Discovery Call
Artifact info
Title:

Pro-Social Market Economy – Brand & Website Kickoff

Engagement:

Pro-social Market Economy - Brand & Website

Client:

Jan Pfister

Meeting Date:
April 17, 2026
Next Meeting Date:
No items found.
People
Jan Pfister
James Redenbaugh
Artifact Image
Meeting Summary

🎯 Project Vision & Purpose

Jan Pfister opened by describing how the Pro-Social Market Economy concept has matured significantly over the past few years, with research now far enough along to warrant making something tangible and publicly accessible (01:57). The website's core purpose is to serve as an informational hub — something Jan can point executives, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers toward when explaining the paradigm. As Jan put it, the goal is a place where anyone unclear on the concept can go and immediately understand what this paradigm shift actually means.

A key distinction Jan emphasized is that this project, while closely related to Pro Social World, is distinctly focused: the central argument is that economic performance emerges from relational quality, not individual optimization (05:30). The Core Design Principles (CDPs), adapted here as relational diagnostics, are the conceptual backbone. The site needs to feel credible and compelling to business leaders — not like a manifesto or sustainability evangelism — so that a practitioner lands on it and thinks "this actually improves my organization's performance" rather than feeling preached at.

Zachary Sherman, Jan's PhD student and collaborator, is actively involved in both the conceptual framing and the website planning process.

💡 Conceptual Communication & Visual Strategy

James immediately zeroed in on the challenge of visually translating these ideas — hitting both sides of the brain simultaneously (09:48). The discussion surfaced a compelling framing device: contrasting the old paradigm (individual optimization leading to systemic dysfunction) with the new paradigm (relational management enabling sustainable performance). Jan and Zachary had already been thinking along these lines — illustrating two possible futures, one where the current trajectory leads to deterioration, and one where a shift in thinking opens a different path.

Jan offered a vivid metaphor for this: the idea that we may currently be operating as if the world is flat when it's actually round — all the dysfunction and crises we see are symptoms of a fundamental misunderstanding of how performance actually works (16:10). James noted that this kind of dual-track communication — emotionally resonant and intellectually rigorous — is deeply aligned with IRIS's experience working with collective-focused organizations.

On the visual side, specific diagrams and illustrations for the CDPs don't yet exist and will need to be developed as part of this engagement. Jan confirmed they have some visuals from studies but nothing purpose-built for communication (07:43).

🗂️ Site Structure & Audience Segmentation

The current plan envisions roughly eight pages: Home, Explore the Paradigm, Research and Resources, Practice and Policy, People, News and Events, Get Involved, and Evaluation and Tools. Zachary noted that the planning document already maps specific audiences to each page — a detail that will make the design process considerably smoother (13:47).

Key structural thinking includes:

  • Home as the paradigm hub — entry point for all audiences
  • Explore the Paradigm as a broad overview with potential interactive elements that adapt based on who's visiting
  • Research and Resources oriented toward academics, functioning as an updatable CMS-driven publications library
  • Practice and Policy focused on practitioners — showing how the CDPs function as organizational diagnostics in real contexts
  • A future-facing architecture that can grow into research conferences, events, and community features over time

[technology="Directory Systems"]

🏗️ Development Options & Budget

James walked through three proposal tiers from the original June 2025 proposal (17:54):

  • €5,000 MVP / Streamlined — fastest path to launch, leaning into AI-assisted prototyping and IRIS's pre-built Webflow [tag="webflow"] framework (adapted from the MAST system) to move efficiently; fewer creative iterations, three unique page designs and graphic assets
  • €7,000 Core Journey — a solid, modern site that achieves all goals with more room to develop individual elements thoughtfully; still efficient but with more design attention per section
  • €11,000 Expanded — maximum creative depth, extended ideation phases, advanced animation and interaction, more advanced team time; comparable to what was done for Pro Social World (which ran at €20–30k+ across two versions)

James noted that IRIS's current minimum has shifted to the €7–8k range, but given Jan and Zachary's existing clarity and content preparation, the €5,500 budget remains workable (50:00). He committed to sending a revised, tailored brief reflecting this conversation rather than the generic options from before.

🛠️ Platform & Content Management

The site will be built in Webflow [tag="webflow"], which James described as essentially maintenance-free once live — no plugin updates, no hosting dependencies, just a running site (28:00). Hosting at the CMS tier runs approximately €29/month.

James also introduced Airtable [tag="airtable"] as a backend content management layer, synced to Webflow via Whalesync [tag="whalesync"] — allowing Jan and Zachary to manage CMS content (publications, events, people) from a more intuitive spreadsheet-style interface rather than needing to go into the Webflow designer. An n8n [tag="n8n"] automation layer was mentioned as part of IRIS's own internal workflow, illustrating how content pipelines can be structured if more automation becomes relevant later.

Jan asked directly about how much technical knowledge would be required to maintain the site post-launch (34:21). James reassured him that a single recorded walkthrough call at the end of the project would be sufficient for day-to-day management.

[technology="CRM System Templates"]

[technology="Communication Automations"]

🔄 Process & Timeline

James outlined the collaboration flow:

  1. Vision Sessions — weekly 90-minute calls beginning with a brand questionnaire (adapted from Jan's existing doc), exploring aesthetic inspirations, metaphors, philosophical streams, color, typography, and precedents
  2. Conceptual Design — James and one or two designers explore directions in Figma, using early prototyping tools to help Jan and Zachary pressure-test content and structure
  3. Build & Refinement — translation into Webflow [tag="webflow"] using IRIS's component framework; design evolves in context through development reviews
  4. Launch & Handoff — recorded onboarding session for content management

James flagged that he'll be heads-down on a large event app build for a Portugal conference over the next six weeks, followed by a honeymoon in the Azores through mid-June (38:10). A realistic July launch target was agreed upon, and Jan confirmed there's no urgent deadline pressure — quality matters more than speed.

Jan asked whether the content document needs to be tightened before the process begins. James's advice: keep it loose for now (46:15). The early phase is about collecting more input than will ultimately be used, not editing down prematurely.

---

Action Items

James Redenbaugh

  • Send a revised, tailored proposal/brief with two clearly defined options based on today's conversation and Jan's existing document (50:57)
  • Review Jan's content document and prior discovery call notes to identify what brand questionnaire questions are already answered vs. still open (47:30)
  • Schedule first 90-minute vision session once brief is agreed upon and timeline clears post-mid-June (46:48)

Jan Pfister

  • Review the updated brief from James once received and confirm preferred option/budget direction (51:13)
  • Continue developing the content document as feels natural — no need to over-tighten before process begins (44:51)
  • Share the referenced article "Rethinking Collective Performance: A New Economic Paradigm" from Pro Social World with James for background context (15:11) 📄

Zachary Sherman

  • Participate in vision sessions and support content framing as the process gets underway (45:13)
Relevant Initiatives

Website Design & Development

Priority: 
Medium
Size: 
M
Planning Stage

Brand Design

Priority: 
Medium
Size: 
S
Planning Stage
Transcript