Aspen Requirements - All Client Directives In One Place
Every client-stated requirement for the Aspen site + app concepts, consolidated: Nathan's copy, images, and colors from Teams; the Erin / Nathan / Rafeh Teams-thread directives; the footer requests and ruling; the Tantrum Aspen blues; and the colors Rafeh does not want. Every item carries its verbatim quote and source.
Internal requirements register for the concept gallery. Compiled 2026-08-17 from Teams (Nathan 1:1 + TAG group/meeting chats), Rafeh's 8/14 email, the three 8/14 call transcripts, Tantrum's shared boards, and the client's own Figma files. Where directives conflict, the resolution order is: client-locked spec (Nathan 8/14, Rafeh-approved) → Chris rulings → client-file-verified tokens → wave rules.
1 · Nathan - Copy (Teams)
The locked homepage copy skeleton Client-locked
Nathan posted the full section-by-section copy structure in the Teams 1:1 on 8/14 at 22:18Z. Rafeh replied on the group thread two minutes later: "Copy looks good." This is the copy contract every option must hit.
| Section | Locked copy |
|---|---|
| Top nav | Emergency · Dentures · Implants · Checkup |
| Hero | "Better Dental Care Starts Today" + CTAs Book Online / Call to Book |
| Emergency banner | "Get Relief Today. Walk-In or Book Now" - no CTA buttons in the band, plus a Location Finder affordance |
| Tooth Replacement | "Teeth Replacement" - Dentures / Implants (+ "Not Sure Where to Start?" quiz link) |
| General dentistry | "Routine Dental Care" - Checkup |
| Payment | "You Have Payment Options" - three cards: Insurance ("Most Insurance…"), Financing ("99% Approval…"), No Insurance ("No Problem"), each with a Learn More CTA |
| Proof | "Hear From Our Patients" - video |
| Day of Service | "Free Dental Care for Our Veterans" / "One day dedicated to those who serve our country." (Christina Yasi's 8/14 refinement allowed: "Free Dental Care for Our Veterans and Those Actively Serving") |
| FAQ | "Questions" |
| Closer | "Ready for Better Dental Care?" - Book Online / Call to Book |
Source: Nathan Schwederske, Teams 1:1 DM, 2026-08-14 22:18Z; Rafeh Masood, Teams group thread, 2026-08-14 22:20Z ("Copy looks good"). SSOT: aspen-approved/SPEC.md §V7-LOCKED-STRUCTURE.
Nathan's copy rules
Title Case everywhere.
"Title case copy everywhere"
Nathan, Teams "Aspen design session" 2026-08-14 20:45Z + 1:1 DM 22:17:48Z. Reinforced on the 8/14 Tantrum call: "I like title case. I think it feels more professional."
Cut the subcopy from each chunk - the homepage gets simpler and what remains has to work harder.
"As I look at this more, I believe we need to cut the subcopy from each chunk. Thoughts? Will keep it much simpler, but requires whats left to work hard!"
Nathan Schwederske, email thread "New web pages - copy etc. review" (to Stacey Smith / Tantrum, Chris cc'd), 2026-08-13 22:40Z, Gmail thread 19ffb6a240d9a744 lineage.
Buttons: "Rounded rectangle buttons" Open flag - Nathan's 8/14 shorthand. The client's own Web Lander v1 file measures stadium pills (cornerRadius 9999 on 116 + 53 nodes), and Chris's 8/16 directive kept pills. Read as the same pill family; flagged for confirmation.
"Title case copy · Rounded rectangle buttons · The Aspen Group - family of brands (no Aspen) footer"
Nathan, Teams 1:1 DM 2026-08-14 22:17:48Z (same list in "Aspen design session" 20:45Z). Pill verification: Asset Kit vs Figma "Aspen Dental Web Lander v1" (ucyUPph1Nz51xzLZg8KHHs). SPEC.md §V7-BUTTONS.
Financing copy (via Eric Zapfe, same 8/14 session): "99% financing approval" is usable; mention "3rd party" only when talking about applying.
Eric Zapfe, Teams, 2026-08-14 21:32Z. SPEC.md §V7-FIN-COPY.
