DOMINANT
OPTIONS · GLYPH × NAMING · v1
STEEL FORGE
01   THE BRAND GLYPH — 8 OPTIONS

Eight marks. One survives.

The glyph is the cheapest, most-used asset in the system — it goes in credential bars, before list bullets, on packaging, in email subject lines, in social handles. It needs to feel proprietary, render at 8px, and not look like a Unicode character anyone can type. Eight directions below, ranked by how well they pass those three tests.

CURRENT
OPTION 01 · Triangle
⟁ Triangle
⟁
Pros: Sharp, direction-implying, "forward." Cons: Generic — used by Audi, Adidas-adjacent, every crypto token. Hard to own.
⟁DOMINANT
⟁   LAB-VERIFIED   ⟁
RECOMMENDED
OPTION 02 · Reticle
⌖ Crosshair
⌖
Pros: Reads as precision instrument, surveying, scope. Aligns perfectly with "lab-verified, titrated, measured" voice. Nobody in DTC men's health uses it. Cons: none we've found.
⌖DOMINANT
⌖   LAB-VERIFIED   ⌖
OPTION 03 · Hex
⬢ Hexagon
⬢
Pros: Molecular / chemistry / engineered feel. Strong shape, very recognizable. Cons: Dominated by web3 / crypto and "biohacking" — could backfire as the wrong-tribe signal.
⬢DOMINANT
⬢   LAB-VERIFIED   ⬢
OPTION 04 · Diamond
◆ Diamond
◆
Pros: Premium, gemstone, lapidary. Reads as "rare / refined." Cons: Owned by NBA, Forevermark, every premium loyalty tier. Crowded.
◆DOMINANT
◆   LAB-VERIFIED   ◆
OPTION 05 · The Bar
— Em-Bar
—
Pros: Confident, editorial, restrained. Cons: Already a Hone Health-adjacent move and a generic typographic flourish — risks being invisible rather than ownable.
—DOMINANT
—   LAB-VERIFIED   —
OPTION 06 · Medical Plus
⊕ Plus
⊕
Pros: Direct medical signal, instantly readable. Cons: Too direct — pulls toward telehealth/clinic generic, away from premium engineered. Also crowded (One Medical, Forward, Plus Health).
⊕DOMINANT
⊕   LAB-VERIFIED   ⊕
OPTION 07 · Custom D-Sigil
𝗗. Sigil
D.
Pros: Most ownable — it's literally our letter. Doubles as monogram + favicon + glyph. Cons: Reads as wordmark, not as a bullet — can't sit before list items without confusion.
D.DOMINANT
D.   LAB-VERIFIED   D.
OPTION 08 · The Slash
/ Slash
/
Pros: Code / engineering vocabulary. Implies "this AND that" — Doctor / Lab / Forged. Pairs naturally with mono type. Cons: Less iconic than a shape — a divider, not a stamp.
/DOMINANT
/   LAB-VERIFIED   /
⌖   RECOMMENDATION
Go with the Crosshair (⌖). It is the only mark in the set that says "we measure" before the words on the page do — and it is uncontested in DTC men's health.
Backup pick: The Slash (/) if you want the brand to feel more "engineering shop, less laboratory." Avoid the hexagon — it pulls you into the biohacker aesthetic you specifically rejected in the brief.
02   "PROTOCOL №01" — REPLACEMENT OPTIONS

You're right. №01 reads
like an instruction manual
step, not a category.

The original system used "Protocol №01 · Hormone Optimization" as a card label. The risk you spotted: a customer scanning the homepage doesn't know if they're supposed to "start at №01 and progress" — that's confusing. Six replacement systems below, each demonstrated on the same four programs, ranked by clarity.

OPTION A · Named ProgramsRECOMMENDED · CLEAREST
Just call them
by their names.
The system is the typography, not the numbering. Each program gets a strong Oswald name, a one-line clinical descriptor, and a short code that lives in the corner (SF-01, SF-02) for SKU/spec contexts only. The customer sees four clear categories. The code is for packaging and back-office.
SF·01  /  PROGRAM
Hormone
Optimization
TRT · Enclomiphene · HPG-axis
SF·02  /  PROGRAM
Sexual
Health
Performance · Libido
SF·03  /  PROGRAM
Longevity
Stack
Peptides · NAD+ · Metabolic
SF·04  /  PROGRAM
Cognitive
Edge
Sleep · Focus · Dopaminergic
OPTION B · The Series
"The ___ Series"
Treats each program as a member of a single family. Implies depth without implying order. Pairs well with the "Steel Forge" parent name — these are the things the forge produces.
⌖ THE SERIES
Hormone
Series
Optimization Program
⌖ THE SERIES
Performance
Series
Sexual Health Program
⌖ THE SERIES
Longevity
Series
Peptide & Metabolic
⌖ THE SERIES
Cognitive
Series
Sleep & Focus Program
OPTION C · Tiered Roman
Tier I, II, III
Reads as levels of intensity, not arbitrary numbering. Tier I = foundation, Tier III = advanced stack. Has the same risk as №01 — implies you start at I and graduate up, which may not match clinical reality.
TIER I  ·  FOUNDATION
Hormone
Optimization
Entry-tier protocol
TIER II  ·  APPLIED
Sexual
Health
Add-on or standalone
TIER II  ·  APPLIED
Cognitive
Edge
Add-on or standalone
TIER III  ·  ADVANCED
Longevity
Stack
Premium / multi-modal
OPTION D · The Systems
"___ System"
Each is a self-contained system, not a step. Slightly more product-y than "Series." Works because each program really is a closed loop: bloodwork → physician → compounded medicine → re-test.
⌖ SYSTEM
Hormone
System
Optimization & balance
⌖ SYSTEM
Performance
System
Sexual health
⌖ SYSTEM
Longevity
System
Peptides & metabolic
⌖ SYSTEM
Cognitive
System
Sleep & focus
⌖   RECOMMENDATION
Drop the №01 numbering. Use Named Programs on the customer-facing site and keep the SF-01 code on packaging only.
This solves the confusion you spotted: customers see four named programs (which one's for me?), not a sequence (do I have to do them in order?). The codes still give us the engineered "instrument-grade" feel where it matters most — on the bottle and the spec sheet — without forcing every visitor to decode them. Backup pick: "___ Series" if you want a strong family identity (Hormone Series, Longevity Series). It's slightly more elegant but slightly less specific.