EI SOS brand & site blueprint · 2026-09-02 · draft
Branding + website map · before we build

EI SOS / SOS Chômage. The lifeline brand, and the site that turns a scared visitor into a phone call.

Name system with live domain checks, positioning, voice, colour, type, logo concept, illustration style. Then the site: conversion rules from twelve reference funnels and Mobbin patterns, a block-by-block home page, the 7-step qualification flow, sitemap, stack, and build order.

Domains checked live by RDAP 2026-09-02 · 12 reference sites fetched · 11 Mobbin pattern pulls · 3 concept renders

01Domains, checked live

RDAP against Verisign (.com) and CIRA (.ca), 2026-09-02. Green rows are the recommended buy (~$150 total).

Name.com.caRole
eisostakenfreeEN primary → eisos.ca
ei-sosfreefreeEN redirects, protects the hyphen form
chomagesosfreefreeFR primary → chomagesos.ca, .com redirect
soschomagetakenfreeFR redirect (people will type it this way)
sos-chomagefreefreeFR redirect
aeisosfreefreeAlex's pick, cheap insurance
eisoscanadafreefreeOptional
monchomagefreefreeFuture FR content site
eiclaimcoachfreefreeFuture EN content site
eirefused / eideniedfreefreeAd landing domains, optional
eihelp / eicoach / geteitakenfreeSkip
eireadytakentakenSkip

eisos.com is taken, so the English site lives on .ca. For a Canada-only service that is a feature. Web search found nothing named "SOS Chômage" or "EI SOS". sos-emploi.com exists (job search, not EI). CIPO trademark and REQ name searches still need a human. Full list: research-raw/rdap-2026-09-02.tsv

02Name system

UseNameWhy
English brandEI SOSCarries the searched word "EI". Matches the group chat. Four syllables on a phone.
French brandSOS ChômageCarries "chômage", the word French searchers use ("assurance-emploi refusée" has zero searches). French generic, clears the Charter, can be the REQ declared name.
Category phrase"EI coaching" / "coaching chômage"Use it everywhere until it is a category.
Legal / corporateTo decideNew corp "SOS Chômage inc." or a DBA under an existing company. Open in the plan.

03Positioning

One line

EI SOS is the lifeline for people who were fired, quit, or got refused Employment Insurance: someone who sat on the other side of the call, on your side, in two days.

Who it is for

An adult in Canada, 25 to 55, who just lost a job under messy circumstances. On a phone, at a kitchen table, often at night. Anxious, a little ashamed, short on money, about to fill in a form that decides $10,000 to $33,000. They have searched "can I get EI if I quit" or "congédiement chômage", found free nonprofits and government pages, and are not sure what applies to them.

What we promise

You will know exactly what Service Canada will ask, what to say (the truth, clearly), what to gather, and by when. Written review in two business days. Approved or refunded, with conditions.

What we are not

Not a law firm. Not the government. Not a way to change your story.

Why us and not free help

Speed, one-on-one, insider knowledge, anywhere in Canada, both languages, and a guarantee free help cannot make. Say it on the first screen.

04Voice and tone

Three words: calm, direct, on your side.

Rules

  • Short sentences. One idea each. "You" and "we".
  • Say the scary thing plainly, then the next step. "You have 30 days to ask for reconsideration. Here is what to send."
  • Never shame. Never "you should have". No jokes about being fired.
  • No legalese. If a word needs a footnote, use a different word.
  • Numbers as trust, not hype: "2 business days", "30-day deadline". Never a success rate.
  • Insider stance without arrogance: "we know what the agent is looking for", not "we beat Service Canada".
  • Guarantee always with its conditions in the same breath.
  • No urgency theatre. The real 30-day deadlines are urgent enough.
  • French is written, not translated. Quebec French, plain register, "vous". Headlines start from "chômage".
SayDo not say
EI coaching, preparation, your file, your planlegal advice, representation, we handle your case
the agent, the call, the fact-finding callthe investigation, the interrogation
fired, let go, quit, refused, deniedterminated; "misconduct" only when quoting the letter
approved or refunded, with conditionsguaranteed, 99%, we win
independent, not affiliated with Service Canadaofficial, government-approved
chômage (FR headline word)assurance-emploi in FR headlines

05Visual identity

Concept renders, 2026-09-02. The chosen direction gets a vector pass before use.