Banned copy (Rafeh's kill-list, enforced on every option): "flexible scheduling", "complete care", "millions of patients cared for" (authority claims are ClearChoice's play, not Aspen's). Never promote evenings/weekends availability. "Book", never "Schedule".
"weekends, we only have one weekend a month that offices are open, so it's misleading"
Rafeh, Teams 2026-08-14 17:38-17:42Z (kill-list); evenings/weekends: 8/14 Tantrum-session transcript (143039). SPEC.md §RAFEH OPT-9 CRITIQUE + §H-3/C-3.
2 · Nathan - Images to use (Teams)
Approved imagery, named by Nathan
Tampa Man is the hero, optionally with the Tantrum "A" treatment behind him (background treatment only, never touching the logo lockup). File: blog-ai-dental-implants-cape-coral-fl__rectangle-5817__01b467fc.jpg.
"Tampa for hero. With A treatment?"
Nathan, Teams DM 2026-08-15 00:54Z. Team consensus on the 8/14 calls: Tampa Man is "old, personable and authentic" ("we all love this guy"). SPEC.md §NATHAN POST-MEETING DIRECTIVES + §V7-HERO.
Specific images for the Routine chunk and the Teeth Replacement chunk - Nathan's own DM picks; build with the closest blog-library equivalents.
Nathan, Teams DM 2026-08-15 00:54-01:42Z. SPEC.md §NATHAN POST-MEETING DIRECTIVES.
Video slots: a "Hear From Our Patients" video chunk (homemade, real patients) and a possible Day of Service video slot. Build as poster frame + play affordance; real cuts coming from Rafeh's team.
"One video option for homemade - hear from patients"
Nathan, Teams DM 2026-08-15 01:37Z. SPEC.md §NATHAN POST-MEETING DIRECTIVES + §V4-CONTENT #7.
The approved image pool (the only sources any option may use)
1. The aspendental.com blog Getty library (207 files, mirrored locally) - Rafeh: "these are fine" (Teams group, 8/14 19:44Z).
2. Brandfolder originals: tampa-man, Hero-Inset7.
3. aspendental.com/dayofservice veterans imagery + reviews/emergency page assets + Asset Kit 4K lander photos (Chris 8/16 liberty additions, real photography only).
2. Brandfolder originals: tampa-man, Hero-Inset7.
3. aspendental.com/dayofservice veterans imagery + reviews/emergency page assets + Asset Kit 4K lander photos (Chris 8/16 liberty additions, real photography only).
SPEC.md §HARD RULES + §V4-IMAGERY; Rafeh, Teams group 2026-08-14 19:44Z.
NO AI-generated images, ever Hard ban - imagery must be authentically Aspen (one of Rafeh's golden rules).
"Rafi's saying that whatever images we use have to be authentically aspen, and so we can't use anything AI generated."
8/14 Tantrum-session transcript (143039), relaying Rafeh; matches his 8/14 email principle "Images that are AUTHENTICALLY Aspen Dental". SPEC.md §I-1.
Keep imagery bright and light - Rafeh flagged dark treatments on 8/14.
"the miages are good but treatment might not be ... too dark"
Rafeh, Teams group thread, 2026-08-14 19:37-19:41Z. SPEC.md §RAFEH OPT-9 CRITIQUE.
Honest frames only (Chris 8/16 veto): no cutout silhouettes, no synthetic/composited backgrounds, no decorative arch or shape masks over photography. Photos stay full-color and natural (also Tantrum's rule: color comes from the flat tiles around photos, never filters on them).
Chris, 2026-08-16 (I03 hero critique); Tantrum image-treatment rules #2, TANTRUM-READOUT.md. SPEC.md §V9-IMAGERY-HONESTY.
The approved images (visual)
The actual approved assets, staged in the gallery's shared asset set. These are the ONLY images any Aspen option may use. Thumbnails shown; full-resolution files live at assets/ (named set) and assets/v2/ (blog library).
Hero
Tampa Man - THE hero"we all love this guy" (Nathan). A-treatment optional behind him.
Hero-Inset7Brandfolder alternate hero.
