Word templates

Primary output: Microsoft Word .dotx templates, generated from brand/brand.json Deliverables: proposal, capability statement, letterhead, internal policy

These templates are generated, not hand-edited. The palette, fonts, identifiers, and boilerplate are derived from brand/brand.json, so they stay correct as the brand evolves - re-run the generator and the .dotx files update.

What ships

File	Purpose
polyrhythm-template-word-proposal.dotx	Multi-page proposal: cover (lockup, title, project/client/date merge fields, bottom identifier band), table of contents, and sample headings/body/list/table/quote.
polyrhythm-template-word-capability.dotx	One-page capability statement: hero one-liner, the three engineering surfaces, differentiators, overview, and a Fog identifier band footer.
polyrhythm-template-word-letterhead.dotx	Minimal branded letter / general-document base: masthead (lockup + Flare rule), date + recipient + signature blocks, Fog contact band footer.
polyrhythm-template-word-policy.dotx	Controlled internal policy: document-control grid (ID/version/owner/approver/sensitivity/review/dates), policy sections, revision-history table, approval signature block; "Internal" sensitivity marking top & bottom.

Names follow the asset grammar polyrhythm-template-word-<kind> (the word surface parallels powerpoint).

Fonts - Corbel + Consolas (no embedding)

The templates use the office-equivalent fonts so they render correctly on any Windows/Office machine without embedding (see typography/polyrhythm-office-fonts.md):

• Corbel (~ Inter) - titles, headings, body.
• Consolas (~ JetBrains Mono) - the Polyrhythm Metadata/Polyrhythm Mono styles, captions, and the header/footer rails: identifiers, artifact IDs, tags, terminal cues.

For internally-controlled documents you may install Inter + JetBrains Mono for the truest look; for external proposals and government recipients, keep Corbel/Consolas.

Styles (Word's Styles gallery)

Style	Use
Title / Subtitle	Cover title and supporting line.
Heading 1-3	Section structure; H1/H2/H3 carry outline levels so the Table of Contents field builds from them. H1 has a Graphite underline rule.
Normal	Body copy (Corbel 11 pt, Ink, 1.15 line).
Polyrhythm Metadata (character)	Mono CAPS rail - identifiers, IDs, status labels (Steel).
Polyrhythm Mono (character)	Inline mono - code, references (Ink).
Quote	Pull statement with a Flare left rule.
Caption	Mono figure/table captions (Steel).
List Bullet / numbered	Branded list glyphs (en-dash, not Word's dot).
Polyrhythm Table	Thin Graphite horizontal rules, bold Ink header row, minimal banding.

Using the templates

• New document: double-click the .dotx (or File > New > from template) to start an untitled document - the template itself is preserved.
• Merge fields ([Project name], [Client name], [Date], etc.) are real MERGEFIELD placeholders: click and type, or wire them to a data source.
• Table of contents: right-click the TOC field > Update Field once headings exist.
• Page numbers / "Page X of Y": update automatically.
• Distribution / classification marking: the [Distribution / classification marking if required] line is the topmost element of the header and the bottommost element of the footer, on every page - editable. Fill it in or delete it. No marking is baked in.

Colour

The theme embeds the canonical brand palette. Word's UI labels theme colours by slot ("Text 1 / Accent 1..."), not by brand name, so the mapping is below - verify it in Design > Colors > Customize Colors, where each slot shows its hex.

Theme slot (Word)	Brand colour	Hex
Dark 1 / Text 1	Ink	#0E1721
Light 1 / Background 1	(paper white)	#FFFFFF
Dark 2 / Text 2	Graphite	#46515B
Light 2 / Background 2	Fog	#E3E3E3
Accent 1	Flare	#FF5D00
Accent 2	Amber	#FCAA00
Accent 3	Steel	#8B9399
Accent 4	Ember	#CD3619
Accent 5	Flax	#F8E04D
Accent 6	Deep panel	#162230
Hyperlink / Followed	Flare / Ember	#FF5D00 / #CD3619

Light 1 is white paper (not Fog as in the dark deck theme), so "Automatic" text is Ink on white. Metadata panels use a Fog fill with dark text - print-friendly (proposals are often printed), while the Flare "active tick" supplies the accent. The format scheme carries no effects (the brand forbids shadows, bevels, and glow).

Regenerating

From _repo/:

npm run render-template-word     # regenerate the three .dotx templates

Like the PowerPoint .potx, this is a local render step - CI never renders Office templates. Regenerate after a brand change, QA in desktop Word, and commit the updated .dotx files (Git LFS).

The generator (_repo/scripts/render-template-word.mjs + _repo/scripts/docx/) assembles each .dotx as an OPC package and runs a self-consistency check (the same one the PowerPoint pipeline uses) that fails loudly on any dangling reference - the class of error that makes Word show its "repair" dialog. The editable .dotx files are tracked with Git LFS.

Accessibility

Every template uses real text (not image-baked), a Title/Heading structure with logical reading order, text-based status labels (colour is never the only signal), and an editable classification placeholder. Templates export cleanly to tagged PDF.