Both candidates below are built to Founder’s Kitchen v2.0.0 canon and both add the subscription section (newsletter capture, subscribe value line, manage‑subscription link) the current gallery footers lack. They share identical copy, link architecture, and compliance posture: they differ only in layout. Joel picks one, and Stage 3 then applies it to all 16 gallery pages.
Single rust band, integrated
One warm rust band carries everything: brand block, founder nameplate, and an integrated white subscribe card floating on rust, followed by the link columns, trust line, and legal row all in the same field.
Lowest‑risk swap (matches the 10‑page Cluster‑A footprint); one warm band; subscribe card is the clear anchor; every fix lands in the familiar structure.
Denser single surface; the subscribe card and the tall link block share one rust field, so the newsletter competes with navigation for attention rather than owning its own zone.
Two-tier: cream feature band over compact rust band
An upper cream feature band owns the subscribe story with full breathing room and the canonical rust-underline nameplate, then a 2px gold-rule steps down into a compact rust band carrying navigation, socials, trust, proof, and legal.
Newsletter owns a dedicated cream zone (matches the homes’ pre‑footer pattern); nameplate uses the canonical rust underline on light ground; the rust nav band stays compact and editorial.
Taller overall (two full bands); introduces a cream/rust seam the other 15 pages don’t yet have, so it is a slightly bolder visual departure than Design 1.