Tampa Man - approved frames of the same gentleman
Portrait (the hero)Cape Coral implants blog - the canonical Tampa Man shot.
At the front deskSame gentleman, Fort Myers / Cape Coral emergency-dental blog - in-clinic lifestyle frame.
These are the only two confirmed frames of the same man in the approved blog library. Additional shots of him would come from TAG's Brandfolder (needs TAG login or a file drop) - not available locally today.
Named chunk set (approved manifest)
EmergencyGet Relief Today band
DenturesTeeth Replacement
ImplantsTeeth Replacement
RoutineCheckup / cleanings
Exam RoomAuthentically Aspen (Redscout shoot)
InsuranceYou Have Payment Options
Save On CareFinancing / no-insurance
Veterans / Day of Service
Day of ServiceFree Dental Care for Our Veterans
Veterans Clinicaspendental.com/dayofservice
Receiving Carereal Day-of-Service imagery
Patient proof - Hear From Our Patients
Annettereal patient review
Jimmiereal patient review
Robertreal patient review
Shannonreal patient review
Blog library sample - Rafeh: "these are fine" (207-image approved set)
Assets: aspen-approved/assets (tampa-man, hero-inset7, dentures, implants, routine, emergency, exam-room-authentic, insurance, save-on-care) + assets/live (veterans + reviews-* Day-of-Service liberty set) + assets/v2 (207 aspendental.com blog Getty images, Rafeh 8/14 19:44Z "these are fine"). Tampa Man second frame = assets/v2/blog-ai-fort-meyers-cape-coral-emergency-dental__rectangle-5817__0b0680d4.jpg (same gentleman, in-clinic). Thumbnails are downscaled for this page; options use full-res originals.
3 · Nathan - Colors to use (Teams)
The approved palette direction
Nathan confirmed the icy/navy/blue/white family on 8/12: "the palette is spot on with your designs!!!" The working tokens below are verified against the client's own Figma files (Aspen Dental Web Lander v1 + AD 2.0 Alpha Tokens), not invented.
#012368
#0046F8
#1A1A1A
#515152
#0048B9
#B6CFF5
#FFFFFF
#0F1F35
Nathan Schwederske: "the palette is spot on with your designs!!!" (Teams, 2026-08-12). Tokens: Asset Kit verified on named nodes in Figma ucyUPph1Nz51xzLZg8KHHs + DwI5AC1mUFYuk71w5Z9tmY. SPEC.md §V4-TOKENS.
Nathan's color vetoes: "no more yellow.....bob (CEO) hates yellow" (Teams meeting chat "aspen dental - new site and app connect", 2026-08-12 19:04Z) · "too much beige in the new ones" (Teams group, 2026-08-14 12:02Z) · cream/beige washes banned (V5 standing ban). Full banned-color detail in section 7.
Type: Figtree primary (locked lander tokens), Work Sans secondary (DS 2.0). Self-hosted.
SPEC.md §V4-TYPE; Figtree confirmed as the brand workhorse in Tantrum's packaged files (TANTRUM-READOUT.md §Typography).
4 · The Teams thread - Erin · Nathan · Rafeh
Rafeh Masood (CCO) - design northstar
The 8/14 email: "Digital Experiences (new app + web landing pages)" - his seven principles, verbatim
"Own the blue and the logo (proud like Targets bullseye and red)"
"Copy - simple over cute. This is a serious 'I need to see a dentist today' business and trust and transparency is important"
"Every page is better or at par with our inspiration sites (warby parker and affordable dentures and implants)"
"Images that are AUTHENTICALLY Aspen Dental"
"Every scroll unpacks the story we are trying to tell on that page in a logical and linear way"
"Remember - people SCAN websites and apps they don't read (so more design elements, images, icons over copy)"
"We are a dental / oral care brand - beige, tan, offwhite colors don't work.. think icy colors - white, blue, mint, etc."
Rafeh Masood, email 2026-08-14. SPEC.md §RAFEH RULES.
The 8/14 Teams critique of opt-9 (17:38-17:42Z) - must-fix on every option
Copy must sit in the fold - the picture cannot own the whole top of fold.
