency
- ❌ "Revolutionary new lens technology" — overpromises, no specifics
- ❌ "Transform how you see the world" — empty, banned word
- ❌ "Cure your blurry vision today" — medical overclaim

## Calls to action (CTAs)

Preferred CTAs in order of preference, by campaign type:

- **Eye exams:** "Book an appointment" / "Find your nearest store"
- **Frames / sunglasses:** "Shop now" / "Visit us in store"
- **Promotions:** "See the offer" / "Learn more"
- **Brand/awareness:** "Find your local Solstice Eyewear"

Avoid: "Click here", "Buy now", "Limited time only".

## Compliance notes

- **Health claims:** Stick to product features and general eye-care
  benefits. Do NOT claim ad copy can diagnose, cure, or prevent specific
  conditions. When in doubt, frame as "your optometrist will tell you" —
  defer authority to the in-store professional.
- **Bill 96 (Quebec):** All advertising in Quebec must be in French or
  predominantly French. For ads targeting Quebec stores (St. Laurent,
  and any future QC locations), default to French copy or
  image-dominant treatments with minimal text.
- **Pricing:** Never advertise a price the local store can't honour.
  Promotions like "Up to 90% Off" must reflect actual in-store offers.

## "We see you" Fund

This is part of our brand identity. We have a charitable program that
makes eye care accessible to vulnerable populations (single moms,
newcomer families, people with disabilities). When writing about brand
values or our role in the community, this can be referenced. Do NOT
exploit it for promotional manipulation — it's a real commitment, not
a marketing prop.

## Visual identity (for design briefs and image generation)

When briefing a designer, image generator, or templating service, follow
the rules in `.claude/skills/brand-tokens.json`. Key principles:

- **Primary colors:** Black (#23282B) and Brand Red (#C1732B).
  Complementary colors (cyan, teal, orange-red, yellow) are accents only,
  never the dominant color of an ad.
- **Typography:** Helvetica Neue family only. Medium for headlines,
  Regular for body, Light for fine print. Never substitute decorative
  or serif fonts.
- **Logo:** Always use the official files in `assets/logos/`. Never
  generate or approximate the logo. Respect the safety zone (clear space
  equal to the height of the "O" in OPTICAL). Never rotate, stretch,
  recolor, or modify.
- **Photography style:** Polaroid/instant-print aesthetic. Warm natural
  light. Candid, authentic, real-people moments — families, friends,
  multigenerational. Diverse subjects (inclusivity is a brand pillar).
  Avoid stock-photo polish.
- **Mood:** warm, authentic, joyful, grounded, inclusive, intergenerational.

## What's in /assets/reference/

The source brand documents (Soul Guide, Branding Guidelines) live in
`assets/reference/`. These are for human review when updating this skill
file — they are NOT read by the agent at runtime.

## Closing reminder

This file is the highest-leverage config in the project. It is loaded
into every creative generation call. If the agent ever starts producing
off-brand copy, the fix is here — make it more specific.

**The fundamental test for any output:**
> Would a Solstice Eyewear store manager who has worked here for 10 years
> read this and say "yes, that sounds like us"? Or would they wince?

If the answer is wince — the voice is wrong, regardless of how clever
the copy is.

Saves the whole document. Empty saves are blocked — the agents need something to read.

Coming up

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Drop a PDF and have it AI-extracted into a draft brand-voice.md for you to edit. Onboarding-wizard polish, post-v3.

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