Answer
Five characters audition for one product and one gets picked, and this version lines all five up and makes the case for Fetch, the scruffy dog who fetches this week's ideas, with what it gives up.
Today
No direction is picked. config.json lists no live direction.
The five, side by side
| Fetch | Buzz | Scoop | Ocho | Seeti | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Scruffy, happy dog | Round, busy bee | Nosy raccoon | Overcommitted octopus | Indian pressure cooker | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.meet |
| Owned colour | Tennis ball green #aee32f | Pollen yellow #ffd60a | Tangerine #ff7a1a | Hot pink #ff4fa3 | Chilli red #ff3d2e | brand-directions/docs2/data/dirs.json |
| Tagline | This week's ideas, fetched | The whole hive, one bee | Everything everyone says about your store | Eight arms on your marketing | This week's marketing, ready in a few whistles | brand-directions/docs2/data/dirs.json |
| Five words | Scruffy dog fetches marketing ideas | Busy bee drafts my marketing | Nosy raccoon who brings gossip | Frantic pink octopus drafts everything | Bossy cooker that whistles ideas | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.meet |
| Edge | Over eager, brings back a bit too much | Overbusy and proud of it | Gossipy, delighted by drama, never mean | Frantic, says yes to everything | Bossy, dramatic, impatient head cook | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.meet |
| World | The yard | A garden and a hive | A gossip column, a little noir | A desk at the bottom of the sea | A home kitchen at dinner time | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
| Display and body type | Grandstander, Commissioner | Shrikhand, Parkinsans | Gloock, Schibsted Grotesk | DynaPuff, Archivo | Bakbak One, Anek Latin | brand-directions/docs2/data/dirs.json |
| Sonic logo | Two toy squeaks, a ruff, a ball bouncing twice | A buzz that zips up onto two marimba notes | A paper rustle, then a two note gasp | A suction cup letting go, a pop, bubbles | Three rising whistle toots | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.meet |
| Running joke | Sneaks its tennis ball into Monday's picks | Pollen count, clean Monday, covered Friday | The tally runs off the notepad onto its tail | The coffee count, then it climbs into the mug | Nobody lifts the lid until Friday | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.meet |
| Caught up | Nap time | The hive is humming | All dished out | Arms free | Kitchen's clean | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
| Hand it off | Drop it | Pass the pollen | Pass the note | Free an arm | Order ticket | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
What each gives up
| Gives up | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Fetch | Novelty, some sharpness, gravitas in serious rooms. An eager dog wants to bring everything, so the product holds the line at five | brand-directions/dog/brand.html b2 |
| Buzz | Novelty. Some people flinch at bees. The hive could imply a team | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
| Scoop | Can read as a bin thief. Gossip can tip into mean | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
| Ocho | Calm, gravitas, drawing cost. Busy arms could imply it posts | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
| Seeti | Cuddliness. The whistle needs one sentence outside India. A tight acting kit | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
Critic scores so far
| Bar score of 11 | Octalysis fit of 10 | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeti | 11 | 8 | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side; brand-directions/cooker/review.md |
| Ocho | 10.5 | 7 | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side; brand-directions/octopus/review.md |
| Scoop | 9.5 | 6 | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side; brand-directions/raccoon/review.md |
| Fetch | Not scored. Built after round 3 | Not scored | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
| Buzz | Not scored. Built after round 3 | Not scored | brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side |
- The three scores are from round 3 on 25 October, before the latest art pass, so the art part of each score is stale brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.side-by-side
- Hush the ghost and Margo the cat auditioned earlier and were archived on 25 October. Param found Hush's voice, sounds and spooky words creepy. Their folders are history only brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.after; memory brand-directions-2026-10-25
The case for Fetch
- Everyone knows fetch. You throw, it brings it back, which is the product: you give it your store, it brings back ideas, you pick one and it brings more like that. A stranger gets it from the drawing brand-directions/dog/brand.html b2
- The weekly loop is a game every dog plays: throw, run, drop, again. The Monday drop is literal and a heart is throwing it again brand-directions/dog/brand.html b2
- Warmth without a guru. A dog never makes you feel behind, which suits a founder who already does brand-directions/dog/brand.html b2
- The green is free: not an agent colour, not Duolingo green, and it reads as a toy next to product photos brand-directions/dog/brand.html b2
- It grows without a costume change: ideas today, carried work later, a paw at results after that brand-directions/dog/brand.html b2
- Fetch earns its place against a generic dog with a job: the lopsided green ears, the scruff, the card in its mouth and the ball brand-directions/book/content/f.js f-1.instant
- Its one sample week: Monday the drop with the ball hidden in it, Tuesday a heart for the Monsoon rain reel, Wednesday three kept versions of the Chai spice post, Thursday a brief copied for the editor with nothing sent, Friday caught up and Fetch keeps the ball brand-directions/dog/brand.html b1
Tomorrow
What happens if Fetch is picked.
| Item | Version | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| config.json sets liveDirections to dog. The other four versions of every branded document are archived | v1 | Changes |
| The product name is settled first, then fills every wordmark slot | v1 | New |
| Fetch is locked from one rig with every pose and the small mark checked at 24 px | v1 | New |
| 45 screens are skinned with Fetch's kit, phone and laptop, dark and light | v1 | Changes |
| Every line around the buttons is rewritten from Fetch's system file. Buttons stay plain | v1 | Changes |
| Voice, sonic logo, five cues and seven lines are levelled and recorded for the product | v1 | New |
| The first week game and weekly ritual ship in Fetch's words: the drop, walks in a row, rest day, the stick, nap time | v1 | New |
| Ship order: restyle first, then recompose, then add on. Nothing changes the core | v1 | Stays |
| Marketing starts with the first nine posts and Fetch's weekly formats | v1 | New |
| Fetch carries finished work where you said, after your yes | v2 | New |
| Fetch points a paw at how it went | v3 | New |
| Fetch acts inside your ad rules with undo, as a new prop | v4 | New |
How we do it
- Each decider answers alone: what should a founder feel on Monday morning. For Fetch the answer is: it brought me things, I just pick.
- Compare answers. Three or more matching is the front runner.
- Read the seven moment lines for the front runner and one other, aloud.
- Run the five free tests with at least five founders: ten second, blind sound, icon at 24 px, bad day, and the team test.
- Settle the front runner's open question, then pick and log it in the decisions log.
- Run the nine step redo in Tomorrow.
Numbers
| Metric | Definition | Where measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ten second test | Share of founders who name the character and the job in five words after ten seconds | Founder sessions | Proposed, not run |
| Blind sound test | Share who pick the same logo for your week is ready | Founder sessions | Proposed, not run |
| Icon recall | Share who describe the mark a day later | Founder sessions | Proposed, not run |
| Bar score | Critic score against the eleven point bar | A review file per direction | Exists for three, not for Fetch |
Open
- Should Fetch get a critic round before the pick, as three others did? Proposal: yes, one fresh critic scores Fetch and Buzz against the bar and Octalysis, so all five are compared on the same footing.
- Is a happy dog sharp enough, after a generic friendly dog was turned down? Proposal: decide on the bad day and ten second tests with five founders, not on the drawing alone.
- Who are the deciders and by when? Proposal: Param, Sai and Arvind answer the Monday question alone this week, and Param picks after the founder tests.