"there has to be some copy there otherwise i dont know what site i have opened"
Nav: simple like Warby, patient-need categories.
"the top nav makes little sense... why can't this stuff be simple like warby" - NO "Care options" / "How to pay" / "Find your location". USE: Emergency, Dentures, Implants, Checkups & Cleanings, Insurance & Financing, Locations
Rafeh, Teams 2026-08-14 17:38-17:39Z. (Nathan's later locked skeleton compressed the header to Emergency · Dentures · Implants · Checkup; Insurance and Locations demoted to page + footer.)
Everything earns its place.
"every word and every item should truly deserve to be on this page"
Footer: the agreed version, not the AI one (see section 5).
"footer is back to AI version vs. what we agreed to"
Rafeh, Teams group 2026-08-14 19:01Z; he navigates via footer links (19:43Z), so full link columns are required.
Icons over stats (relayed by Erin from the 8/12 review): prefer icons, drop the forced authority numbers on Aspen.
"AD Rafeh likes warby option 2 best for AD web, for hero please move the AD logo from the hero's forehead · prefer icons, ditch the 250k patients, financing... RTB for browse - add things like a camera icon for Smile try on"
Erin Karr relaying Rafeh, Teams meeting chat "aspen and cc web and app review", 2026-08-12 13:25Z.
Reference language for same-day teeth: Rafeh shared affordabledentures.com/dentures and /dental-implants as the articulation model.
Rafeh, Teams meeting chat "branding brand - web and app", 2026-08-13 13:12Z.
One blue, cobalt + navy - he reacted against veering into other colors (color detail in section 7); imagery bright, never "too dark" (19:37-19:41Z).
Nathan Schwederske (VP Digital Commerce)
The locked copy skeleton + Title Case + button + footer directives - sections 1 and 5 of this page (Teams 8/14 20:45Z + 22:17-22:18Z + DM 8/15 00:54-01:42Z).
"too much beige in the new ones" but the copy/hierarchy were stronger - rebuild the stronger hierarchy in the approved non-beige look.
"too much beige in the new ones · I do think the copy and hierarchy are working harder in the new, but would like to see that built out with the above"
Nathan, Teams group, 2026-08-14 12:02:52Z.
No yellow - CEO veto, relayed by Nathan.
"no more yellow.....bob (CEO) hates yellow"
Nathan, Teams meeting chat "aspen dental - new site and app connect", 2026-08-12 19:04Z.
Palette approval: "the palette is spot on with your designs!!!" (2026-08-12) - the icy/navy/blue/white family in section 3.
Erin Karr (Sr Director Digital Commerce)
Apply the Tantrum look and feel onto the preferred Warby-structure page (rather than inventing new concepts).
"Can the tantrum look and feel be applied to that preferred Warby page?"
Erin Karr, Teams group, 2026-08-14 00:19Z.
Merge the "heritage authority" H1 elements into the concept locked earlier in the week.
"Very much like the heritage authority H1, I think we take some elements from these and merge into the concept we landed on earlier this week"
Erin Karr, Teams group, 2026-08-14 11:29Z.
Same-day teeth language: the Affordable Dentures phrasing is the crisp articulation TAG has struggled to find.
"this language re same day teeth is very crisp as well (something we have struggled with) · Same-Day custom-made healing teeth possible · 6+ months for final teeth"
Erin Karr, Teams meeting chat "branding brand - web and app", 2026-08-13 13:14Z.
Scheduler reference = Warby Parker's booking flow ("i'll take simple as a compliment").
Erin Karr, Teams meeting chat "aspen web pages review", 2026-08-10 16:35-16:48Z (link: warbyparker.com/appointments/eye-exams/booking).
ClearChoice-scoped notes from the same threads (kept for completeness): CC home approved except "change from the taupe to resolve" (Erin, 8/6 14:48Z) · celebration hero "needs a bit of elevation maybe with a gradient or filter" (Erin, 8/14 11:34Z) · CC hero pulls "#1 Dental Implant Provider in America" + "1,000,000 dental implants placed" to the top, drop the "foundation" color, no same-day claim (Erin, 8/12 13:30Z) · Rafeh 7/28 via Erin: pencil promo banner, single-pane scheduler "AUTO PILOT! big 1,2,3 super simple, less is more".
