diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bfe0a871b..50b89ffe0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,14 +1,16 @@
 <p align="center">
-  <img src="docs/images/dashboard.png" alt="Hypercolor dashboard running the Neon City effect" width="800">
+  <img src="assets/brand/social/hypercolor-banner.png" alt="Hypercolor" width="800">
 </p>
 
-<h1 align="center">Hypercolor</h1>
-
 <p align="center">
   <strong>Open-source RGB lighting engine for Linux, Windows, and macOS</strong><br>
   <sub>✦ Your world is a canvas: paint every pixel. ✦</sub>
 </p>
 
+<p align="center">
+  <img src="docs/images/dashboard.png" alt="Hypercolor dashboard running the Neon City effect" width="800">
+</p>
+
 <p align="center">
   <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Rust-2024_Edition-e135ff?style=for-the-badge&logo=rust&logoColor=white" alt="Rust">
   <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Servo-Web_Engine-80ffea?style=for-the-badge&logo=servo&logoColor=black" alt="Servo">
diff --git a/assets/brand/README.md b/assets/brand/README.md
index 0ef5f1f73..74daf6fb4 100644
--- a/assets/brand/README.md
+++ b/assets/brand/README.md
@@ -32,11 +32,14 @@ and `derived/`. Idempotent.
 - **`mask/`** — grayscale masks for dynamically tinting the logo at runtime
   in the UI. See `mask/README.md` for the three flavors of dynamic-tint and
   Leptos usage.
-- **`social/`** — `hypercolor-social.png`, the 1280x640 repository social
-  preview (the luminary field with the mark over the wordmark). GitHub has
-  no API for it, so it is uploaded by hand under Settings, General, Social
-  preview; regenerate with `uv run assets/brand/build.py` and copy
-  `derived/social/github-social.png` here when the masters change.
+- **`social/`** — the checked-in derived images the repository itself
+  displays: `hypercolor-social.png`, the 1280x640 social preview (the
+  luminary field with the mark over the wordmark), and
+  `hypercolor-banner.png`, the README header lockup. GitHub has no API for
+  the social preview, so it is uploaded by hand under Settings, General,
+  Social preview. Regenerate with `uv run assets/brand/build.py` and copy
+  `derived/social/github-social.png` and `derived/social/readme-banner.png`
+  here when the masters change.
 - **`derived/`** — final sized/format outputs: Tauri app icon set, Windows ICO,
   favicons, OG images, WiX/NSIS installer BMPs, social avatars. Regenerated on
   release, not edited by hand. The Windows installer assets are also mirrored
diff --git a/assets/brand/build.py b/assets/brand/build.py
index 7d5637b3b..c114bccf7 100644
--- a/assets/brand/build.py
+++ b/assets/brand/build.py
@@ -841,6 +841,13 @@ def build_social() -> None:
         1280, 640, mark_wf=0.28, mark_y=0.11, wm_wf=0.58, wm_y=0.57, sparkles=160
     ).save(out / "github-social.png")
 
+    # README header banner: the horizontal lockup on the luminary chip with
+    # no underline, sized for GitHub's ~900px content column at 2x.
+    # Checked in as social/hypercolor-banner.png next to the social preview.
+    _luminary_horizontal(1600, 400, lockup_wf=0.72, underline=False).save(
+        out / "readme-banner.png"
+    )
+
     # Discord server icon 512
     bg = radial_gradient((512, 512), inner=(35, 15, 70), outer=VOID_BLACK).convert("RGBA")
     mark_scaled = sq.resize((420, 420), Image.LANCZOS)
diff --git a/assets/brand/social/hypercolor-banner.png b/assets/brand/social/hypercolor-banner.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e832f55ff
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/brand/social/hypercolor-banner.png differ