# The Human Touch — Seal language and usage

Current project decision: October 14, 2026.

## What we call them

Use **seal** and **seals** throughout The Human Touch (THT). The standard collective name is **The Human Touch seals**. Use this language in website copy, navigation, forms, download instructions, artwork filenames, new standards documents and communications.

The approved introductory lines are:

- **We use clear seals with honest standards.**
- **We provide clarification, not classification.**
- **Every creation has a process and a story. Tell us yours.**

Use natural, connected prose. Avoid clipped slogans, exaggerated claims and sentimental language that pressures people to share.

## The five seals

The names remain **AI-Free**, **Human-Made**, **Human-Directed**, **Human-Finished** and **AI-Created**. These names retain their existing standards and boundaries. Changing the collective term does not change the definitions or add a category.

Use phrases such as “choose your seal,” “standard seal,” “creator-declared seal,” “download your seal” and “linked seal.” Reserve independent verification language for a completed, authorized independent review.

## Declaration and review status

**All colored seals are creator-declared. Only issued Gold seals indicate independent review.**

All colored seals remain creator-declared whether or not they display CD. Black and white standard variants carry the same status; color alone is never evidence of review. A standard seal communicates the creator's declaration about an identified work, component or edition. It does not certify artistic quality, safety, accuracy, originality, legality or ownership. Creators choose their own seal; the questionnaire offers an advisory recommendation.

Standard seals are free and available after the seven-question reflection and selection, without registration, email or an account.

## What CD means

**CD stands for Creator Declared.** Removing CD does not change the declaration's creator-declared status. It reflects directory completion only, not independent review.

| State | Artwork | Readable status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No directory entry or an incomplete directory entry | Colored seal retains CD | Creator-declared · Not independently reviewed |
| Complete directory entry, email unverified | Linked colored seal retains CD | Creator-declared · Not independently reviewed |
| Complete directory entry with a verified email | Linked colored seal omits CD | Creator-declared · Not independently reviewed; Email verified |
| Unissued Gold preview | Gold preview artwork | Unissued Gold preview · Not an awarded seal |
| Officially issued Gold seal, when review and issuance become available | Gold seal linked to the identified work and claim | Independently reviewed; identify the reviewed scope and issuance record |

Only an officially issued Gold seal indicates independent review of the identified work and claim. No Gold seals are being issued through the current site. Preview artwork must never be presented as an awarded seal.

## A complete directory entry

Use **complete directory entry**, not “finished work,” when explaining the CD transition. Completion means an active entry has an image, work or edition title, creator name, declared scope, chosen seal, all seven valid answers and the creator's good-faith confirmation. Personal statements, website links and public contact emails remain optional.

Colored seals retain CD when there is no complete, email-verified directory entry. Once the entry is complete and its email is verified, its linked colored seal omits CD. This reflects directory completion only, not independent review. Do not remove CD yourself; download the current linked seal from the entry. The freely available unregistered standard downloads retain CD.

**Email verification confirms access to an email address, not identity or creative-process accuracy.** Typing an address is not verification. The separate, optional public contact email is not automatically verified. The entry continues to display “Creator-declared · Not independently reviewed” after email confirmation.

Email sending remains on hold until a provider and sender are configured. A verification address is not saved in the directory database or used for promotion. Only a temporary token hash and expiry, then the verified status and date, are retained. The separate delivery provider has its own retention policy, disclosed before sending. A public contact email is stored only when the creator separately enters one for display in the personal section; it is never copied from private verification.

## Artwork, accessibility and linked records

Preserve the approved circular design: broad colored ring, narrow outer rim, curved uppercase wording and central fingerprint. Keep the softer burnt orange for Human-Finished. CD follows the directory rule above. Keep the complete supplied artwork readable at its intended size; do not alter it to imply a different status.

Put readable **Creator-declared · Not independently reviewed** status and any component limitation beside a standard seal, including a seal without CD. Use equivalent alt text for PNG images. Downloaded SVGs include accessible descriptions. Do not rely on color, the presence of CD, or a fingerprint alone to communicate status.

A registered seal's link and matching QR code identify its specific directory entry. There is no directory identifier or “No directory record” footer printed beneath the artwork. The embed code includes readable status text and accessible image text. Re-download after the entry's status changes, and link to its current declaration.

An unregistered seal has no directory entry or record-specific QR code. It can link to the current standards but must not imply that an individual directory entry or independent review exists.

Use **directory entry** for the full work record and **preview card** for its thumbnail in the directory.

Before submitting the seven questions, creators must check: **I answered all seven questions with honest reflection and in good faith.** The checkbox starts unchecked and resets after an answer changes. Registered entries and corrections require the same confirmation; historic entries must not be retroactively described as attested.

## Gold independent review

Gold is an officially issued, independently reviewed version of the creator's selected seal for an identified work and claim. It is not a sixth category, a general endorsement of the creator, or an award for artistic merit. Removing CD, completing a directory entry or verifying an email does not issue Gold.

The deep metallic Gold artwork is an **unissued preview** using the approved circular design without a halo. Preview artwork has not been awarded and is not evidence of review. Label every preview visibly and in its accessible description. Applications and issuance are not open. The planned application and review are free, with a first-come, first-served queue subject to review capacity and no guaranteed turnaround; these plans are not an invitation to apply.

Only after an authorized independent review and official issuance may a Gold seal identify review of the specified work and claim. Its linked entry must state the reviewed scope and issuance status in readable text. Never issue Gold automatically, allow a download option to turn a standard seal into Gold, or describe a colored seal as independently reviewed.

## Earlier materials

This guide supersedes earlier naming, CD, directory and Gold wording. The three downloadable historical PDFs carry a current-policy cover; their original pages remain historical drafts. Their older terminology, private-answer proposals and proposed Gold procedures are not current policy. Registered entries publish all seven submitted answers. Superseded artwork remains archived and must not be used as current artwork.