Family-of-brands strip: what was asked, and how it was ruled Ruled 8/17
Request 1 (Rafeh, 8/14 19:01Z): use the AGREED footer, not the AI-generated one.
"footer is back to AI version vs. what we agreed to"
Request 2 (Rafeh, 8/14 19:43Z): the footer carries full link columns (Care, Pay, Locations, About) - he navigates through footer links.
Request 3 (8/14 Tantrum session): everyone uses the one approved footer.
"do you have that approved footer here?... Wanna make sure that everyone's using that."
8/14 session transcript (143039). SPEC.md §F-1.
Request 4 (Nathan, 8/7 + 8/14): on Aspen's own site, exclude the Aspen logo from the strip.
"no Apsen logo because its on the aspen site" (8/7) · "The Aspen Group - family of brands (no Aspen) footer" (8/14 20:45Z)
Nathan Schwederske, Teams. Superseded 8/17 (below), retired with dated citation in the build gate.
Request 5 (faintness, Rafeh standing rule): the strip is present but FAINT - never a loud band. Lead line "Part of The Aspen Group" (uppercase, letterspaced, white at .55 opacity) on navy #0F1F35.
Rafeh rule captured 7/27-8/14 (Figma tasks #1835/#1836); canonical snippet: aspen-approved/FAMILY-STRIP.html.
THE RULING (Chris, 8/17) - resolves Nathan's no-Aspen request against Rafeh's Figma treatment, in favor of the Figma: the Aspen family strip follows the Rafeh-approved "Footer - Family of brands - TAG treatment (Aspen center)", Figma file So6x1riO6XKjxXMxDMH0Gb, node 2171:204. ALL 5 brand logos, in this exact order, with the page's own brand centered at full opacity and siblings faint:
Part of The Aspen Group
ClearChoiceWellNow Urgent CareAspenDentalLovet Pet Health CareChapter Aesthetic Studio
Ruling: Chris Mason, 2026-08-17 ("fix the footer on all the sites"). Enforcement: gate-v4.py FOOTER-ORDER + FOOTER-ASPEN-NOT-CURRENT (fail-closed); all 75 strip-bearing gallery options normalized + live-verified 8/17. Per-brand rule: on a ClearChoice surface, ClearChoice takes the center slot.
6 · The Aspen blue - from Tantrum
Tantrum's exact blues (Stacey Smith, Tantrum Agency)
From the three boards Stacey shared 8/12 (downloaded + color-sampled 8/13). The "Ask Aspen" deck is an sRGB document, so its values are EXACT authored colors; the two territory boards are CMYK (SWOP), so those hex values are faithful conversions. #1743D7 is THE Tantrum Aspen blue - the vivid blue that carries CTAs, filled chips, and signal moments.
Deck sRGB - exact
#1743D7
#0F1F35
#88BED9
#9ECCE5
#8CC3E1
Territory boards ("this means…" / "yes.") - SWOP→sRGB conversion
#162B54
#3561AD
#203D73
#C8E8FA
#6890C7
#D0A6B5
Tantrum's palette discipline (their boards, their rule): navy + ONE accent family per execution (pink OR blue) + cream/white. Never all accents at once. No duotones, washes, or gradients on photos - color lives in the flat tiles around photography.
Distinct token, don't confuse them: the client's own Web Lander v1 uses CTA blue #0046F8 (Asset Kit, the one mandatory color per the V9 ruling). #1743D7 is Tantrum's board blue. Both are sanctioned; cite which one you're using.
Distinct token, don't confuse them: the client's own Web Lander v1 uses CTA blue #0046F8 (Asset Kit, the one mandatory color per the V9 ruling). #1743D7 is Tantrum's board blue. Both are sanctioned; cite which one you're using.
Source: TANTRUM-READOUT.md (sampled from Aspen_Brainstorm-AP-1_Package.ai render, sRGB IEC61966-2.1, + "this means.ai" / "yes brand.ai" SWOP renders), files shared by Stacey Smith (s_smith@tantrumagency.com), downloaded 2026-08-13. Full dossier: Stacey / Tantrum creative direction.
