diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e285690b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: no
+     SPDX-License-Identifier: CC0-1.0
+-->
+
+# Contributing to Calamares
+
+### Dependencies
+
+Main:
+* Compiler with C++14 support: GCC >= 5 or Clang >= 3.5.1
+* CMake >= 3.3
+* Qt >= 5.9
+* yaml-cpp >= 0.5.1
+* Python >= 3.3 (required for some modules)
+* Boost.Python >= 1.55.0 (required for some modules)
+* KDE extra-cmake-modules >= 5.18 (recommended; required for some modules;
+  required for some tests)
+* KDE Frameworks KCoreAddons (>= 5.58 recommended)
+* PythonQt (optional, deprecated)
+
+Individual modules may have their own requirements;
+these are listed in CMake output.
+Particular requirements (not complete):
+
+* *fsresizer* KPMCore >= 3.3 (>= 4.1 recommended)
+* *partition* KPMCore >= 3.3 (>= 4.1 recommended)
+* *users* LibPWQuality (optional)
+
+### Building
+
+See [wiki](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki) for up to date
+[building](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki/Develop-Guide)
+and [deployment](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki/Deploy-Guide)
+instructions.
+
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3ba9221d6..b3acedb4c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
      SPDX-License-Identifier: CC0-1.0
 -->
 
-### Calamares: Distribution-Independent Installer Framework
+# Calamares: Distribution-Independent Installer Framework
 ---------
 
 [![GitHub release](https://img.shields.io/github/release/calamares/calamares.svg)](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/releases)
@@ -10,34 +10,52 @@
 [![Coverity Scan Build Status](https://scan.coverity.com/projects/5389/badge.svg)](https://scan.coverity.com/projects/5389)
 [![GitHub license](https://img.shields.io/github/license/calamares/calamares.svg)](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/blob/calamares/LICENSE)
 
-| [Report a Bug](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/issues/new) | [Translate](https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/calamares/) | [Contribute](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki/Develop-Guide) | Freenode (IRC): #calamares | [Wiki](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki) |
+| [Report a Bug](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/issues/new) | [Translate](https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/calamares/) | [Contribute](CONTRIBUTING.md) | Freenode (IRC): #calamares | [Wiki](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki) |
 |:-----------------------------------------:|:----------------------:|:-----------------------:|:--------------------------:|:--------------------------:|
 
-### Dependencies
+> Calamares is a distribution-independent system installer, with an advanced partitioning
+> feature for both manual and automated partitioning operations. Calamares is designed to
+> be customizable by distribution maintainers without need for cumbersome patching,
+> thanks to third party branding and external modules support.
 
-Main:
-* Compiler with C++14 support: GCC >= 5 or Clang >= 3.5.1
-* CMake >= 3.3
-* Qt >= 5.9
-* yaml-cpp >= 0.5.1
-* Python >= 3.3 (required for some modules)
-* Boost.Python >= 1.55.0 (required for some modules)
-* KDE extra-cmake-modules >= 5.18 (recommended; required for some modules;
-  required for some tests)
-* KDE Frameworks KCoreAddons (>= 5.58 recommended)
-* PythonQt (optional, deprecated)
+## Target Audience
 
-Individual modules may have their own requirements;
-these are listed in CMake output.
-Particular requirements (not complete):
+Calamares is a Linux installer; users who install Linux on a computer will hopefully
+use it just **once**, to install their Linux distribution. Calamares is not
+a "ready to use" application: distributions apply a huge amount of customisation
+and configuration to Calamares, and the target audience for this repository
+is those distributions, and the people who make those Linux distro's.
 
-* *fsresizer* KPMCore >= 3.3 (>= 4.1 recommended)
-* *partition* KPMCore >= 3.3 (>= 4.1 recommended)
-* *users* LibPWQuality (optional)
+Calamares has some [generic user documentation](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki/Use-Guide)
+for end-users, but most of what we have is for distro developers.
 
-### Building
+## Getting Calamares
 
-See [wiki](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki) for up to date
-[building](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki/Develop-Guide)
-and [deployment](https://github.com/calamares/calamares/wiki/Deploy-Guide)
-instructions.
+Clone Calamares from GitHub. The default branch is called *calamares*.
+
+```
+git clone https://github.com/calamares/calamares.git
+```
+
+Calamares is a KDE-Frameworks and Qt-based, C++14, CMake-built application.
+The dependencies are explainged in [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md).
+
+## Contributing to Calamares
+
+Calamares welcomes PRs. New issues are welcome, too.
+There are both the Calamares **core** repository (this one),
+and an *extensions** repository ([Calamares extensions](https://github.com/calamares/calamares-extensions).
+
+Contributions to code, modules, documentation, the wiki and the website are all welcome.
+There is more information in the [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) file.
+
+## Join the Conversation
+
+GitHub Issues are **one** place for discussing Calamares if there are concrete
+problems or a new feature to discuss.
+
+Regular Calamares development chit-chat happens on old-school IRC
+(no registration required). Responsiveness is best during the day
+in Europe, but feel free to idle.
+
+[![Visit our IRC channel](https://kiwiirc.com/buttons/webchat.freenode.net/calamares.png)](https://kiwiirc.com/client/webchat.freenode.net/?nick=guest|?#calamares)