--- title: Gypsoteca Catalog Strategy — 2026-04-05 type: article created: '2026-04-05' updated: '2026-04-05' source_docs: - raw/2026-03-26-quarra-italia-catalog-call-133267053.md tags: - quarra-italia - gypsoteca - catalog - website - seo - pietrasanta - proposal - image-editing layer: 2 client_source: Quarra Stone industry_context: b2b-services transferable: false --- # Gypsoteca Catalog Strategy — 2026-04-05 ## Overview Strategy call between Asymmetric (Melissa Cusumano, Karly Oykhman) and Matthew Hart (Quarra Italia) to align on how the Gypsoteca sculpture catalog should be integrated into the new `quaritalia.it` website rebuild. Matthew had independently built a Canva document to showcase the Gypsoteca's cast collection; this call established that the Canva doc will serve as source material, and that Asymmetric will propose two formal options to Lincoln and Jim. **Attendees:** - Melissa Cusumano — Asymmetric - Karly Oykhman — Asymmetric - Matthew Hart — Quarra Italia (external) **Related client:** [[wiki/clients/current/quarra/_index]] --- ## Key Decisions 1. **The Canva PDF approach is a dead end.** Matthew confirmed it himself — distributing updated PDFs is clunky, and the existing `quaritalia.it` site is too outdated to send prospects to. The catalog needs to live on the rebuilt site. 2. **Two options will be proposed to Lincoln and Jim:** - **Option A — Flip-book PDF catalog:** A polished, embeddable PDF that can be linked from the site. Lower cost, faster to produce, but no SEO benefit and requires re-issuing for every update. - **Option B — SEO-optimized website section:** Individual sculpture pages within a Gypsoteca section on `quaritalia.it`. Enables Google indexing, dynamic filtering by style (Neoclassical, Sacred, Contemporary, etc.), and instant content updates. 3. **Password protection is likely.** The catalog will probably be gated to create exclusivity for prospects and limit competitor access to high-quality imagery. Confirmed as easy to implement. 4. **Gypsoteca history gets a dedicated page.** The historical context (largest collection of its kind in the world) warrants its own page within the Gypsoteca section, not buried in About Us. 5. **Team photos move to About Us.** The team bios and photos Matthew included in the Canva doc belong on the main site's About Us page, not in the catalog. 6. **Bloomberg quote approved for branding use.** Matthew's Bloomberg article described Cervietti as *"the most respected carving atelier in Italy"* — Jim liked this as a homepage banner. Asymmetric may also use it elsewhere on the site. 7. **Franco Cervietti's name is preserved intentionally.** Jim wants Franco represented as an active presence on the site for cultural sensitivity with Italian clients, even though Jim is the owner. The `.it` domain must remain. --- ## Action Items - [ ] **Karly + Melissa** — Draft proposal for Lincoln and Jim with two options (PDF flip-book vs. SEO website section) including pricing. Send directly to Lincoln and Jim. - [ ] **Matthew Hart** — Replace low-contrast photos in Canva with Angelica's improved shots; notify Karly and Melissa when done. - [ ] **Matthew Hart** — Audit all Canva catalog images for IP/copyright issues. The V&A "Three Graces" image is a confirmed placeholder — must be replaced with Quarra Italia's own photo before launch. - [ ] **Matthew Hart** — Provide Asymmetric with original high-resolution image files (not extracted from Canva, which may degrade quality). - [ ] **Matthew Hart** — Confirm project direction with Jim after his return from holiday (next week). --- ## Content & Asset Notes ### Source Material Matthew's Canva document is the single source of truth for catalog content: sculpture names, descriptions, history, team bios, and images. Asymmetric has been granted edit access to the Canva doc. ### Image Quality Issues Several photos from the Pietrasanta shoot have problems: - Poor contrast (photographer Angelica is re-editing and sending improved versions) - Distracting backgrounds (Matthew removed backgrounds in Canva but couldn't add replacement backgrounds — Asymmetric's design team will handle this) - Some casts still have pointing reference hardware visible (acceptable for casts; finished pieces preferred where available) ### Copyright Flag - The **Three Graces** image in the Canva doc is sourced from the V&A — **not cleared for commercial use**. Must be swapped for Quarra Italia's own photo of their cast (nearly finished at time of call) before any public launch. - All other images should be audited for ownership/licensing before going live. ### Asset Handoff Asymmetric will need **original hi-res files** for all images used on the website. Extracting images from Canva risks quality loss. ### Catalog Scope Approximately 59 sculptures documented at time of call. Matthew is still adding final photography. Future additions (e.g., in-situ shots from a Turkish collector client) are desirable but not blocking launch. A "reach out for additional options" CTA can cover gaps. --- ## Context: Site Rebuild Status The `quaritalia.it` rebuild is underway. At time of this call: - Design and structure are in place with placeholder copy - Karly has drafted copy for the main site; Lincoln and the Italia team need to review and finalize - Copy review meeting with Lincoln not yet scheduled (he was on a sales trip) - The catalog work will proceed **in parallel** with the main site copy finalization The Gypsoteca catalog was discussed with Lincoln previously; he confirmed ~2 weeks before this call that he wants to move forward with adding it to the site. --- ## Relevant Transcript Excerpts > **Matthew Hart:** "The problem with it is, of course, that you can't — unless you want somebody messing around in your Canva — you have to send them a PDF. And then the second you want to make a change, you have to send them another document." > **Karly Oykhman:** "The thing about Google and other search engines is they don't look for words on a PDF. So the other option would be actually putting it on the website, like as individual pages on the website. And then Google would pick that up." > **Matthew Hart:** "Yeah, we can have like neoclassical, contemporary, sacred or something like that, and they just hit a button. Instead, here, you have to scroll through it." > **Matthew Hart:** "In it, I referred to Cervietti as the most respected carving atelier in Italy... I suggest that Jim, like the welcome page where you come in, has a single line, like a banner. 'The most respected carving atelier in Italy — Bloomberg.'" > **Melissa Cusumano:** "We might need the original files. I don't know if extracting these, how they'll — if they're high enough res."