7 · Colors NOT to use
Rafeh's color vetoes Banned
beige
tan
offwhite
#ECECE0
#F3F1EA
yellow
The icy rule, verbatim:
"We are a dental / oral care brand - beige, tan, offwhite colors don't work.. think icy colors - white, blue, mint, etc."
Rafeh Masood, email 2026-08-14 "Digital Experiences (new app + web landing pages)".
Own ONE blue - Rafeh loved the cobalt and reacted against other colors creeping in.
"really loved... the use of the cobalt and really didn't like when I was veering to the use of other colors"
Nathan relaying Rafeh, 8/14 Tantrum-session transcript (143039). Companion rule from the designers call (100256): "They said what blue do you want on? You can only own one blue."
No cosmetic pink styling - pink read as a cosmetic-brand distraction on the 8/14 designers call. Nuance: Tantrum's dusty pink #D0A6B5 is sanctioned ONLY as the "this means" territory accent (Chris 8/13: treat Stacey's execution as what Rafeh wants); it appears in exactly one gallery option and never as a ground.
"beige and cosmetic Kylie Jenner line-up... a distraction"
8/14 designers-call transcript (100256); Tantrum sanction: project decision 2026-08-13 ("Stacey = Rafeh").
Not too dark - dark registers read wrong for Aspen's fold ("too dark", 8/14 19:37-19:41Z); keep grounds bright/icy.
Related cap (Chris, 8/16): "use less of the light blue" - the light-blue wash family (#B6CFF5 / #D9E4F6 / #E4EDFC / #F0F5FE / #EAF1FF) is capped to at most 3 occurrences per option, gate-enforced.
Enforcement: the cream/beige hex list, the yellow-family hue ban, and the light-blue cap are all mechanical fail-closed checks in the wave gate (aspen-approved/gate-v4.py). The one sanctioned exception class: explicitly labeled rules-broken explorations (opt-I03/M/N waves) where Chris granted color freedom; client-locked copy, imagery honesty, and the footer strip still bind there.
8 · Standing hard rules (cross-cutting)
Never change the Aspen logo. Official leaf + AspenDental lockup verbatim on every surface; never redrawn, re-typeset, recolored, or accent-modified. The cropped-A super-graphic is background treatment only. (Chris, 8/14 live design session; md5-pinned in the gate.)
Official marks (md5-pinned in gate-v4.py): aspendental-lockup.png (navy, light surfaces) · aspendental-lockup-white.png (knockout, dark surfaces). Ground truth = aspendental.com live header SVG.
No text over any image. A scrim or gradient does not make it compliant; copy sits on solid opaque bands. (Chris hard rule, enforced by rendered bbox gate.)
No eyebrow/kicker text above any section heading, anywhere. Headings stand alone. (Chris, 8/14; also the 8/14 designers call: "I don't think Warby uses eyebrows.")
No em/en dashes in option copy. "Book", never "Schedule". Title Case everywhere.
Older-optimized type + contrast: body 17px+, headlines 28-34, CTA labels 20-22, tap targets 44pt+; WCAG contrast 4.5:1 floor with a 7:1 target. (Design law posted in the 8/14 Aspen design session, unchallenged.)
Buttons are stadium pills (radius 9999, heights 36/48, verified in the client's own Lander v1). Nathan's "rounded rectangle" note is flagged as the same family pending confirmation.
Approved imagery only, no AI, honest frames (sections 2 and 7 above); photos never carry washes or masks.
Open flags for the client: nav item 4 "Checkup" (client-locked 8/14) vs "Cleaning" (Chris 8/16 F-wave directive) · pills vs Nathan's "rounded rectangle" shorthand.
SSOT documents: aspen-approved/SPEC.md (V1-V11 layers) · REQUIREMENTS-REGISTER.md (478 cited rows) · REQUIREMENTS-V9.md + DESIGN-LANGUAGE-V9.md · TANTRUM-READOUT.md · FAMILY-STRIP.html · gate-v4.py (mechanical enforcement).