Procedure for fully branding a firm's ProDeskCPA instance — firm logo, color scheme, custom portal domain, email-from domain, EL templates, brand DBA vs legal name. The output is a client-facing experience that looks like the firm's own product, not ProDeskCPA's.

- New firm signup — branding is part of Setup Wizard - Firm rebranding (new logo, color refresh, name change) - Firm acquiring another firm (consolidating brand) - Going from default Provectus theme to firm-specific theme

- Primary owner: Firm OWNER or ADMIN - Marketing/design lead (if firm has one): provides assets - IT/web admin: handles DNS CNAME setup for custom portal domain - Engagement Partner: confirms EL template language matches firm's standard

- Firm logo file (PNG or SVG, ≥ 200×200px, transparent background recommended) - Brand color hex codes (primary, accent, optional bg) - Custom domain available (e.g. portal.firmname.com) — DNS access required for CNAME - Email domain owned by firm if doing custom email-from - Engagement letter language reviewed by firm's legal counsel (for non-default templates)

1. Settings → Firm Profile (M-036) 2. **Logo upload:** click Logo upload → drag PNG/SVG (size validated: must meet 200×200 minimum); preview shows where logo will appear (sidebar, email headers, client portal, ELs, signing pages) 3. **Color scheme:** in Branding & Colors panel: - Choose from BRAND_PRESETS (Provectus default, Modern Blue, Elegant Black, Forest Green, Royal Burgundy, etc.) OR - Enter custom hex codes for primaryColor, accentColor, optional bgColor - Click "Live Preview" → applies changes to sidebar/buttons/email headers (preview both light and dark mode) 4. **Brand vs Legal name:** Settings → Firm Profile → fill BOTH: - Legal name (e.g. "Smith & Co. CPAs LLC") — appears on engagement letters - Brand name / DBA (e.g. "Smith CPAs") — appears in client-facing UI, emails, marketing 5. **Address + EIN + Phone + Email:** populate firm contact info 6. **Engagement Partner + Zelle email:** populate fields used by EL templates (auto-interpolated via {{ENGAGEMENT_PARTNER}}, {{ZELLE_EMAIL}}) 7. **Custom portal domain (optional, paid plan):** Settings → Firm Profile → Custom Portal Domain → enter portal.firmname.com → system shows CNAME record to add 8. Add CNAME record in firm's DNS provider pointing to ProDeskCPA's white-label endpoint (per system instructions) 9. Verify DNS propagation (system has check button); SSL auto-issues via Vercel 10. **Custom email-from domain (optional, depends on white-label send decision A/B/C):** until decision made, outbound mail routes through noreply@prodeskcpa.com (deliverability working but bleeds the brand) 11. **EL templates:** Settings → Templates → Engagement Letters 12. 6 default templates load: Tax 1040 / Tax Business / Audit GAAS / Review SSARS / Compilation / Single Audit 13. Per template, customize body text, fee structure, terms; preserve {{LEGAL_NAME}}, {{ENGAGEMENT_PARTNER}}, {{CLIENT_NAME}}, {{ZELLE_EMAIL}} tokens for auto-fill 14. Use ⛶ Full View popup window to preview EL as client will see it; Edit mode shows amber warning bar to prevent accidental editing 15. Apply Changes → "Edited" badge appears; Reset to Template available if changes need rollback 16. **Mobile portal app branding (Phase 1):** firm-specific theming applied via JWT claim on per-firm shared App Store app 17. **Mobile portal app branding (Phase 2 enterprise):** dedicated EAS white-label build per firm — separate App Store listing — coordinate with ProDeskCPA team

- Phase 1 (shared app + JWT theming) vs Phase 2 (per-firm EAS build): Phase 1 is default; Phase 2 is enterprise-tier feature requiring coordination - Custom domain vs default subdomain: paid feature; for firms that want full white-label - White-label email-from architecture (A: SMTP via firm IMAP / B: SendGrid subdomain auth / C: fake-FROM): UNRESOLVED at platform level; track this for resolution before going live with email white-label - Brand vs Legal name conflict: if firm uses different legal entity name vs marketing name, populate both; ELs use Legal, UI uses Brand - Light vs dark mode: changes affect both — preview both modes before committing

- Logo upload too small / wrong format: validation rejects; user re-uploads - Color contrast issues (e.g. light blue on white = unreadable): no auto-validation; firm responsible for legibility — preview rigorously - DNS CNAME setup mistakes: portal.firmname.com unreachable — debug via DNS verification tool; common error is wrong CNAME target - Custom portal domain SSL renewal: Vercel auto-handles; if expires, alert is sent - EL template includes {{token}} that doesn't exist in Firm Profile: token renders as literal text — review templates after Firm Profile changes - Reset to Template loses custom edits permanently (no undo) — confirm before clicking - Phase 2 per-firm EAS build coordinated with ProDeskCPA team — typical 2-4 week turnaround per firm

- Logo + colors set before first client invitation (no Provectus default visible to clients) - All 6 EL templates reviewed by partner before first EL sent - Custom portal domain verified + SSL valid (if applicable) before client onboarding - Brand consistency: same logo + colors across web portal, mobile app, email headers, signing pages

- Modules: M-036 Settings · M-007 Client Portal · M-026 E-Sign · M-025 Email · M-040 Onboarding (EL phase) - SOPs: SOP-010 (integration setup — predecessor) · SOP-001/002/003 (client onboarding flows that USE the EL templates) · SOP-009 (new staff — same Settings access)

- Phase 1 = shared App Store app with per-firm JWT theming; Phase 2 = dedicated EAS build per firm — design intent has both - White-label send architecture has 3 options (A/B/C) — deliverability impact is significant; choosing wrong option may cause emails to land in spam - "Apply across the entire app" — Settings → Branding is the single source of truth for theming (sidebar, buttons, accents, portal, email headers) - Phase 2 enterprise per-firm app building requires Expo EAS configuration + per-firm App Store submission; coordinate with ProDeskCPA team for timeline