Logo sheet, concept v1
EI SOS logo sheet: wordmark with lifebuoy O, SOS Chômage lockup, app icon, swatches
Mark, concept v1
Lifebuoy mark above the EI SOS wordmark

The mark

A lifebuoy ring, four signal-orange segments on white, thin navy outline. It is the "O" in SOS, in both languages. App icon and favicon: the ring alone on navy. Clear space: the height of the "S" on all sides. Never add a maple leaf, a scale, a gavel, a shield, or a checkmark. Never rotate the ring.

Colour

Navy
#0F2340
headlines, nav, footer, dark sections
Navy 2
#1B3A63
hover, secondary dark
Signal orange
#F26B1D
ONE job: the primary button and the lifebuoy
Off-white
#F7F5F0
page background
Sand
#EADFCB
illustration warmth, soft cards
Ink
#172033
body text
Success
#1D7A4A
guarantee checks, confirmations
Alert
#B42323
deadlines only

Rule: orange is scarce. If every section has orange, none of it is a button. Navy carries trust, off-white and sand carry calm, orange carries the one action.

Type

Display · Manrope 800
Fired? Quit? EI refused?
Body · Inter 400
Know exactly what Service Canada will ask, and what to say. Written plan in 2 business days. Approved or refunded, with four conditions.
Numbers and labels · JetBrains Mono 500
$697 · 2 business days · 30-day deadline · Step 03
Buttons
Check my situationCall 1-8XX-XXX-XXXX

No serif accents, no italics for flourish, no all-caps headlines over three words. Desktop H1 44–52px, body 17px, line length 60–70 characters. Mobile H1 32px.

Illustration and imagery

Style reference, concept v1
Flat illustration: a person reading a letter at a kitchen table with a laptop and orange mug
  • Style: flat vector, warm, calm. Real domestic settings: kitchen table, couch, bus, break room. Laptop, letter, phone, mug.
  • The person is thoughtful, not crying, not celebrating.
  • Palette inside illustrations: navy, sand, off-white, one small orange accent.
  • Photography, if used: real people at home, natural light. No stock handshakes, suits, courtrooms, Parliament, flags.
  • Icons: 1.5px line icons, rounded caps (Lucide). Navy. Orange only for the lifebuoy.
  • Motion: fade-up on scroll at 250ms max. The site must feel still.

Do

  • Lead every page with the visitor's situation.
  • Guarantee and its conditions within one scroll of the top.
  • Phone number and callback promise next to every form.
  • "Independent. Not a law firm. Not the government." early, as a trust line.
  • Generous whitespace, 1px borders, 10–12px radius.

Don't

  • Red anywhere but deadlines.
  • Government blue (#26374A) or Canada wordmark red.
  • Scales, gavels, columns, shields, checkmark badges.
  • Alex's name or face. "14 years inside Canada's EI program" is the credential.
  • Any approval rate, anywhere.

06Site rules that convert

From twelve reference funnels (tax relief, disability advocates, Canadian bilingual fintech, calm legal-tech) plus CXL and Unbounce data. Full digest: research-raw/2026-09-02-refsites-digest.md

  1. One job. Turn an anxious visitor into a qualified phone call. The call closes, not the page.
  2. Name the situation before the pitch. Copy at a grade 6 reading level (converts 56% better than grade 8–9, Unbounce).
  3. First CTA is a self-select, not a form. Fired / Quit / Refused tiles (Allsup's 3-way branch, Sonnet's tiles).
  4. Qualification is a 5-question guided flow, one question per screen, then name and phone. Single column. Essential fields only.
  5. Phone number and "we call you within 15 minutes" next to every form. Speed to lead beats cost per lead.
  6. Guarantee with its four conditions within one scroll of the top. Precise guarantees read as real; vague ones read as marketing.
  7. "Independent. Not a law firm. Not the government." said early, as trust (DoNotPay's move).
  8. Price: shown on the main site's Pricing page, anchored against "free nonprofit" and "lawyer $2,000+" (Willful's table). Hidden on ad landing pages until the call: every phone-screened funnel in the research hides price pre-consult.
  9. Sticky bottom CTA on mobile (8–25% mobile lift in cited cases). Ad landing pages carry no navigation.
  10. Trust at launch is process proof: 2 business days, 14 years, the four conditions, plain disclaimers. Real named testimonials after the first 20 files. Never fake reviews. Pick 3 or 4 trust numbers, not 6.
  11. FR and EN are two full sites with a persistent toggle in nav and footer, same structure both sides.

