diff --git a/docusaurus/docs/reference/components.md b/docusaurus/docs/reference/components.md
index d52e81d..b083ad4 100644
--- a/docusaurus/docs/reference/components.md
+++ b/docusaurus/docs/reference/components.md
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@ renders the brand link with an href the site cannot change, and
 `PrimaryMenu` repeats the developer navbar's external buttons in the mobile
 drawer. The only input a site has is the `navbarLinks` option.
 
-`Navbar/Logo` reads `siteConfig.title` (developer variant only) and
-`siteConfig.customFields.projectVersion`. theme-classic renders the title inside
+`Navbar/Logo` reads `siteConfig.title` and `siteConfig.customFields.projectVersion`,
+both on the developer variant only; the public navbar shows neither. theme-classic renders the title inside
 the brand anchor, so the override hides it there with CSS and re-renders it as
 its own absolutely centred element, which is what lets the version badge sit
 next to it. A version without a leading `v` gets one added.
diff --git a/docusaurus/docs/reference/exports.md b/docusaurus/docs/reference/exports.md
index 2b56928..ce97fe0 100644
--- a/docusaurus/docs/reference/exports.md
+++ b/docusaurus/docs/reference/exports.md
@@ -80,8 +80,8 @@ The theme decides from `baseUrl`, and there is no override:
 | anything else | public | `https://docs.vantagecompute.ai/` | search, the `Navbar/SiteActions` slot, colour-mode toggle |
 
 The developer navbar centres `siteConfig.title` with the version badge beside
-it. The public navbar shows only the badge, when `customFields.projectVersion`
-is set.
+it. The public navbar shows neither: it is the brand mark, search, the slot and
+the toggle, and `customFields.projectVersion` is ignored there.
 
 Sites declare no `themeConfig.navbar` and no `themeConfig.footer`. A site that
 still does builds fine; the theme renders neither.
diff --git a/src/css/custom.css b/src/css/custom.css
index ed6e301..6e9af5a 100644
--- a/src/css/custom.css
+++ b/src/css/custom.css
@@ -2015,15 +2015,6 @@ article {
   }
 }
 
-/* A site with no navbar.title still gets the version badge, alone in the
-   centre. Between 997 and 1024 that is a bare git hash beside the logo on a
-   tablet; hide it there. On wider screens the lone centred badge stays. */
-@media (max-width: 1024px) {
-  .navbar__center-title:not(:has(.navbar__center-title-text)) {
-    display: none;
-  }
-}
-
 /* ── Tablet landscape (997 to 1199) ────────────────────────────────── */
 /* Docusaurus treats this band as desktop: a 300px sidebar, a right-hand TOC
    column and the article between them. At 1024 the article is 505px and the
diff --git a/src/theme/Navbar/useVantageNavbar.js b/src/theme/Navbar/useVantageNavbar.js
index e3082bf..1a99469 100644
--- a/src/theme/Navbar/useVantageNavbar.js
+++ b/src/theme/Navbar/useVantageNavbar.js
@@ -11,7 +11,12 @@ export function useVantageNavbar() {
   const {siteConfig} = useDocusaurusContext();
   const {variant, logoHref, navbarLinks} = usePluginData('@vantagecompute/docusaurus-theme');
 
-  const raw = siteConfig.customFields?.projectVersion;
+  // The developer navbar names the project beside its version, which is how
+  // a reader confirms they are on the version they think they are. The public
+  // navbar is logo-only: no title and no version badge, even when the site
+  // sets customFields.projectVersion.
+  const developer = variant === 'developer';
+  const raw = developer ? siteConfig.customFields?.projectVersion : null;
   const version = raw
     ? String(raw).startsWith('v')
       ? String(raw)
@@ -22,10 +27,7 @@ export function useVantageNavbar() {
     variant,
     logoHref,
     links: navbarLinks,
-    // The developer navbar names the project beside its version, which is
-    // how a reader confirms they are on the version they think they are.
-    // The public navbar is logo-only.
-    title: variant === 'developer' ? siteConfig.title : null,
+    title: developer ? siteConfig.title : null,
     version,
   };
 }