07Home page, block by block

Top to bottom. Same structure in French.

01
Nav
Logo · Fired · Quit · Refused · How it works · Pricing · FAQ · FR / EN · phone number · orange "Check my situation"
pattern: Sonnet, Steps to Justice toggle
02
Fired? Quit? EI refused?
Know exactly what Service Canada will ask, and what to say. Written plan in 2 business days. Approved or refunded.
I was firedI quitI was refused
Independent EI coaching. Not a law firm. Not the government. · Illustration on the right (kitchen table).
pattern: Allsup branch, Sonnet tiles, DoNotPay trust line, Complex Law hero
03
Proof bar
14 years inside Canada's EI program · Written review in 2 business days · Approved or refunded, 4 conditions · Canada-wide, EN + FR
3 or 4 numbers, not 6
04
The stakes
"Your claim is worth up to $729 a week for 14 to 45 weeks. One wrong answer on the call can end it." Then: "45% of refused claims are reversed when the person asks the right way. Most never ask."
pattern: TaxRise names the pain first
05
How it works, 4 steps
1 Tell us what happened (5 questions, 3 min) · 2 We call you within 15 minutes, 9 to 9 · 3 If we can help, written plan in 2 business days · 4 We stay with you by email through the call and the decision. Under step 2: "If we can't help, we say so on the call and point you to free help. No charge."
pattern: Community Tax 3 steps, Superpower cards
06
Why not free?
Two columns. Free nonprofit: waiting list, drop-in, information. EI SOS: 2 days, your file, someone who sat on the other side, approved or refunded. Respectful. Links to the nonprofit list.
pattern: Willful comparison table
07
The guarantee
Badge "Approved or refunded." The four conditions in plain words. Link to full terms.
pattern: ExpressVPN badge + conditions
08
About, unnamed
"After 14 years working within Canada's Employment Insurance program, I know what the agent is looking for…" First person. No name, no photo.
pattern: Resolute founder story, adapted
09
Packages
Three cards, prices shown, "most people start here" on READY $697. Add-ons. Two instalments.
pattern: HoneyBook cards with guarantee under them
10
FAQ
Eight questions, grouped. "Are you affiliated with Service Canada?" answered first. "Can you guarantee approval?" answered honestly.
pattern: Sketch grouped accordion
11
Final CTA
"Tell us what happened. We'll tell you if we can help." Tiles again, phone number, trust line beside the button.
pattern: Wealthsimple stat beside final CTA
12
Footer
"EI SOS is an independent coaching service. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. It is not affiliated with Service Canada or the Government of Canada." Language toggle, phone, hours, privacy, terms, guarantee terms, company name and address.
pattern: Squarespace footer toggle

Mobile: sticky bottom bar with "Check my situation" (orange) and a call icon.

08The guided flow: "Check my situation"

One question per screen, progress bar, back button, 3 minutes. No uploads, no SIN. Pre-filled from the hero tiles.

Step 1
What happened?
I was fired · I quit · I was refused EI · Not sure
Step 2
Where do you live?
Province. Routing, referral list, language default.
Step 3
When did it happen?
Date of separation or date on the letter. Computes the 30-day deadline.
Step 4
Have you applied yet?
Not yet · Applied, waiting · Got a decision · Asked for reconsideration. Places them in READY / RECOURS / BOARD.
Step 5
What does your employer say the reason was?
Short text, optional. Screening input for the call.
Step 6
Where can we reach you?
First name, phone (required), email, language, best time.
Step 7
Thank you
"We call within 15 minutes, 9 to 9 ET. Have ready: your ROE, any letter, the dates." Deadline line in red if close.

Data → GHL (contact, pipeline stage, custom fields) → call-center task, confirmation email, Meta conversion event.

09Sitemap and stack

PageENFR
Home//
Fired / Quit / Refused/fired /quit /refused/congedie /demission /refuse
How it works/how-it-works/comment-ca-marche
Pricing & guarantee/pricing/tarifs
Check my situation/check/verifier
About · FAQ · Contact/about /faq /contact/a-propos /faq /contact
Guarantee terms · Privacy · Terms/guarantee /privacy /terms/garantie /confidentialite /conditions
Ad landing pages (no nav, no price)/lp/fired …/lp/congedie …
LayerChoice
FrameworkNext.js 15, App Router, next-intl. eisos.ca → /en, chomagesos.ca → /fr.
HostingVercel, two domains mapped to locales.
StylingTailwind + shadcn/ui with the brand tokens.
Forms / CRMOwn quiz component → GHL API. Call center works in GHL.
PaymentsStripe Checkout, 2 instalments, card on file. Quebec CPA distance-contract disclosures on the page.
AgreementSigned in the checkout flow, PDF in both languages, guarantee conditions acknowledged before payment.
AnalyticsGA4, Meta Pixel + Conversions API, Clarity. Quiz-step funnel.
Illustrations8 to 10 scenes generated to the style render, then vectorised.

10References: what to copy, what to avoid

Twelve sites fetched by the scout, plus Mobbin pattern pulls. No paid EI or unemployment coaching site exists anywhere; the closest playbook is US disability advocates and tax-relief funnels.

Allsup · allsup.com

Three-way branch in the hero ("I need to apply / I want to appeal / Not sure"). Copy it as Fired / Quit / Refused. Avoid its six stacked trust numbers.

Sonnet Insurance · sonnet.ca

Product tiles before any form, FR/EN toggle in nav and footer, Trustpilot linked out. Closest Canadian template match.

Citizens Disability · citizensdisability.com

"We only get paid if you win" as the load-bearing trust line. Our version: "Approved or refunded." Avoid burying the mechanics off the homepage.

Willful · willful.co

Three-tier pricing shown against "do nothing $0" and "hire a lawyer $700–1,200+". Model for $697–$1,497 against free nonprofit and lawyer.

DoNotPay · donotpay.com

"We are not a law firm" up front as a trust move, not a footnote.

TaxRise · taxrise.com

Names the pain before the pitch. "5 min, no credit card" next to the CTA. Avoid: nothing to qualify on the page itself.

Community Tax · communitytax.com

Named 3-step process. Phone-first form. Avoid phone-only capture with no email.

Steps to Justice · stepstojustice.ca

Guided-pathway interview is the calmest qualification format. Avoid its free-information tone without differentiating.

Wealthsimple · wealthsimple.com

Trust stat directly beside the final CTA. Put the guarantee line there.

Resolute Legal · resolutelegal.ca

Founder story works. No FR/EN toggle on a Canadian site: the mistake not to repeat.

Mobbin: Complex Law · hero, how it works, Trustpilot block

Calm illustrated consumer-claims site with dual CTA ("Speak to a solicitor / Start a claim online"). Closest visual analog. Ours drops the legal register.

Mobbin: patterns · ExpressVPN guarantee, Sketch FAQ, HoneyBook pricing, Superpower steps, Giga hero form, Squarespace footer

Guarantee badge with plain conditions, grouped accordion, 3-card pricing with a money-back badge, 4-step cards, hero with the form on the right, footer language selector.

11Build order

PhaseWhatTime
1Meta test landing pages. /lp/fired, /lp/quit, /lp/refused in EN and FR, the quiz, thank-you, GHL hookup, pixel. No price, no nav. This runs the $500 test.1 week
2Read the test. Go / no-go.1 week
3Full site. Home, situation pages, how it works, pricing + guarantee, about, FAQ, contact, legal. EN first, FR one week behind.3–4 weeks
4Checkout + agreement. Stripe instalments, signed agreement both languages, lawyer-reviewed text.1 week
5Content site (monchomage.ca / eiclaimcoach.ca) for the money search terms.later

12Decisions for Shaw

  1. Approve the name and buy the domains (9 domains, ~$150). CIPO and REQ searches by hand before incorporating.
  2. Logo direction: lifebuoy-O wordmark as rendered, or iterate. Then a vector pass.
  3. Price on the main site: shown (recommended) or hidden until the call.
  4. Phone line: new toll-free number under the company, routed to Prime CS. Hours promise "9 to 9 ET" needs Fahad's confirmation.
  5. Illustrations: generate in-house to the style render, or commission.
  6. Legal name and address for the footer and the agreement.